"We're gonna need a bigger boat!"

[TheSlashFiveTourer]

"We're gonna need a bigger boat!"

Famous movie line by Chief Martin Brody of the Amity Police Department. (1975)

'JAWS' author Peter Benchley (http://www.cnn.com/2006/SHOWBIZ/books/02/12/benchley.obit.ap/index.html) died today at 65.

Anyone have interesting comments on "JAWS" and the sequels?

I'm a scuba diver and that theme comes into my head everytime I clear my regulator and go below. And yes, I still keep lookin' over my shoulder for you-know-who. . . . thirty years later! Brrrr......

Thanks for the story, Peter!

[riderR1150GSAdv]

I used to work as an oilfield diver and got asked all the time about sharks as if they were lurking for a diver to chomp on :lurk . Fact is that 99% of sharks will take off when they see you, provided the water is clear. In murky water things change since sharks have poor eyesight and hunt by smell and electrical impulses. The first thing they do then is bite, which sucks if you're that person.
Most shark attacks occur in murky waters and where lots of baitfish are present. Invariably a shark attack becomes major news but, there are other critters in the oceans killing more people every year, than all shark attacks combined. Those are the ones I worry about. :bolt

Peter Benchley has regretted his Jaws books, as after he wrote them he started really learning about sharks and understanding them much better. The decimation of sharks, after Jaws, worldwide is a grave situation as these animals clean up the weak and sick preventing many diseases that could wipe out fish stocks worldwide.
I have logged thousands of hours under water and have yet to see sharks with agressive behaviour towards me or fellow divers.
Btw sharks are the only animals on the planet who don't get cancer and a lot of research is going on as to the why, and the what they have in their DNA that causes this. :brow

[Belquar]

Btw sharks are the only animals on the planet who don't get cancer and a lot of research is going on as to the why, and the what they have in their DNA that causes this. :brow


Very cool....I did not know that.

[sfarson]

This does remind me of the Discovery Channel's Mythbusters program. They are running several programs on realities/myths contained in the Jaws movie...

- Can a large shark pull three yellow air tanks under water
- Can a large shark pull a boat backwards
- Can a large shark ram a shark cage and break into it
- Can a tank in a shark's mouth be blown up with a rifle shot

I only caught the first one above :).

[The_Veg]

That was a great episode!

Love those guys. If I could be magically granted any job on Earth I'd be a Mythbuster.

There's also an English show I cought recently on late-night TV (I forget which channel) that is of a similar vein but is more pure-science-gone-bad. Those English guys have a thing about blowing up caravans. They also did a test to see whether or not a woman with breast implants floats better than an all-natural one.

[riderR1150GSAdv]

This does remind me of the Discovery Channel's Mythbusters program. They are running several programs on realities/myths contained in the Jaws movie...

- Can a large shark pull three yellow air tanks under water
- Can a large shark pull a boat backwards
- Can a large shark ram a shark cage and break into it
- Can a tank in a shark's mouth be blown up with a rifle shot

I only caught the first one above :).

Megalodon could have done that and more...It was 40 to 50 feet long with jaws 6 feet across, each tooth weighing almost a pound a piece and it weighed up to 48 tons. That, and perpetually pi$$ed off makes for one heck of a predator... :uhoh :help

[SNC1923]

Sorry to hear about Benchley's passing. The movie adaptation of his book Jaws had a big impact on me, and I didn't go into the ocean for a long time after seeing it, not unlike people who ceased showering after seeing Psycho I suppose.

I remember reading and really enjoying The Deep too.

His books didn't leave any of us at ease, but may he rest in peace nonetheless.

[GeneT]

Many years ago we did ocean salvage work in the Florida Keys, the greater concern was the Moray Ell, not the sharks. Today's divers seem to romance the Moray Ell, we were always taught they had filthy mouths and being bitten by one would cause serious infection. Times change, go figure!

:brow

[The_Veg]

To make a hijack about eels, did anybody see the Mythbusters episode about eelskin and wallets?

[riderR1150GSAdv]

Many years ago we did ocean salvage work in the Florida Keys, the greater concern was the Moray Ell, not the sharks. Today's divers seem to romance the Moray Ell, we were always taught they had filthy mouths and being bitten by one would cause serious infection. Times change, go figure!

:brow

The eels still have potty mouths and can cause serious infections. A friend of mine got bitten in his hand and needed microsurgery to repair the damage, and a serious amount of anti-biotics to keep his hand.

[TheSlashFiveTourer]

I used to work as an oilfield diver and got asked all the time about sharks as if they were lurking for a diver to chomp on. . .
I have logged thousands of hours under water and have yet to see sharks with agressive behaviour. . .
Oh,yeah??
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[sfarson]

To make a hijack about eels, did anybody see the Mythbusters episode about eelskin and wallets?

Yes! Myth busted.

[riderR1150GSAdv]

Oh,yeah??
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Great photoshop work!!! :D :laugh