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Shark Trouble
Drawing on more than three decades of experience writing about sharks and other marine animals, the bestselling author of Jaws combines high adventure with practical information in a book that is at once a thriller and a valuable guide to being safe in, on, under, and around the sea.
“Shark attacks on human beings generate a tremendous amount of media coverage,” Benchley writes, “partly because they occur so rarely, but mostly, I think, because people are, and always have been, simultaneously intrigued and terrified by sharks. Sharks come from a wing of the dark castle where our nightmares live—deep water beyond our sight and understanding—and so they stimulate our fears and fantasies and imaginations.”
Benchley describes the many types of sharks (including the ones that pose a genuine threat to man), what is and isn’t known about shark behavior, the odds against an attack and how to reduce them even further—all reinforced with the lessons he has learned, the mistakes he has made, and the personal perils he has encountered while producing television documentaries, bestselling novels, and articles about the sea and its inhabitants. He tells how to swim safely in the ocean, how to read the tides and currents, what behavior to avoid, and how to survive when danger suddenly strikes. He discusses how to tell children about sharks and the sea and how to develop, in young and old alike, a healthy respect for the ocean.
As Benchley says, “The ocean is the only alien and potentially hostile environment on the planet into which we tend to venture without thinking about the animals that live there, how they behave, how they support themselves, and how they perceive us. I know of no one who would set off into the jungles of Malaysia armed only with a bathing suit, a tube of suntan cream, and a book, and yet that’s precisely how we approach the oceans.”
No longer. Not after you’ve read Shark Trouble.
“Shark attacks on human beings generate a tremendous amount of media coverage,” Benchley writes, “partly because they occur so rarely, but mostly, I think, because people are, and always have been, simultaneously intrigued and terrified by sharks. Sharks come from a wing of the dark castle where our nightmares live—deep water beyond our sight and understanding—and so they stimulate our fears and fantasies and imaginations.”
Benchley describes the many types of sharks (including the ones that pose a genuine threat to man), what is and isn’t known about shark behavior, the odds against an attack and how to reduce them even further—all reinforced with the lessons he has learned, the mistakes he has made, and the personal perils he has encountered while producing television documentaries, bestselling novels, and articles about the sea and its inhabitants. He tells how to swim safely in the ocean, how to read the tides and currents, what behavior to avoid, and how to survive when danger suddenly strikes. He discusses how to tell children about sharks and the sea and how to develop, in young and old alike, a healthy respect for the ocean.
As Benchley says, “The ocean is the only alien and potentially hostile environment on the planet into which we tend to venture without thinking about the animals that live there, how they behave, how they support themselves, and how they perceive us. I know of no one who would set off into the jungles of Malaysia armed only with a bathing suit, a tube of suntan cream, and a book, and yet that’s precisely how we approach the oceans.”
No longer. Not after you’ve read Shark Trouble.
224 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2002
About the author
Peter Benchley
65 books1,215 followersPeter Bradford Benchley was an American author best known for writing the novel Jaws and co-writing the screenplay for its highly successful film adaptation. The success of the book led to many publishers commissioning books about mutant rats, rabid dogs and the like threatening communities. The subsequent film directed by Steven Spielberg and co-written by Benchley is generally acknowledged as the first summer blockbuster. Benchley also wrote The Deep and The Island which were also adapted into films.
Benchley was from a literary family. He was the son of author Nathaniel Benchley and grandson of Algonquin Round Table founder Robert Benchley. His younger brother, Nat Benchley, is a writer and actor. Peter Benchley was an alumnus of Phillips Exeter Academy and Harvard University.
After graduating from college, he worked for The Washington Post, then as an editor at Newsweek and a speechwriter in the White House. He developed the idea of a man-eating shark terrorising a community after reading of a fisherman Frank Mundus catching a 4,550 pound great white shark off the coast of Long Island in 1964. He also drew some material from the tragic Jersey Shore shark attacks of 1916.
His reasonably successful second novel, The Deep, is about a honeymooning couple discovering two sunken treasures on the Bermuda reefs—17th century Spanish gold and a fortune in World War Two-era morphine—who are subsequently targeted by a drug syndicate. This 1976 novel is based on Benchley's chance meeting in Bermuda with diver Teddy Tucker while writing a story for National Geographic. Benchley co-wrote the screenplay for the 1977 film release, along with Tracy Keenan Wynn and an uncredited Tom Mankiewicz. Directed by Peter Yates and starring Robert Shaw, Nick Nolte and Jacqueline Bisset, The Deep was the second-highest grossing release of 1977 after Star Wars, although its box office tally fell well short of Jaws.
The Island, published in 1979, was a story of descendants of 17th century pirates who terrorize pleasure craft in the Caribbean, leading to the Bermuda Triangle mystery. Benchley again wrote the screenplay for the film adaptation. But the movie version of The Island, starring Michael Caine and David Warner, failed at the box office when released in 1980.
During the 1980s, Benchley wrote three novels that did not sell as well as his previous works. However, Girl of the Sea of Cortez, a beguiling John Steinbeck-type fable about man's complicated relationship with the sea, was far and away his best reviewed book and has attracted a considerable cult following since its publication. Sea of Cortez signposted Benchley's growing interest in ecological issues and anticipated his future role as an impassioned and intelligent defender of the importance of redressing the current imbalance between human activities and the marine environment. Q Clearance published in 1986 was written from his experience as a staffer in the Johnson White House. Rummies (aka Lush), which appeared in 1989, is a semi-autobiographical work, loosely inspired by the Benchley family's history of alcohol abuse. While the first half of the novel is a relatively straightforward (and harrowing) account of a suburbanite's descent into alcoholic hell, the second part—which takes place at a New Mexico substance abuse clinic—veers off into wildly improbable thriller-type territory.
He returned to nautical themes in 1991's Beast written about a giant squid threatening Bermuda. Beast was brought to the small screen as a made-for-TV movie in 1996, under the slightly altered title The Beast. His next novel, White Shark, was published in 1994. The story of a Nazi-created genetically engineered shark/human hybrid failed to achieve popular or critical success.
Benchley was from a literary family. He was the son of author Nathaniel Benchley and grandson of Algonquin Round Table founder Robert Benchley. His younger brother, Nat Benchley, is a writer and actor. Peter Benchley was an alumnus of Phillips Exeter Academy and Harvard University.
After graduating from college, he worked for The Washington Post, then as an editor at Newsweek and a speechwriter in the White House. He developed the idea of a man-eating shark terrorising a community after reading of a fisherman Frank Mundus catching a 4,550 pound great white shark off the coast of Long Island in 1964. He also drew some material from the tragic Jersey Shore shark attacks of 1916.
His reasonably successful second novel, The Deep, is about a honeymooning couple discovering two sunken treasures on the Bermuda reefs—17th century Spanish gold and a fortune in World War Two-era morphine—who are subsequently targeted by a drug syndicate. This 1976 novel is based on Benchley's chance meeting in Bermuda with diver Teddy Tucker while writing a story for National Geographic. Benchley co-wrote the screenplay for the 1977 film release, along with Tracy Keenan Wynn and an uncredited Tom Mankiewicz. Directed by Peter Yates and starring Robert Shaw, Nick Nolte and Jacqueline Bisset, The Deep was the second-highest grossing release of 1977 after Star Wars, although its box office tally fell well short of Jaws.
The Island, published in 1979, was a story of descendants of 17th century pirates who terrorize pleasure craft in the Caribbean, leading to the Bermuda Triangle mystery. Benchley again wrote the screenplay for the film adaptation. But the movie version of The Island, starring Michael Caine and David Warner, failed at the box office when released in 1980.
During the 1980s, Benchley wrote three novels that did not sell as well as his previous works. However, Girl of the Sea of Cortez, a beguiling John Steinbeck-type fable about man's complicated relationship with the sea, was far and away his best reviewed book and has attracted a considerable cult following since its publication. Sea of Cortez signposted Benchley's growing interest in ecological issues and anticipated his future role as an impassioned and intelligent defender of the importance of redressing the current imbalance between human activities and the marine environment. Q Clearance published in 1986 was written from his experience as a staffer in the Johnson White House. Rummies (aka Lush), which appeared in 1989, is a semi-autobiographical work, loosely inspired by the Benchley family's history of alcohol abuse. While the first half of the novel is a relatively straightforward (and harrowing) account of a suburbanite's descent into alcoholic hell, the second part—which takes place at a New Mexico substance abuse clinic—veers off into wildly improbable thriller-type territory.
He returned to nautical themes in 1991's Beast written about a giant squid threatening Bermuda. Beast was brought to the small screen as a made-for-TV movie in 1996, under the slightly altered title The Beast. His next novel, White Shark, was published in 1994. The story of a Nazi-created genetically engineered shark/human hybrid failed to achieve popular or critical success.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 81 reviews
May 3, 2019
I'm a shark junkie, not afraid to admit it. I LIVE for shark week! This was a great, informative book by the amazing Peter Benchley. He gives a wealth of information in a short, easy to read gem. He touches on a few specific sharks, gives good practical advice on how to avoid an attack, and describes other ocean dangers. Highly recommend for any avid ocean lover or shark enthusiast!
October 27, 2019
This little treasure is part nature guide and part memoir. Peter Benchley talks about different kinds of sharks, what makes them special, and how they interact with their environments and ecosystems. He also talks about several different diving experiences in which he has encountered sharks. The educational bits about sharks are informative and even sad at times, but the writing is not dry (no pun intended). The memoir segments are everything from funny to scary, and I can see why Benchley is so loved as a writer; he certainly knows how to tell a story. That these stories are taken from his own life makes them that much more terrifying. I was deeply moved by one section in particular, when he was talking about a dive he’d made with this wife and son. When the sharks came, he and his wife tried to stay on either side of him, to put themselves between the child and the sharks. That was easily the scariest part of the whole book. Adventures aside, this book is a highly informative guide to sharks and their importance to our planet. If you think of sharks as monsters, then Benchley’s explanation of their necessity might cause you to reconsider.
June 22, 2015
So the library made a cute little 'Shark Week!' shelf and my son picked this one out to read. I swiped it when he wasn't looking and am glad I did.
Benchley wrote 'Jaws' almost on a lark; he literally cranked the book out to make a paycheck to support his young family. We all know what happened next. 'Shark Trouble' was written later in life after Benchley worked with many marine experts and had years of diving experience under his belt. While he admits to not being a shark expert despite his years working with such experts he shares his experiences (and information from said experts) to help us understand these magnificent creatures.
This book was Benchley's 'mea culpa' for writing Jaws and inadvertently starting a cultural fear frenzy over sharks. His approach was thorough and thoughtful. He profiles the six sharks most 'dangerous' to man amongst others. My favorite part of the book included his personal accounts of diving with sharks for various adventure shows and his barely averted attack from an Oceanic Whitetip (I'd never even heard of them before this book) and a great white. It involved a humble sawed off broomstick he dove with without fail.
I learned a lot from this book. I also realized that I did some absolutely stupid things while living on an island (swimming at dusk? Check. ) and if I read this book before I lived there I might not bother swimming again.
Many sharks show no interest in humans (like the thousands of scalloped Hammerheads the author swam with who periodically gather at the Sea of Cortez) and most attacks on people are merely 'test bites'; sharks deciding if the person is an adequate food source. About that: a shark can take one bite and actually determine the caloric count of the 'source'; this is a mechanism to enable them to efficiently hunt. If the 'source' is not enough calories to sustain them, well , they move on. Sharks are built for efficiency, nature's perfect machines: they won't exert more energy to eat something than they get in return. Seals, their preferred food source yield a hight caloric return. Humans are much too bony for their tastes. Unfortunately a test bite can often kill someone if they don't get medical aid in time.
Helpful on how to 'drown proof' yourself when swimming for extended periods in open water, how to avoid fighting a rip ride and drowning (in short, never fight the ocean, let it carry you as far as it wants then swim parallel to the shore in the meantime) and how to spot tell tale signs that a shark is nearby - all are invaluable things to know.
A chapter of the book was devoted to deadly creatures such as stonefish (the most poisonous in the ocean), moray eels, jellyfish and other critters to beware of when swimming or diving. The giant squid is the one elusive creature that we still know very little about.
An interesting section of the book featured a short story Benchley wrote earlier in his career detailing how one event (a commercial fishing boat catching all of the sharks near a small fishing town to use the fins, an expensive delicacy in many parts of the world threatening some sharks with extinction) had a grave domino effect and effectively shut down the entire town. The short story was powerful: sharks (like all things in nature) serve a very important purpose as scavengers of the sea. Without them the eco system is imbalanced and the consequences are dire. You'll have a great deal of appreciation (and even more awe) of these perfectly designed creatures.
People who opt for snorkeling over diving (thinking it's somehow safer) well, that's a myth. Attacks can even happen in knee deep water (like the 2 sharks we saw while wading, no idea what kind just the dorsal fins swimming up to check us out, and yes we ran back to the land) as well. One thing that is a constant: not even the most experienced scientists and marine biologists can predict or fully explain shark behavior. And according to Benchley the one rule of the ocean is "kill or be killed' . See you at the pool bitches!
Benchley wrote 'Jaws' almost on a lark; he literally cranked the book out to make a paycheck to support his young family. We all know what happened next. 'Shark Trouble' was written later in life after Benchley worked with many marine experts and had years of diving experience under his belt. While he admits to not being a shark expert despite his years working with such experts he shares his experiences (and information from said experts) to help us understand these magnificent creatures.
This book was Benchley's 'mea culpa' for writing Jaws and inadvertently starting a cultural fear frenzy over sharks. His approach was thorough and thoughtful. He profiles the six sharks most 'dangerous' to man amongst others. My favorite part of the book included his personal accounts of diving with sharks for various adventure shows and his barely averted attack from an Oceanic Whitetip (I'd never even heard of them before this book) and a great white. It involved a humble sawed off broomstick he dove with without fail.
I learned a lot from this book. I also realized that I did some absolutely stupid things while living on an island (swimming at dusk? Check. ) and if I read this book before I lived there I might not bother swimming again.
Many sharks show no interest in humans (like the thousands of scalloped Hammerheads the author swam with who periodically gather at the Sea of Cortez) and most attacks on people are merely 'test bites'; sharks deciding if the person is an adequate food source. About that: a shark can take one bite and actually determine the caloric count of the 'source'; this is a mechanism to enable them to efficiently hunt. If the 'source' is not enough calories to sustain them, well , they move on. Sharks are built for efficiency, nature's perfect machines: they won't exert more energy to eat something than they get in return. Seals, their preferred food source yield a hight caloric return. Humans are much too bony for their tastes. Unfortunately a test bite can often kill someone if they don't get medical aid in time.
Helpful on how to 'drown proof' yourself when swimming for extended periods in open water, how to avoid fighting a rip ride and drowning (in short, never fight the ocean, let it carry you as far as it wants then swim parallel to the shore in the meantime) and how to spot tell tale signs that a shark is nearby - all are invaluable things to know.
A chapter of the book was devoted to deadly creatures such as stonefish (the most poisonous in the ocean), moray eels, jellyfish and other critters to beware of when swimming or diving. The giant squid is the one elusive creature that we still know very little about.
An interesting section of the book featured a short story Benchley wrote earlier in his career detailing how one event (a commercial fishing boat catching all of the sharks near a small fishing town to use the fins, an expensive delicacy in many parts of the world threatening some sharks with extinction) had a grave domino effect and effectively shut down the entire town. The short story was powerful: sharks (like all things in nature) serve a very important purpose as scavengers of the sea. Without them the eco system is imbalanced and the consequences are dire. You'll have a great deal of appreciation (and even more awe) of these perfectly designed creatures.
People who opt for snorkeling over diving (thinking it's somehow safer) well, that's a myth. Attacks can even happen in knee deep water (like the 2 sharks we saw while wading, no idea what kind just the dorsal fins swimming up to check us out, and yes we ran back to the land) as well. One thing that is a constant: not even the most experienced scientists and marine biologists can predict or fully explain shark behavior. And according to Benchley the one rule of the ocean is "kill or be killed' . See you at the pool bitches!
July 9, 2018
mesmerizing
there's a lot of insight here;
quite diverse, too;
you have to not ignore the subtitle
there's a lot of insight here;
quite diverse, too;
you have to not ignore the subtitle
October 9, 2023
We knew so little back then, and have learned so much since, that I couldn’t possibly write the same story today. I know now that the mythic monster I created was largely a fiction.
- Peter Benchley on Jaws
- Peter Benchley on Jaws
May 10, 2021
3.5 sterne —
benchley schreibt mit viel witz, schrammt aber ein paar mal zu oft an der grenze zur arroganz vorbei. einerseits will er menschen über das meer aufklären, macht sich aber gleichzeitig über ihre oft irrationale angst davor lustig — und lässt dabei unbeachtet, dass er genau diese mit jaws für seinen eigenen erfolg ausgenutzt und befeuert hat.
dennoch schreibt er viel wissenswertes und mit sehr viel respekt vor dem meer und der natur allgemein. er regt uns an, gegen unseren drang tiere in „gut“ und „böse“ einzuordnen anzukämpfen und sie stattdessen in einem realistischeren rahmen zu betrachten. dabei verachtet er vermenschlichung und verteufelung gleichermaßen.
dafür kann das buch nichts, aber: der deutsche titel ist ein wenig irreführend, weil es aber ca. der hälfte nicht mehr um haie, sondern alle anderen meerestiere geht. interessant ist es so oder so
benchley schreibt mit viel witz, schrammt aber ein paar mal zu oft an der grenze zur arroganz vorbei. einerseits will er menschen über das meer aufklären, macht sich aber gleichzeitig über ihre oft irrationale angst davor lustig — und lässt dabei unbeachtet, dass er genau diese mit jaws für seinen eigenen erfolg ausgenutzt und befeuert hat.
dennoch schreibt er viel wissenswertes und mit sehr viel respekt vor dem meer und der natur allgemein. er regt uns an, gegen unseren drang tiere in „gut“ und „böse“ einzuordnen anzukämpfen und sie stattdessen in einem realistischeren rahmen zu betrachten. dabei verachtet er vermenschlichung und verteufelung gleichermaßen.
dafür kann das buch nichts, aber: der deutsche titel ist ein wenig irreführend, weil es aber ca. der hälfte nicht mehr um haie, sondern alle anderen meerestiere geht. interessant ist es so oder so
September 26, 2018
I love this book cause he explained why sharks attack people and how the ocean should be treated.
June 22, 2012
Rating: 3.5
"The first rule of sharks," he said, "is this: forget all the laws about sharks."
This book was not one I was anticipating reading, but caught my eye (this one I found in the aquarium gift shop - imagine that). Sharks terrify me. I grew up watching Shark Week with my brothers, but I swear all I can remember out of those nights of interesting videos, stories, facts are the videos of the shark attacks and interviews with the survivors.
I liked this book because its written by the author of Jaws but it talks about what he's learned and experienced with sharks since writing about them. He found that they are nothing like what he portrayed.
Peter Benchley did a lot of cage diving with sharks, which made for some interesting stories (a broomstick might just save your life, by the way). The facts were soothing, because although I am worried about a shark attack I am not worried about a horde of Africanized bees (but now the question is, do I work about them too or stop worrying about sharks?) which is much more likely to harm you.
Most of the book is about sharks, though at the end he does discuss other things that maybe we should be worrying about, or that may bite or sting in the ocean, that should take up more of our concern.
"The first rule of sharks," he said, "is this: forget all the laws about sharks."
This book was not one I was anticipating reading, but caught my eye (this one I found in the aquarium gift shop - imagine that). Sharks terrify me. I grew up watching Shark Week with my brothers, but I swear all I can remember out of those nights of interesting videos, stories, facts are the videos of the shark attacks and interviews with the survivors.
I liked this book because its written by the author of Jaws but it talks about what he's learned and experienced with sharks since writing about them. He found that they are nothing like what he portrayed.
Peter Benchley did a lot of cage diving with sharks, which made for some interesting stories (a broomstick might just save your life, by the way). The facts were soothing, because although I am worried about a shark attack I am not worried about a horde of Africanized bees (but now the question is, do I work about them too or stop worrying about sharks?) which is much more likely to harm you.
Most of the book is about sharks, though at the end he does discuss other things that maybe we should be worrying about, or that may bite or sting in the ocean, that should take up more of our concern.
November 28, 2017
I recommend that EVERYONE read this book. It's interesting, colorful, informative, and just gets better and better. I agree with Benchley that the main trouble with sharks is that man is killing them at an increasingly alarming rate.....as man does with everything.
August 18, 2012
This is Benchley's "apology book" for Jaws and if you are a fan of the movie or book, this was a good read. He certainly has a way of keeping you interested in a book that mostly consists of non-fiction and information. I did enjoy this book, as a diver, one who has had many encounters with sharks, and I person who still feels the respectful dread of the animals.
I did have a few issues with the book. First of all, for someone who got to dive in so many amazing experiences, Benchley scared me all of the time at his seeming inexperience in diving. Never mind the creatures that he is afraid of, he continues to get himself into irresponsible situations that have claimed the lives of far more experienced divers. I'm pretty sure that they at least had depth gauges in the late 70s! Use one! Also, he doesn't really ever tell you how to best survive a shark attack, which is fine, but he states he will in the prologue. Also, I liked the fact that he included other animals to be wary of, but he didn't go into some detail and include some other animals, like electric eels and rays. But, it was a fast, comprehensive read with lots of great diving imagery.
I did have a few issues with the book. First of all, for someone who got to dive in so many amazing experiences, Benchley scared me all of the time at his seeming inexperience in diving. Never mind the creatures that he is afraid of, he continues to get himself into irresponsible situations that have claimed the lives of far more experienced divers. I'm pretty sure that they at least had depth gauges in the late 70s! Use one! Also, he doesn't really ever tell you how to best survive a shark attack, which is fine, but he states he will in the prologue. Also, I liked the fact that he included other animals to be wary of, but he didn't go into some detail and include some other animals, like electric eels and rays. But, it was a fast, comprehensive read with lots of great diving imagery.
Read
February 7, 2017It was very interesting on why sharks attack humans and why they are doing it more offten.
March 18, 2024
Though framed as something of a reference guide for how best to avoid getting into trouble with big fish, Benchley's Shark Trouble is packed - if you'll allow me a pun - to the gills with beautifully captivating anecdotes from his myriad dives around the world - including an extended passage recounting his experience with a particularly friendly manta ray, an encounter which directly inspired his novel The Girl of the Sea of Cortez (which is now firmly on my TBR list). And yet the recounting of his experience comes with such a dramatic gut punch at the end that I almost broke into tears. I had to set this book down and take a few minutes to collect myself before continuing. Because this is not a work of fiction. This is an account of real life, of real dives with real fish, in real places that humanity is exploiting for financial gain.
The way Benchley writes about the sea is so beautiful and exceedingly romantic that when he inevitably brings his tales back to the cold, hard truths of how humans have historically dealt with the sea and are still dealing with the sea, one might almost be driven to madness and despair. We must protect the ocean and everything in it.
The way Benchley writes about the sea is so beautiful and exceedingly romantic that when he inevitably brings his tales back to the cold, hard truths of how humans have historically dealt with the sea and are still dealing with the sea, one might almost be driven to madness and despair. We must protect the ocean and everything in it.
January 5, 2022
I enjoyed the memoir parts of this novel much more than the educational parts. The memoir parts were humanizing and made me appreciate Jaws more, and I really enjoyed reading about how Benchley incorporated the success of Jaws in his life. Also, the story about being trapped in the shark cage was simply insane and I love that someone dared him to get in one.
However, I thought a lot of the other more educational information was very repetitive and incomplete. He chose to capture a wide variety of creatures, sharks, moray eels, jellyfish... but he only delved into a few of them, and the ones that were not delved into felt like such an afterthought that I was left perturbed that he even brought them up because I wanted to know more about them.
Also, I felt like his lessons were the same throughout, just reworded even though they were presented as new information.
Did like the little tip about downfloating so you don't drown though!
However, I thought a lot of the other more educational information was very repetitive and incomplete. He chose to capture a wide variety of creatures, sharks, moray eels, jellyfish... but he only delved into a few of them, and the ones that were not delved into felt like such an afterthought that I was left perturbed that he even brought them up because I wanted to know more about them.
Also, I felt like his lessons were the same throughout, just reworded even though they were presented as new information.
Did like the little tip about downfloating so you don't drown though!
June 18, 2020
Peter Benchley’s final book is not another shark novel, but rather a “valuable guide to being safe in, on, under, and around the sea.” Awash with anecdotes based on over 3 decades of his own experiences, Benchley not only covers sharks in detail, but many other denizens of the deep that one may encounter. He also explains how to swim safely in the ocean, the dangers of tides & currents, behaviors to avoid in the water, and how to survive when danger strikes.
Benchley regretted the irrational fear and wholesale slaughter of sharks that came in the wake of Jaws, and spent the last decade of his life seeking to educate the public and advocating for marine conservation & shark preservation.
This is a great read for “Shark Week”—or, any week for that matter.
Benchley regretted the irrational fear and wholesale slaughter of sharks that came in the wake of Jaws, and spent the last decade of his life seeking to educate the public and advocating for marine conservation & shark preservation.
This is a great read for “Shark Week”—or, any week for that matter.
May 31, 2024
Oh my god I love sharks!!!
This was just a lot of fun to read. Benchley’s writing was very engaging while still being descriptive and informative. He’s very up front about what facts are sourced from where and what is from his own life experiences, which is vast and immensely entertaining. While I don’t often have much time to read, when I did I got through large sections of this book and finished it in about 3 sittings during downtime at work.
Be sure to read if you love sharks and the ocean and are looking for a lighter, more colloquial introduction to marine life and ocean safety and conservation.
This was just a lot of fun to read. Benchley’s writing was very engaging while still being descriptive and informative. He’s very up front about what facts are sourced from where and what is from his own life experiences, which is vast and immensely entertaining. While I don’t often have much time to read, when I did I got through large sections of this book and finished it in about 3 sittings during downtime at work.
Be sure to read if you love sharks and the ocean and are looking for a lighter, more colloquial introduction to marine life and ocean safety and conservation.
August 20, 2017
The author of Jaws trying to correct any damage he did with the book. In Shark Trouble, Benchley discusses the different types of sharks and their natural instincts. He includes ways to stay safe in the ocean, although he doesn't seem to follow some of his own advice getting into various precarious situations while diving. He talks about other ocean life and drowning prevention techniques. Some of it was enlightening and will have me thinking differently the next time I go to the ocean, but it doesn't beat a fiction story about a killer shark. 😛
April 29, 2024
Shark Trouble by Peter Benchley 4/25/2024 Paper
While I don’t have a particularly strong interests in sharks, my curiosity prompted me to read this short book by an author close to the subject on so many levels. We learn the background of his famous book and movie, as well as a lifetime of learning all he can about this fascinating creature. Yes, the read is highly educational and entertaining, for the most part. There is repetition and the author is not modest when speaking of himself.
Given one has a strong interest in the subject, this book certainly fills the bill.
While I don’t have a particularly strong interests in sharks, my curiosity prompted me to read this short book by an author close to the subject on so many levels. We learn the background of his famous book and movie, as well as a lifetime of learning all he can about this fascinating creature. Yes, the read is highly educational and entertaining, for the most part. There is repetition and the author is not modest when speaking of himself.
Given one has a strong interest in the subject, this book certainly fills the bill.
January 21, 2017
Interesting, informative quick read. Although the focus was on sharks, there was an impressive amount of information on conducting oneself safely around various types of ocean life, and a lot of stories regarding his own close encounters. There was also an entire chapter dedicated to reading the tides and currents around beaches, and how to extricate oneself from strong currents, undertows, rips, etc. A good book on learning to respect the ocean and its denizens.
July 27, 2021
In anticipation of Shark Week, which I dearly love, I decided to give this book a try. Peter Benchley, in addition to being a gifted author, has extensive experience diving in and among these feared animals. Some of his stories are a bit hair-raising but are designed to educate the reader on why certain etiquette is required in our oceans to avoid dangerous situations. With humor, facts and fascinating stories; Mr. Benchley fashions a good read.
August 7, 2023
Benchley is practically the man who INVENTED sharks. At any rate, he was the man who taught us to truly fear what a shark can do. Even if before he died in 2006 Benchley had become a "shark conservationist", nevertheless his book, "Jaws" meant that all who read Jaws or saw the movie, came to view Benchley as the quintessential forerunner of "Sharkdom". This book takes us back a few paces to just HOW the author began his research for writing the book
June 23, 2017
*Audible*
A mildly compelling listen that doesn't contain much in the way of revelations about the production of Jaws, but does feature several tales of real-life expeditions upon which Benchley embarked. Far from essential, this is 100% a quality time-waster.
A mildly compelling listen that doesn't contain much in the way of revelations about the production of Jaws, but does feature several tales of real-life expeditions upon which Benchley embarked. Far from essential, this is 100% a quality time-waster.
July 17, 2020
I think it's clear part of Benchley's motivation for writing this was to atone for the decimation of shark populations around the world brought on, in part, by the success of Jaws. It's also obvious he has held a lifelong reverence for them.
February 6, 2019
Really interesting book with some fascinating stories and information. It's not entirely about sharks, but who cares when it's an interesting, fast read?
July 21, 2019
186 pages
Sad that some species of sharks are already threatened. Very informative. I enjoyed it.
Sad that some species of sharks are already threatened. Very informative. I enjoyed it.
May 31, 2020
Descriptive, ocean life, true experiences - Hilary
October 11, 2020
Really great non fiction from a fiction author. Now I will have to check out some of the others from Peter Benchley!
August 6, 2021
Made me laugh, made me mad, made me sad. He’s a good writer. And, he narrated the audiobook which was easy to listen through. I probably could have skipped the tutorial on how not to drown.
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January 14, 2023If I were a shark and people were killing 100 million of my kind a year, I'd want to get revenge on significantly more than a measly 4-5 humans.
September 4, 2023
A fun, and informative, if slightly dated accounting. But it’s a great connection to marine exploration of the 1860s, 1970s, and so on. Definitely worth a read.
December 9, 2023
Excellent, quick read. Great writing style and voice. I’d love to read more stories about the author’s aquatic encounters.
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