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In this riveting true adventure tale and informative guide to the sea, master storyteller Peter Benchley drew on more than four decades of diving experience to bring us face-to-face with the array of sharks and other marine animals he and his family encountered, almost always on purpose—but sometimes by accident.
Peter Benchley was the bestselling author of Jaws, The Deep, and Beast, among others. He wrote screenplays for the movie versions of three of his novels and wrote, narrated, and appeared in dozens of television documentaries.
But there's little the reading public likes better than a good scare (remember Ira Levin's Rosemary's Baby? Or how about Thomas Harris's The Silence of the Lambs?), and with Jaws, his first novel, Benchley got all the elements just right: There was a predator; there was plenty of suspense; and, oh yes, plenty of gore, too. The book, a perfect summer beach read, was wildly successful and spent 40 weeks on The New York Times bestseller list. Benchley admitted that the book had little basis in scientific fact (at the time, almost nobody had any firsthand experience with great whites), but as a former newspaper reporter, he had impeccable instincts for a good yarn. He followed Jaws with two more terrifying deep-sea adventure novels, The Deep and The Island.
In 1982, Benchley published The Girl of the Sea of Cortez, a lovely, idyllic, and notably scare-free novel that received mixed reviews. "This reader yearned for more conflict," wrote a critic for the Los Angeles Times Book Review, "more 'and then what happened?' After a few more forays into traditional fiction, the author returned to his forté in bestselling thrillers like Beast, White Shark, and Creature.
Aware in his later years of the fragility of the species, Benchley became a staunch defender of the great white shark, penning several works of nonfiction about these endangered predators and actively advocating for ocean conservation. He died on Feburary 11, 2006, from pulmonary fibrosis, but his legacy continues with the Peter Benchley Shark Conservation Award, given annually for outstanding contributions to shark conservation.
In 1999, Benchley turned his attention to writing and developing a short-lived syndicated series about plane crash survivors in the jungle, Amazon, starring Carol Alt and C. Thomas Howell.
Benchley's novels have inspired several movies and teleplays, and the author had a hand in some of them -- sometimes as an actor. He was a TV interviewer in Jaws, played bit parts in other films, and appeared onscreen as an interviewee in E!'s True Hollywood Story about the making of Jaws.
Benchley was the grandson of Robert Benchley, the famous humorist and member of the Algonquin Round Table.
Let's start with a story about sharks: Dangerous Reef, in the Neptunes Islands, 1974.
Blinded by blood, nauseated by the taste of fish guts, whale oil, and putrid horse flesh, I gripped the aluminum bars of the shark cage to steady myself against the violent, erratic jolts as the cage was tossed by the choppy sea. A couple of feet above, the surface was a prism that scattered rays of gray from the overcast sky; below, the bottom was a dim plain of sand sparsely covered with strands of waving grass.
The water was cold, a spill from the chill Southern Ocean that traversed the bottom of the world, and my core body heat was dropping; it could no longer warm the seepage penetrating my neoprene wetsuit. I shivered, and my teeth chattered against the rubber mouthpiece of my regulator.
Happy now? I thought to myself. Ten thousand miles you flew, for the privilege of freezing to death in a sea of stinking chum.
I envisioned the people on the boat above, warmed by sunlight and cups of steaming tea, cozy in their woolen sweaters: my wife, Wendy; the film crew from ABC-TV's American Sportsman; the boat crew and their leader, Rodney Fox, the world's most celebrated shark-attack survivor.
I thought of the animal I was there to see: the great white shark, largest of all the carnivorous fish in the sea. Rarely had it been seen under water; rarer still were motion pictures of great whites in the wild.
And I thought of why I was bobbing alone in a flimsy cage in the frigid sea: I had written a novel about that shark, and had called it Jaws, and when it had unexpectedly become a popular success, a television producer had challenged me to go diving with the monster of my imagination. How could I say no?
Now, though, I wondered how I could have said yes.
Visibility was poor--ten feet? Twenty? It was impossible to gauge because nothing moved against the walls of blue gloom surrounding me. I turned, slowly, trying to see in all directions at once, peering over, under, beside the clouds of blood that billowed vividly against the blue green water.
I had expected to find silence under water, but my breath roared, like wind in a tunnel, as I inhaled through my regulator, and my exhales gurgled noisily, like bubbles being blown through a straw in a drink. Waves slapped against the loose-fitting top hatch of the cage, the welded joints creaked with every torque and twist, and when the rope that tethered the cage to the boat drew taut, there was a thudding, straining noise and the clank of the steel ring scraping against its anchor plate.
Then I saw movement. Something was moving against the blue. Something dark. It was there and gone and there again, not moving laterally, as I'd thought it would, not circling, but coming straight at me, slowly, deliberately, unhurried, emerging from the mist.
I stopped breathing--not intentionally but reflexively, as if by suspending my breath I could suspend all animation--and I heard my pulse hammering in my ears. I wasn't afraid, exactly; I had been afraid, before, on the boat, but by now I had passed through fear into a realm of excitement and something like shocked disbelief.
There it is! Feel the pressure in the water as the body moves through it. The size of it! My God, the size!
The animal kept coming, and now I could see all of it: the pointed snout, the steel gray upper body in stark contrast with the ghostly white undercarriage, the symmetry of the pectoral fins, the awful knife blade of the dorsal fin, the powerful, deliberate back-and-forth of the scythelike tail fin that propelled the enormous body toward me, steadily, inexorably, as if it had no need for speed, for it knew it could not be stopped.
It did not slow, did not hesitate. Its black eyes registered neither interest nor excitement. As it drew within a few feet of me, it opened its mouth and I saw, first, the lower jaw crowded with jagged, needle-pointed teeth, and then--as the upper jaw detached from the skull and dropped downward--the huge, triangular cutting teeth, each side serrated like a saw blade.
The great white's mouth opened wider and wider, until it seemed it would engulf the entire cage, and me within it. Transfixed, I stared into the huge pink-and-white cavern that narrowed into a black hole, the gullet. I could see rows and rows of spare teeth buried in the gum tissue, each tooth a holstered weapon waiting to be summoned forward to replace a tooth lost in battle. Far back on each side of the massive head, gill flaps fluttered open and shut, admitting flickering rays of light.
A millisecond before the mouth would have collided with the cage, the great white bit down, rammed forward by a sudden thrust of its powerful tail. The upper teeth struck first, four inches from my face, scraping noisily--horribly--against the aluminum bars. Then the lower teeth gnashed quickly, as if seeking something solid in which to sink.
I shrank back, stumbling, as if through molasses, until I could cringe in relative safety in a far corner of the cage.
My brain shouted, You...you of all people, ought to know: HUMAN BEINGS DO NOT BELONG IN THE WATER WITH GREAT WHITE SHARKS!
The shark withdrew, then quickly bit the cage again, and again, and not till the third or fourth bite did I realize that there was something desultory about the attack. It seemed less an assault than an exploration, a testing. A tasting.
Then the shark turned, showing its flank, and by instinct I crept forward and extended my hand between the bars to feel its skin. Hard, it felt, and solid, a torpedo of muscle, sleek and polished like steel. I let my fingers trail along with the movement of the animal. But when I rubbed the other way, against the grain, I felt the legendary sandpaper texture, the harsh abrasiveness of the skin's construction: millions upon millions of minuscule toothlike particles, the dermal denticles.
The shark was moving away, upward; it had found a hunk of quartered horse, probably ten pounds, possibly twenty, dangling in the chum. The shark's mouth opened and--in a split-second mechanical replay of the bite on the cage--it swallowed the chunk of horse whole. Its gullet bulged once as the meat and bone passed through on its way to the gut.
Tantalized now, the shark turned again in search of something more to eat. It bit randomly, gaping and snapping as if hoping that the next bite, or the next, would prove fruitful.
I saw a length of rope drift into its gaping mouth: the lifeline, I realized, the only connection between the cage and the boat.
Drift out again. Don't get caught. Not in the mouth. Please.
The great white's mouth closed and opened, closed and opened; the shark shook its head, trying to rid itself of the rope. But the rope was stuck.
In a fraction of a second, I saw that the rope had snagged between two--perhaps three or four--of the shark's teeth.
At that instant, neurons and synapses in the shark's small, primitive brain must have connected and sent a message of alarm, of entrapment, for suddenly the shark seemed to panic. Instinct commandeered its tremendous strength and great weight--at least a ton, I knew, spread over the animal's fourteen-foot length--and detonated an explosion of frenzied thrashing.
The shark's tail whipped one way and its head the other; its body slammed against the cage, against the boat, between the cage and the boat. I was upside down, then on my side, then bashed against the side of the boat. There was no up and no down for me, only a burst of bubbles amid a cloud of blood and shreds of flesh from the chum and the butchered horse.
What are they doing up there? Don't they see what's going on down here? Why doesn't somebody do something?
For a second I saw the shark's head and the rope that had disappeared into its mouth--and that's the last thing I remember seeing for a long, long time. For when the shark's tail bashed the cage again, the cage slid down four or five feet and swung into the darkness beneath the boat.
I knew what would happen next; I had heard of it happening once before: the shark's teeth would sever the rope. My survival would depend on precisely where the rope was severed. If the shark found itself free of the cage, it would flee, leaving the cage to drift away and, perhaps, sink. Someone from the boat would get a line to me. Eventually.
But if the rope stayed caught in the shark's mouth, the animal might drag the cage to the bottom, fifty feet away, and beat it to pieces. If I were to have a chance of surviving, I would have to find the rope, grab it, and cut it, all while being tumbled about like dice in a cup.
I reached for the knife in the rubber sheath strapped to my leg.
This isn't really happening. It can't be! I'm just a writer! I write fiction!
It was happening, though, and somewhere in the chaos of my beleaguered brain I appreciated the irony.
How many other writers, I wondered, have had the privilege of writing the story that foretells their own grisly demise?
6650882
Posted March 13, 2011
sharks rule!!!!!!!!!!!!!
4 out of 5 people found this review helpful.
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Posted November 12, 2012
All sharks are animals you know everyone should love and respevt them and not just sharks other animals to and just one time the world woud be perfect 80 years ago people thought that sharks were harmless and they are just if you get to close then they can be dangerous
2 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
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Posted July 5, 2011
*1st of all this book is not an actual story... just saying. I found this book really interesting and ienjoyed the mishaps and anectdotes mixed in with actual imformation on all dangers, and beauties, of the sea, from riptides to eels to orcas and of course sharks. This collection of tales is nicely catorgerized by creatures so you can find info on whatever you fancy at the moment. The true stories are often charming, shocking, nerve racking, fummy, or all of the above. I would not reccomend reading straight throigh and expecting developing charachters amd such, it is not in chronological order, its organized by critters. Overall great! *anyone else find it delightfully ironic that the writer of the infoumous shark bashing horror "JAWS" has written a conservational book about the shark people asumed he feared... maybe he felt guilty amd this is damage control cause he loves sharks<3
2 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
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Posted January 12, 2013
My friend always read this book she ask me and ask me to read this book and I did and this book is really cool now im starting to read a lot more about shark an even waching shpw about them. I just wont to say thank you so much best friend
1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
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Posted October 19, 2012
Luv it!!!!!!!
1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
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Posted September 4, 2012
I love shaks and this book makes me love shaks even more i think 7- 13 years should get this book i think people slould buy this book and read it is a great book you slould read it your slelf to find out your self how great this book is.
1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
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Posted May 4, 2012
Come on to the nursery beechqueen
1 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
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Posted January 22, 2012
Sounds amazing! All i read was the sample and i was hooked! See wht i did ther? I luv sharks and marine life
1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
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Posted May 29, 2012
Super bad yal
0 out of 4 people found this review helpful.
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Posted May 16, 2012
While looking for a book to spark my daughter's interest in reading, I chose "Shark Life" because she and I love watching "Shark Week" together every summer.
Getting her to sit down and read it proved to be a little difficult until I told her, "Well, since you don't want to read it now, I'll just read it before you." Needless to say I wasn't let down at the least! Throughout the book Mr. Benchley educates his readers about various creatures that live in the sea, sharks being his main topic. He also includes true stories about his enounters with sharks. Anyway, I couldn't put the book down until I'd completed it.
Seeing my interest in this book drove my daughter to pick the book up and read it. Throughout the book she'd read portions of it, or an entire chapter, and then stop and look at me with her eyes wide open and say, "Wow mom, did this stuff really happen?"
I fully recommend this book for children who haven't found the fondness of reading, as well as those who love reading about mysterous creatures of the sea.
0 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.The great Peter Benchley writes a nonfiction book about sharks and life under the sea. Entertaining and educational. And remember, he wrote Jaws. This man knows sharks. -Michael
0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted August 5, 2011
I love it
0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted June 22, 2011
I would not recamend this book
0 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
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Posted May 30, 2007
For me a great book includes. A easy to follow story. A good plot and setting. And a great storyline that keeps you wondering whats next. This book had a relativly good story and easy to follow setting. The characters were easy to remember. But the story line was too predictable. The book was dissapointing towards the end it just sagged off. I woulndnt reccoment this book.
0 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
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Posted January 24, 2007
This was a great and exiting book this book tells us about sharks as well as other creatures, life and true nature. I would recommend this book to anyone that loves animals, sharks in general, and other creatures of the deep.
0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted September 25, 2006
¿How many other writers, I wondered, have written the story that foretells their own horrible death?¿ I chose this quote because it is one of the most powerful lines in the book. If you are looking for a tense, electrifying non- fiction book about sharks, Shark Life is for you. In this book, Peter Benchley, (author of the best-selling book, Jaws), writes a series of true, vivid stories about shark encounters and attacks. Although these stories take up the majority of the book, Shark Life also includes other useful information such as tips for shark encounters and how to avoid an attack. Benchley also makes scattered references to where certain sharks live and which sharks are worth worrying about. Here and there Benchley also writes about his own personal breathtaking diving experiences which had me at the edge of my seat the whole time. For instance, in one story he describes his experience in a cage right before shooting the movie of Jaws. In his encounter, a great white shark attacks the cage and nearly drags it down into the abyss of the ocean (with him still inside of it). When I read this book, I was captivated the whole time. The suspense, descriptions, and stories had me turning pages for very long periods of time. I can highly recommend this book to anybody who takes any interest in non-fiction, thrilling stories about sharks and the sea and/or anybody who enjoyed the book Jaws. If you are one of these people, it would be the wrong choice not to pick up this book.
0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted November 25, 2005
As a scuba diver I enjoy non-fiction books about anything that lives in the sea. As a personal preference I like to read about predators, therefore I was immediately drawn to Benchley's book because of the topic: sharks. Benchley writes very well. You almost feel like you are in a boat with him and he is telling you story after story about sharks that he has encountered as well as other sea creatures. This story is great for kids through adult who want to learn more about sharks and about the famous author himself. Benchley's fiction book JAWS became a bestseller in the 1970's and a movie was made based on the book. Shark Life definitely deserves reading if you are a shark enthusiast. A. D. Tarbox, author of ALREADY ASLEEP (Oct. 2006)
0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted September 8, 2005
If you love sharks (and the movie 'Jaws') Buy it! My favorite part is wen he says: 'Once thier was a misunderstanding of signals between me and david. he was telling me that he was ill and was about to vomit. But I thought he was telling me to get close to a Silky shark. So it came so close to me I could see the Coolness in his eye' Buy it!
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Posted October 22, 2009
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Posted February 8, 2012
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Overview
In this riveting true adventure tale and informative guide to the sea, master storyteller Peter Benchley drew on more than four decades of diving experience to bring us face-to-face with the array of sharks and other marine animals he and his family encountered, almost always on purpose—but sometimes by accident.