death.
Another friend wore a gold cross on a gold chain while he was snorkeling. A shark rushed him from below, ripped cross and chain away, and, with the same slashing bite, tore open his chin.
Donât swim in the ocean with your dog. Dogs swim with an erratic, ungainly motion that can attract curious sharks.
And donât
you
make any erratic movements, either, such as splashing, kicking, or tussling with your buddy. All of those send out signals that say,
wounded prey ⦠worth investigating
.
Despite all these cautions, itâs important to remember that no matter what you do, the odds are in your favor. Whether or not a person acts with vigilance and common sense,
still
the statistical chances of being set upon by a shark remain well within the comfort zone, somewhere between slim and none.
The most notorious face in nature: a great white shark, upper jaw dropped into âbite position.â In fact, though, this was a moment of curiosity, not aggression. The shark had poked its head out of the water and was just having a look around. South Africa, 1999.
© JENNIFER HAYES
A great white shark that circled our tiny boat several times off Gansbaai, South Africa, in 1999. When we boarded the boat, the captain said, âRule number one: if anybody falls overboard and a shark grabs him, the person next to him jumps down onto the sharkâs head. That startles âim and makes âim let go. Usually.â
PETER BENCHLEY
Natureâs perfect creation: a great white shark approaching a bait (
top
) and eyeballing a diver in a cage (
bottom
). Essentially unchanged for tens of millions of years, great whites have no enemies except bigger versions of themselves, killer whales, and, of course, man. No one knows for sure how many great whites still exist, but the evidence, anecdotal and scientific, suggests that the magnificent animals are threatened everywhere and, in many parts of the world, actually endangered.
© HOWARD HALL/HOWARDHALL.COM
The shark approaches the cage and prepares to take a test bite.
© ABC SPORTS
After completing a circle of the cage, the shark comes at it from a different angle and lifts its head out of the water to swallow a bait.
© ABC SPORTS
Sharkâs view of me in the cage. Do I look appetizing? I donât think so.
© JENNIFER HAYES
My fantasy becomes reality: the first great white shark I ever saw underwater. South Australia, 1974.
© ABC SPORTS
The shark has snagged the tether rope in its teeth. Cowering in the cage, armed only with my trusty broomstick, I alone realize that chaos is about to ensue.
© ABC SPORTS
The summer of hypeâ2001. One newspaperâs attempt to explain the supposed explosion in shark attacks on humans.
© AMERICAN MEDIA, INC.
A completely phony computer-generated image that was circulated on the Internet during the summer. No wonder shark-attack hysteria gripped the nation.
On the beach set of
Jaws
in the cold spring of 1974. Left to right, my wife, Wendy; PB; Roy Scheider (Chief Brody in the movie); and, in front of me, our five-year-old son, Clayton.
© UNIVERSAL PICTURES
Steven Spielberg preparing me for my scene as the television reporter on the beach on the Fourth of July.
© UNIVERSAL PICTURES
The intrepid reporter interviewing Richard Dreyfuss (Hooper) during the Fourth of July beach scene in
Jaws
.
© UNIVERSAL PICTURES
On the set of
The Deep
in Bermuda, 1976. Nick Nolte (
left
) had starred in the TV miniseries
Rich Man, Poor Man,
but this was his first leading role in a major feature film. The leather-covered cigarette lighters hanging around our necks, each stamped with the name of the movie, were gifts to cast and crew from the gutsy, game, and gorgeous Jacqueline Bisset (
right
).
© COLUMBIA TRISTAR
Two of the most memorable shows (for me) from ABCâs
The American Sportsman
. As yet unaware that Iâm leaking blood from a wound in my ankle, Iâve become
Another friend wore a gold cross on a gold chain while he was snorkeling. A shark rushed him from below, ripped cross and chain away, and, with the same slashing bite, tore open his chin.
Donât swim in the ocean with your dog. Dogs swim with an erratic, ungainly motion that can attract curious sharks.
And donât
you
make any erratic movements, either, such as splashing, kicking, or tussling with your buddy. All of those send out signals that say,
wounded prey ⦠worth investigating
.
Despite all these cautions, itâs important to remember that no matter what you do, the odds are in your favor. Whether or not a person acts with vigilance and common sense,
still
the statistical chances of being set upon by a shark remain well within the comfort zone, somewhere between slim and none.
The most notorious face in nature: a great white shark, upper jaw dropped into âbite position.â In fact, though, this was a moment of curiosity, not aggression. The shark had poked its head out of the water and was just having a look around. South Africa, 1999.
© JENNIFER HAYES
A great white shark that circled our tiny boat several times off Gansbaai, South Africa, in 1999. When we boarded the boat, the captain said, âRule number one: if anybody falls overboard and a shark grabs him, the person next to him jumps down onto the sharkâs head. That startles âim and makes âim let go. Usually.â
PETER BENCHLEY
Natureâs perfect creation: a great white shark approaching a bait (
top
) and eyeballing a diver in a cage (
bottom
). Essentially unchanged for tens of millions of years, great whites have no enemies except bigger versions of themselves, killer whales, and, of course, man. No one knows for sure how many great whites still exist, but the evidence, anecdotal and scientific, suggests that the magnificent animals are threatened everywhere and, in many parts of the world, actually endangered.
© HOWARD HALL/HOWARDHALL.COM
The shark approaches the cage and prepares to take a test bite.
© ABC SPORTS
After completing a circle of the cage, the shark comes at it from a different angle and lifts its head out of the water to swallow a bait.
© ABC SPORTS
Sharkâs view of me in the cage. Do I look appetizing? I donât think so.
© JENNIFER HAYES
My fantasy becomes reality: the first great white shark I ever saw underwater. South Australia, 1974.
© ABC SPORTS
The shark has snagged the tether rope in its teeth. Cowering in the cage, armed only with my trusty broomstick, I alone realize that chaos is about to ensue.
© ABC SPORTS
The summer of hypeâ2001. One newspaperâs attempt to explain the supposed explosion in shark attacks on humans.
© AMERICAN MEDIA, INC.
A completely phony computer-generated image that was circulated on the Internet during the summer. No wonder shark-attack hysteria gripped the nation.
On the beach set of
Jaws
in the cold spring of 1974. Left to right, my wife, Wendy; PB; Roy Scheider (Chief Brody in the movie); and, in front of me, our five-year-old son, Clayton.
© UNIVERSAL PICTURES
Steven Spielberg preparing me for my scene as the television reporter on the beach on the Fourth of July.
© UNIVERSAL PICTURES
The intrepid reporter interviewing Richard Dreyfuss (Hooper) during the Fourth of July beach scene in
Jaws
.
© UNIVERSAL PICTURES
On the set of
The Deep
in Bermuda, 1976. Nick Nolte (
left
) had starred in the TV miniseries
Rich Man, Poor Man,
but this was his first leading role in a major feature film. The leather-covered cigarette lighters hanging around our necks, each stamped with the name of the movie, were gifts to cast and crew from the gutsy, game, and gorgeous Jacqueline Bisset (
right
).
© COLUMBIA TRISTAR
Two of the most memorable shows (for me) from ABCâs
The American Sportsman
. As yet unaware that Iâm leaking blood from a wound in my ankle, Iâve become
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