My Trip to the Jaws 2 Filming Locations

If you know me personally, there's a pretty good chance that you're aware of my biggest obsession in regard to pop culture: the reality television show Survivor. You know, that island show you thought was canceled 10 years ago? Yeah, that one. For some reason, I can't enough of it, and it's been a huge part of my life. Some of my closest friends are actually fans I've met through the show.

Me with some fellow Survivor fans

While many of my friends oftentimes associate me with Survivor, growing up that wasn't the case. For I had an obsession with a film series that changed cinema. From the movie that started the summer blockbuster to the one that tried to end it, there were four movies that childhood Ryan couldn't get enough of.

Ah, the Jaws movies. What is there to say that hasn't already been said? You know the first one is a masterpiece. You know Revenge is poo-poo. But to little ol' me, all of these movies were amazing and couldn't possibly have any flaws. Now that I have some semblance of a brain, I know that this isn't the case, but that certainly doesn't mean that I don't like them anymore. There is fun to be had with each one of these movies, even though some of them have their flaws. Their many, many flaws.

While I would love to visit the filming locations for each one of these, that sadly isn't very practical at this point in my life. The first Jaws was filmed in the northeast at Martha's Vineyard. That's quite a drive (and swim) from Texas! Jaws 3-D was filmed at SeaWorld Orlando, and let's be real, I can't be supporting that corporation (or I didn't want to pay $80 to get in the park, pick whichever option makes you feel better). Jaws: The Revenge, the movie with the least documentation, was primarily filmed in Nassau in The Bahamas. I have done a little bit of research and I discovered that there is actually a small area labeled Jaws Beach where some of the movie was filmed. Pretty cool! But even so, not practical for a college student in Texas.

Two of the other locations for Revenge are Martha's Vineyard (once again), as well as the Universal Studios backlot. The latter is especially noteworthy because back in 2006, I took a tour of the lot and they showed us the spot they filmed it in! For Revenge, most of the ocean scenes were filmed in a large tank in the backlot. (When you watch the movie, you can clearly see a canvas in the background and even see some of the waves hitting against it.) 

You're gonna need a bigger budget

On the tour of the backlot they showed us a clip of Revenge and explained the process of using the tank. Here's a snippet of it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z0FQh07oQ4k

For a 9-year-old Jaws-obsessed dork who had never really been to a movie location before, I thought that this was really neat. That whole trip was, as a matter of fact.

Me getting pissed they didn't have any Revenge pennies

So I've quickly gone over three of the movies, but we're still missing one: Jaws 2. A movie that I loved then, a movie that I love now. Yeah, it's not perfect. The characters aren't very developed and the dialogue is clunky, but man, the stuff that is good is GOOD. The attacks are fun, the humor is great, and the returning cast-members all do an excellent job. And the part of it I especially like that people don't really seem to talk about, the music. John Williams' score in this is fantastic, and I urge you to go on YouTube and take a listen. I'm especially fond of The Menu: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-abDp0lqP8

A couple of scenes were filmed in Martha's Vineyard, and thanks to the dedicated fans of the first movie, those spots are easily trackable. What isn't as documented is where the rest of the movie was filmed: a little state called Florida. When I heard about this a couple of years ago, I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Florida?! Why would they go there when they were already in Martha's Vineyard? It makes sense looking back on it, as the water was warmer and its depth allowed better flexibility with the mechanical shark being used. Filming was still a disaster, however, as discussed in the book Jaws 2: The Making of the Hollywood Sequel. Nevertheless, they made the movie, and it was widely successful.

This summer, my sister and I drove from Texas to Florida for the annual Hearts of Reality fundraiser benefitting the charity Give Kids the World, which helps kids with life-threatening illnesses go on vacations in the Orlando area with their families. Several Survivor castaways and fans alike go to this event every year, so we were even more excited to be a small part of it.

This drive was 16 hours, however. How in the world could we break the trip up on the way? Surely there has to be something.

That's when it hit me. Finally, after all of these years, I was finally going to see some Jaws locations that weren't filmed in a bathtub. I couldn't wait. I mapped out the route and discovered that from Fort Worth to Orlando, the stops we'd make were essentially right along the way. 

Our first Jaws stop was in Pensacola, Florida. This location was only seen for a minute in the movie, but it's a location nonetheless. It involved Chief Brody (played by Roy Scheider) going to the Amity Town Hall to warn Mayor Vaughn (Murray Hamilton) that they might have another shark problem.

The location is in a pretty funky part of town. The area was very clean, everyone was wearing nice clothes, driving nice cars, and overall looking very rich. An environment I obviously knew nothing about. We pulled up to the spot, and there it was. 

As insignificant as the scene is in the movie, it still felt really surreal to be in a place where Roy Scheider and Murray Hamilton, two actors who I've idolized since I was a little kid, conversed in one of my favorite movies. I was surprised to see that the railings and windows were still there after all these years. Pretty cool. 

One thing I found interesting was that the building next to it has a sign out front that hasn't changed much. Must be quite a business.

Once we were about done, I had my sister take a picture of me in front of the building. However, as soon as I started to pose, a car drove right up front. I thought to myself, "Ohhhh, crap. This must the owner of this place. We're about to have a very awkward conversation." A man looking to be in his fifties gets out of the car, and I wave hello as I await certain doom. 

"Hi there! Did you know that they filmed one of the Jaws movies here?" he enthusiastically asked.

"Why yes I did...I'm wearing a Jaws shirt."

"Ha ha, good for you! I live around here. A couple of years ago I was watching the movie on cable and I saw the sheriff walk by this building. I completely lost it! I may have had a few too many glasses of wine that night."

I breathed a sigh of relief as I realized that this man wasn't going to reaffirm how weird I am. We talked a bit more before he kept walking down the street to wherever it was he was going. What a wonderful moment, and I hope to be half as kind a person as that Pensacola local was to my sister and I. 

Thanks, Pensacola. xoxo

416 E Government St

Pensacola, FL 32502

*Shout out to AW Ratliff, who was the first person to physically document this site. Follow him on Instagram @jaws_2_ *

While this was a fun pit stop, our main Jaws 2 destination was Navarre Beach, about 40 minutes east of there. It's in Navarre where my favorite scene of the movie was filmed, when Brody mistakenly shoots at a school of bluefish thinking it's the shark. He goes berserk and as a result, the whole town thinks he's a crazy person. The scene goes from humorous to suspenseful to downright sad. 

Humorous

Humorous

Suspenseful

Suspenseful

Humorous

Downright sad

Downright sad

It's a legitimately great scene, and I was excited to finally get to see the area in person. Because it's Florida, there were threats of thunderstorms the whole time we were in the state, but we luckily had great weather. We pulled up to the pier, and suddenly, there we were.

I was a little giddy

I even had time to get some reading in

My sister thinks Jaws is set in a dentist's office but she enjoyed it too I guess

After the beach, we went to the East Bay Crab House. (This doesn't have any significance to Jaws but we were hungry, okay?) While it wasn't quite as good as food we've had in some of the busier Texas coast cities like Galveston, it was still well worth it. When we got there, the owner came up to us and shook our hands, which I really appreciated.

We split the seafood platter because we have nice, frugal values. This is my half.

The next morning, it was time for us to head to Hearts of Reality. Before we left, however, I wanted to stop at the beach one last time. This time I was a few hundred yards west, down where an old Holiday Inn used to be. This Holiday Inn was used at the beginning of the movie, and it was where the cast and crew stayed during filming. It was sadly destroyed by Hurricane Ivan in 2004.

It seemed like a really pretty hotel, and it's a shame what happened to it.

I know who I'm blaming

Anyway, I pulled up to the beach and said one last goodbye. 

Thanks, Navarre. xoxo

Navarre Beach

Pensacola Beach, FL 32566

There are certainly other Jaws 2 locations out there. About an hour west of Navarre is Fort Pickins, where the famous waterskiing scene, lighthouse scenes, and scene when Brody finds the corpse were all filmed. East of Navarre, in Choctawhatchee Bay, is where the scenes at "Cable Junction" were shot. It would have been fun to visit these areas, but accessibility was iffy, and the short time we had limited us. Nonetheless, it was a great experience, and I'm so happy I can finally cross a Jaws visit off my bucket list. 

Many many thanks to Jaws fans Michael Smith and Alex Ratliff for answering some of my questions I had about these. Just like the guy we met in Pensacola, they were way too kind.