'Jaws' author talks summertime shark fear

Benchley, who wrote 1974's "Jaws," has just published a non-fiction book, "Shark Trouble."

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(CNN) -- As the weather heats up this summer and people flock to the beach, many have said their worst fear is getting attacked by a shark. In fact, shark attacks are one of the most feared natural dangers ahead of hurricanes, tornadoes, and earthquakes.

CNN anchor Leon Harris talked to Peter Benchley, author of "Jaws" and his most recent "Shark Trouble," on Wednesday about the widespread fear of sharks.

LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Last year, there were a total of 76 confirmed "unprovoked" shark attacks worldwide. Now, that is lower than the 85 attacks that happened the year before. The 1990s registered a total of 536 shark attacks. That was the highest number for any decade. Now, in the U.S., you are 30 times more likely to get struck by lightning than you are to be attacked by a shark.

MORE STORIES • Map: Shark attacks in the U.S.  • Time.com: Summer of the Shark    Courtesy Florida Museum of Natural History

But, don't tell that to a teenager in Hawaii. Three months ago, 17-year-old Hoku Aki lost part of his leg to a shark attack. This happened when he was body boarding about 150 yards off a beach in Kauai. Well, now, here is the good news about his case. Last weekend, Aki was fitted with a computerized prosthetic leg that allows him to walk without crutches. The only catch is that he can't take his new leg out in the water. I'm sure he hates that.

Well, his words and carefully crafted stories like "Jaws" have frightened some people out of the water. Now, author Peter Benchley has written a new book. It's titled "Shark Trouble," and its his first non-fiction book.

Peter Benchley joins us here in our Atlanta studios this morning to talk some more about this. How are you?

PETER BENCHLEY, AUTHOR, "SHARK TROUBLE": I'm well, thank you. I don't think there's such a thing as an unprovoked shark attack.

HARRIS: Why not?

BENCHLEY: Because I think every time we go in the water, we are going into their territory, and we present ourselves as potential food.

HARRIS: So they are just doing what they would do naturally?

BENCHLEY: Yes, and almost all shark so-called attacks are really bites to see whether you are edible or not, believe it or not. They come up, and that's what they use to determine if you're something they want to eat. Nine times out of ten, they spit you out, too bony.

HARRIS: There were only five deaths all of last year. Why is it that there were so few deaths?

Benchley says he does not fear sharks but respects them.

BENCHLEY: Because the sharks tend to recognize this is not their normal prey, and they don't return for the second bite. Almost any shark, three or four feet long, could kill a human being if it chose to do it. It could make you bleed to death. But they don't.

HARRIS: Well, you know, I read some of the book last night -- "Shark Trouble." This is very fascinating. You begin with a very gripping retelling of a story of [your experience] in a cage. Why in the world would you go into a cage like that?

BENCHLEY: I had written the book. The movie hadn't come out yet, and the producer for "The American Sportsman" on ABC said "OK, Mr. Big Macho Person, you want to go swim in the water with these creatures you have written about?" I thought, "well, put your body where your mouth is," and I did it. Ever since then, it's been a blessing for me, because I've been able to do 20, 30, 40 television shows and learn more and more about not just sharks, but the ocean. It has been my education and my children's education.

HARRIS: So you have a very healthy respect for sharks, as well as a large body of knowledge about them.

BENCHLEY: Yes, I think that we all have to have a respect for not only sharks, but the ocean. This is the largest wilderness on the planet, and it is right at our back door. [No] more than we should go into the jungle [wearing] a bathing suit and a tube of suntan cream for protection, [should we] go into this large wilderness and not respect it for what it is.

HARRIS: If you have that much respect for sharks, what is it out there that you do have a fear of?

BENCHLEY: It is not that I don't have a fear of sharks, it is that I have a respect for them. If I were to go into the jungle, I would have a fear of tigers, [then] I would try to lower the odds [of attack]. I believe, as I try to point out in this book, there are many ways to lower the odds, not just of shark bites, but of drowning, which is the common cause of death. Four or five thousand people a year drown in the ocean, and how many die from shark attacks? Four or five. So it is 1,000 to one.

HARRIS: I know you beat the media up pretty badly for hyping all the shark attacks last year, but have you ever thought about the fact that it was your fault? If you hadn't written such a good book in "Jaws," and had not been responsible for such a great, successful book and movie, people wouldn't care that much about predators like sharks?

BENCHLEY: Oh, you're wrong. I didn't invent the fear of sharks, it's as old as mankind, and that -- to take that responsibility would mean that Mario Puzo should take the blame for the Mafia.

HARRIS: There are some in the Mafia that might try to make that argument.

BENCHLEY: I suppose.

HARRIS: Peter Benchley. The book is "Shark Trouble," thank you very much for coming in and talking with us for the short time that we have this morning. We sure appreciate it.

BENCHLEY: Thank you, Leon.

HARRIS: Good luck to you. I must say: I am going to have to finish this book.