So far significant shark sightings and attacks have been pretty much limited to the ocean waters off Long Island but that does not mean there aren’t sharks off Jersey Shore beaches.  There seem to be a myriad of reasons experts give for the influx of sharks swimming close to the shore including cleaner water and the increased amount of bait fish. Whatever it is we don’t want to have to deal with what they are in New York because it has made many there nervous even when it comes to taking a quick dip on a hot day.

While these sharks are real it was a very different story in the summer of 1975 when the movie Jaws was released.  As unrealistic as the fake shark looked it did not matter and the movie set off a wave of panic in many.  It also led to fake shark sightings on an almost daily basis here at the shore which usually just amounted to someone yelling “shark” although there were plenty of fake fins seen on the surface, usually held by a prankster under the water.

Regardless that movie and the iconic poster terrified many and kept more than a few out of the water.  I just remember people always looking around and if anyone bumped into you under the water you might hear a very loud scream.

By the way I saw the movie on a hot summer night in Bayville with a line around the theater and every seat filled.  That was 47 years ago and I can still hear all the screaming the first time the shark appeared which led to one of the most iconic lines in movie history, “You’re gonna need a bigger boat.”

 

LOOK: See America's 50 Best Beach Towns

Every beach town has its share of pluses and minuses, which got us thinking about what makes a beach town the best one to live in. To find out, Stacker consulted data from WalletHub, released June 17, 2020, that compares U.S. beach towns. Ratings are based on six categories: affordability, weather, safety, economy, education and health, and quality of life. The cities ranged in population from 10,000 to 150,000, but they had to have at least one local beach listed on TripAdvisor. Read the full methodology here. From those rankings, we selected the top 50. Readers who live in California and Florida will be unsurprised to learn that many of towns featured here are in one of those two states.

Keep reading to see if your favorite beach town made the cut.

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