How 'Jaws' Shaped A Meteorologist’s Career

Even after 50 years, "Jaws" is as fresh and pervasive as the summer it first came out. You recognize the iconic theme. You quote some of the lines. You may even have a lasting fear of the film’s toothy antagonist.

"Jaws" swam into theaters on June 20, 1975, and it continues to make a splash even now, on its 50th anniversary.

So now, on the movie’s anniversary, let’s take a look back – both at how the weather made for a difficult filming experience and about how the movie continues to impact the world today.

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How the weather made for a less-than-fintastic filming experience: Many scenes involved filming directly from the water, but here's something that might surprise you – even "warm" water can lead to hypothermia.

The crew often had to stand in the decidedly chilly waters of Martha’s Vineyard – which was typically 48 to 52 degrees – for hours.

Without protective clothing, you can start to struggle with dexterity in as little as one to two hours with water temperatures near 70. Thermal gear, like wetsuits, was an important part of the crew’s equipment.

And when the crew took to the water, the weather forecast became a vital part of planning the day’s shooting activities. Bad weather meant bad waters, so the crew would only head out when the forecast was safe to do so.

"The company used every source available: marine forecasts, national weather service, local meteorologists, soothsayers, whatever worked," writes Carl Gottlieb, one of the screenwriters and actors for the film, in his book "The Jaws Log: Expanded Edition."

Of course, that was in the days before weather.com, but I’m sure they would have turned to us if they could have.

Even a change in cloud cover was problematic when it came to keeping scene continuity, and constant waves made it hard to keep the camera steady.

Despite careful monitoring of the forecast, rough weather still wreaked havoc on filming equipment, nearly sinking a barge that was permanently anchored at sea full of equipment after a thorough battering from a summer storm.

But it wasn’t only the cast and crew that took a beating from the movie. The reputation of sharks did as well.

A lasting impression on the world’s psyche: Just as other classic movies have created deep-seated fears of twins in hotel hallways or clowns that are the physical embodiment of fear itself, "Jaws" created a profound fear for many viewers of the ocean – and, more specifically, of sharks.

But unlike the movie, which is fictional, sharks are real. And believe it or not, sharks are not prone to hunting fishermen or dramatically leaping out of the ocean onto a boat to chomp at said fisherman’s legs as he tries to stab them in the face. Shocking, I know.

"Jaws" was just the latest in a series of events that criminalized sharks going back as far as the 19th century. The words “man-eater” appeared as early as 1880 in a document characterizing sharks observed off the United States’ West Coast, according to a study published in the Journal of Environmental Studies and Sciences.

In 1945, the sinking of the U.S.S. Indianapolis led to 60-80 fatalities because of sharks and prompted governments to research sharks and develop shark repellents.

The sinking of the U.S.S. Indianapolis was not commonly known for years, until Robert Shaw’s iconic speech as Captain Quint in "Jaws."

Shark fishing and tournaments increased dramatically in popularity and frequency following the 1975 movie's release. The public perception of sharks – especially great whites – became focused on sharks' perceived intent to kill humans.

“Of all the shark statistics, one that is almost totally ignored by the media and the public is the most horrible or all: for every human being killed by a shark, roughly 10 million sharks are killed by humans,” says Peter Benchley, the author of "Jaws," in the preface for his book "Shark Life: True Stories About Sharks And The Sea."

In an interview in 2022, director Steven Spielberg even admitted he regrets the negative impacts the movie had on sharks: "That’s one of the things I still fear – not to get eaten by a shark, but that sharks are somehow mad at me for the feeding frenzy of crazy sport fishermen that happened after 1975."

But here’s the silver lining: as much negative publicity as "Jaws" brought to sharks worldwide, it also brought the plight of sharks to the forefront of many people’s minds.

The movie inspired many future shark enthusiasts and conservationists, including Benchley himself, who became involved in marine conservation efforts and later inspired the Peter Benchley Ocean Awards.

I’ve loved sharks since I was a kid, and "Jaws" helped solidify my passion for marine science and sharks in particular.

That passion led me to pursue a master’s degree in marine science with a focus in marine predator conservation and eventually to become a certified scuba diver so that I could get up close and personal with real sharks (not just animatronic ones, sorry Bruce (my beloved dog)!).

The cultural impact of "Jaws" is complicated because it did in fact take a hefty bite out of sharks’ reputations, but it also created a ripple effect that helped inspire future generations of marine conservationists.

Sara Tonks is a content meteorologist with weather.com and has a bachelor’s and a master’s degree from Georgia Tech in Earth and Atmospheric Sciences along with a master’s degree from Unity Environmental University in Marine Science.