OCEAN CITY, Md. -- On June 20th, 1975, Jaws hit the big screen. The iconic, anxiety-inducing scenes and eerie soundtrack left their mark five decades ago, and many of those fears are still alive today.
"It really woke you up," said Steve Thiveault, chuckling.
In 1975, the film was ahead of its time. The use of mechanical sharks allowed it to truly live up to its horror movie moniker.
Jim Mathias, the former mayor of Ocean City, remembers the impact it had on the resort town.
"I saw the lines form to go into the movies, I saw the thrills and the anticipation, I saw the families come out, and you could see, they weren't saying it, but 'I wonder if it's safe to go in the water,'" said Mathias.
Five decades later, people are still weary about wading too far out, knowing something just might be lurking below.
"Yeah, I'm still nervous today," said Thiveault. "That movie really brought out a lot of fear for me in the water."
Well, it just so happens that great white sharks could be off the Delmarva coast right now.
"They're moving through your neighborhood right now," said Chris Fischer, the founder of OCEARCH. "We're kind of coming into the peak of the migration season."
Fischer's company tracks great whites, and his years of experience mean you can trust him when he tells us the suspense-driven scenes in Jaws are not realistic.
"We know that there would never be a white shark that behaves like that," said Fischer. "These things move 100 miles a day, they don't live off a beach and stake out some territory, that's not how their lives are."
Fears associated with Jaws still live on, but don't fret Delmarva, the water off our coasts is plenty safe. Plus, you're more likely to be taken out by your lawnmower than a shark.