Epic Diving was thrilled to be involved with the production of How Jaws Changed the World, featured on the Discovery Channel during their 25th anniversary of Shark Week. The show aired on August 14th, and was an analysis of the movie Jaws and its influence of the pop culture mythology that surrounds sharks.
During the film, Quint talks about the hours that followed the WW II sinking of the USS Indianapolis. As a fictional survivor of the sinking, Quint spends his next hours in the shark infested waters. It has become one of the films most classic and powerful scenes.
While history supports the fact that many of the sailors were consumed by sharks, it is believed that these victims had first succumb to exposure and dehydration before the sharks fed. Oceanic Whitetip Sharks have been notoriously blamed for the manslaughter.
Because of this, the show included a glimpse into the Oceanic Whitetip Shark. We filmed for several days in rough ocean conditions. The team, which included shark researcher Mark Marks and award winning film maker Joe Romeiro, were able to capture great footage that shows these sharks are strategic social animals and not mindless maneaters.
Most of the people who spend time in the water with Oceanic Whitetip sharks would attest to the fact that they have a lot of personality. The are calculated, curious, patient, and bold. While each shark has a different temperament, they are all generally willing to approach divers very closely. Males behave differently that females, and attitudes change when other sharks are around. They seem to develop courage in numbers. They have spent hours upon hours with us in a single encounter without incident.
Check out www.epicidiving.com for more photos and information. Your next shark diving adventure is just a few clicks away! The 2013 Oceanic Season is filling up fast, so contact Epic Diving today!
