Shark Trouble: True Stories about Sharks and the Sea

Master storyteller Peter Benchley combines high adventure with practical information in Shark Trouble, a book that is at once a thriller and a valuable guide to being safe in, on, under, and around the sea. The bestselling author of Jaws, The Deep, and other works draws on more than three decades of experience to share information about sharks and other marine animals.

“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.

From the Hardcover edition.

"Benchley is a master." Chicago Tribune

"[A] compendium of shark facts, tales, and personal encounters that feels as insightful and trustworthy as anything ever uttered in Jaws....If you're looking for an antidote to being spooked by Jaws, there's information here to provide it. But there's just as much to spook you anew." Kirkus Reviews

"[A] suspenseful and resonantly informative overview of the lives of sharks....Handy with statistics and quick to crack a joke with himself as the target, Benchley offers riveting accounts....It's a boon to have a writer with such tremendous name recognition speak up for nature." Donna Seaman, Booklist

The author of Jaws shares his experiences with and knowledge of the many types of sharks and other dangerous sea creatures, providing informed advice on how to be smart and stay safe in the ocean, and how to survive if danger suddenly strikes. 100,000 first printing.

After graduating from Harvard, Peter Benchley worked as a reporter for The Washington Post, then as an editor at Newsweek and a speechwriter in the White House. His novel Jaws was published in 1974, followed by The Deep, The Island, The Girl of the Sea of Cortez, Q Clearance, Rummies, and Beast, among others. He has written screenplays for three of his novels, and his articles and essays have appeared in such publications as National Geographic and The New York Times. He has written, narrated, and appeared in dozens of television documentaries. He is a member of the national council of Environmental Defense and is a spokesman for its Oceans Program.

What to do when good dives go bad — You say you want to dive with sharks? — Teach your children well : some shark facts and a story (The day all the sharks died) — Dangerous to man? : Moray eels, killer whales, barracudas, and other creatures we fear (Moray eels — Killer whales (Orcas) — Poisonous animals — Barracudas — Rays — Squid--giant and otherwise) — Even more creatures to avoid-- and respect — Okay, so what can we do?