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Hooper won’t be driving this boat, chief. Ocean conservationists are creating a replica of the Orca from the beloved film “Jaws” to conduct shark research and help educate the public about the sea creatures. The Orca III project is helmed by David Bigelow, who acquired an old lobster fishing vessel, called the Lydia, and is …
Hooper won’t be driving this boat, chief.
Ocean conservationists are creating a replica of the Orca from the beloved film “Jaws” to conduct shark research and help educate the public about the sea creatures.
The Orca III project is helmed by David Bigelow, who acquired an old lobster fishing vessel, called the Lydia, and is working to renovate it. Bigelow, who appeared as an extra in “Jaws,” said he was moved to take on the project because of an increase in recent shark sightings near Martha’s Vineyard — where Steven Spielberg shot his Oscar-winning 1975 blockbuster.
“The need to educate people about the new ecosystem we’re living in, because of climate change and the seal population, is probably our only defense,” Bigelow said, sighting two possible drivers of increased shark sightings. “We have basically taken on this role where the boat is going to be used for education.”
Chris Crawford, who retrofitted a boat called Warlock into the original Orca in 1974, will be assisting with the project.
Academy Award nominee Joe Alves — who designed the three mechanical sharks for the film — is also helping with the boat’s re-creation.
Peter Benchley, who wrote the 1974 novel on which the movie is based, was a marine conservationist who wrote other books that have also been adapted into Hollywood hits, including “The Deep” and “The Island.”
Benchley’s widow, Wendy Benchley, now serves on the board of directors of Beneath the Waves, the conservation group that will be using the boat.
“The return of the Orca is a celebration for the fans of ‘Jaws,’ as well as an exciting new resource in the pursuit of a greater understanding about our oceans and the life teeming in it,” Wendy said in a press release.
An Indiegogo campaign is helping fund the Orca III, which is expected to be completed this fall. So far, the project has raised $7,249 of its $150,000 goal.
