Lifeguard whistles in swimmers as huge shark is spotted at same location Jaws was filmed
A lifeguard was forced to whistle in swimmers after reported sightings of a shark in one of the locations where the movie Jaws was filmed.
Those swimming off the coast of Martha's Vineyard in Massachusetts were called back to shore after reports of a hammerhead shark.
The incident, which took place back in 2016, saw swimmers evacuate the water.
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Jessica McGroarty, parks administrator for Edgartown, said swimming was suspended for an hour and a half after a spotter pilot confirmed a shark was present.
However, at the time, one expert named John Chisholm, a state marine fisheries biologist, said it would be unusual for a hammerhead shark to swim so close to the shore.
Once the water was reopened, it was closed for a further half an hour following a second sighting.
Coincidentally, the area was a filming location for Jaws.
Amity Island - which doesn't actually exist - was in fact Martha's Vineyard IRL.
It was chosen for its shallow beaches, but it wasn't actually the film crew's first choice.
Apparently, the production team were set on Nantucket, but after their boat was diverted due to poor weather, they ended up on Martha's Vineyard instead.
Jaws was based on a novel published the year before the film’s release written by Peter Benchley.
The summer blockbuster was the highest-grossing film of all time until the release of Star Wars two years later, having grossed $476.5 million at the box office.
The movie was directed by Steven Spielberg who once admitted he’s afraid sharks may be ‘mad at him’ after the success of Jaws.
Siting down with Lauren Laverne on BBC Radio 4’s Desert Island Discs, Spielberg mentioned that the success of his 1975 thriller led to a rise in sports fishing across the US.
In some countries, sharks are caught by humans for shark meat or for shark fin soup.
Many shark populations are threatened by human activities and since 1970 their populations have been reduced by 71 percent, mostly due to overfishing, The New York Times reports.
When asked by Laverne how it felt to be stuck on an island surrounded by sharks, the iconic director admitted: “That’s one of the things I still fear.”
He clarified: “Not to get eaten by a shark, but that sharks are somehow mad at me for the feeding frenzy of crazy sports fishermen that happened after 1975.”
The three-time Oscar-winning director added: “I truly and to this day regret the decimation of the shark population because of the book and the film.
"I really, truly regret that.”
Lucy Devine