Jaws Turns 50 (And So Do I… Almost)







Jaws Turns 50 (And So Do I… Almost)



This weekend marks 50 years since Jaws hit theaters—and for my money, it still holds up better than most movies made yesterday.


My parents saw it in the theater before I was born, poetically just one week before they took a big couples trip to the beach. According to family legend, my mother has never gone in deeper than her knees since. That same weekend, any time a stray piece of seaweed so much as grazed her leg, she ran screaming back to the sand.


I grew up in the era of the Jaws sequels—and I watched them all—but for me, it’s always been about the original.



The Holy Trinity: Quint, Brody, and Hooper


You’ve got Quint, being as Quint as a man can be. Drinking beer, staring out to sea like he knows something you don’t, gruff as hell with his old-school Penn reel and his perfect little boat, the Orca.




Then there’s Chief Brody, terrified of the water, chain-smoking, and not thrilled about taking orders from anyone. Every scene with him feels like he’s one wave away from quitting the whole gig.


And Hooper? Hooper’s the deliciously modern contrast—fresh-faced, science-minded, and definitely not built for the salty nonsense of a guy like Quint. The dynamic between the three of them is flawless.


The whole movie’s a classic. The little Kitner boy scene still hits hard. The mayor is basically every politician we know and hate in real life—more worried about revenue than reality.



Speaking of Mayors and Monsters…


Two years ago, right in the middle of our Disney trip, I somehow put my best politician voice on and convinced Jamie to let me steal every kid, boyfriend, nephew, and her stepfather for a nighttime shark charter. It was the kind of move that had Jaws energy all over it.


We’ve been on this trip a few times before—sometimes off the pier, sometimes on the boat—and usually, we manage to land a few. This time, we had a couple of newcomers and decided to charter on a huge party boat.  


The Ocean Obsession is the charter we have used a few times and every trip has been wonderful.| Great Mates and Great trips!




Now, with a boat that big, you know things are going to go sideways. Like the time I hooked a 6-foot hammerhead and he ran under the boat—where about 40 other anglers immediately snagged him—and suddenly I wasn’t just fighting a shark, 
 I was fighting a bunch of absolute ass-necks on the other side of the boat.


If you’re going to yell “FISH ON!” at the top of your lungs like you’re in a Bass       Pro commercial, you better mean it.



The Tiger Shark Incident


On this trip, we were only fishing for a few minutes when someone at the stern hooked into something serious. I’m talking legit monster.


A 10-foot tiger shark. The kind that makes the whole crew stop what they’re doing. The mates started clearing lines, pulling rods from the gunnels, and calling everyone in—because this shark was doing hot laps around the boat like it was the Daytona 500.


The guys who hooked it—father, uncle, and son—took turns on the rod. At one point, the tip exploded off the rod. The mates calmly cut the end off and attached a temporary tip like they were in an Indy pit crew.




For over an hour, nobody else fished. We all stood there, arms crossed or phones out, total spectators. A few times, that shark came near the surface—close enough to see the swirl, the flash of stripes—but never close enough for a tail rope. Eventually, the hook straightened. The tiger shark won the fight. Just like that, the trip was over.


The Jaws Legacy Lives On

In the middle of all that chaos, you could feel how deep Jaws is rooted in our culture.


I heard “You’re gonna need a bigger boat” at least three times.

Someone yelled, “Smile, you son of a bitch!” when the shark surfaced.

There was even, “Does anyone have a gun?”

And of course, I had to drop a “Hooper drives the boat, chief” just for the purists.


It’s wild how a movie can live inside us like that. How it shapes the way we see the ocean, fishing, sharks, politics, and even ourselves.


Final Thoughts from the Bow

They say a bad day fishing beats a good day at work. But a bad day fishing with the people you love, watching a massive tiger shark run circles around you like something out of a Spielberg dream? That’s priceless. Here is a few snapshots from Good days!





This is something they don't teach at fancy Marine Biology College, This is the best spot to nap on any boating trip. prerequisite: boat napping 101



Until next time…

Here’s to swimming with bowlegged women.





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