A Voice for Sharks and Ocean Conservation
My passion for diving and the environment exploded in the early 70s when my late husband, Peter Benchley, wrote Jaws. It changed our lives forever. We traveled the world for the next 30 years on expeditions where we witnessed dramatic changes to ocean wildlife and its habitats. This experience inspired me to become a voice for sharks and the ocean—to march and fight for smarter, stronger marine and environmental policies and to help raise awareness of important ocean issues with the public.
This website is an informal “photo scrap book” of my ocean life. I hope readers enjoy it, see that progress is being made in ocean conservation and find inspiration to support the seas in whatever way is possible. The ocean needs you!
Peter Benchley Ocean Awards
recognizing Ocean excellence.
The Peter Benchley Ocean Awards™ were founded on the idea that individuals across every field of marine discipline are doing outstanding work—providing solutions to the challenges faced by our ocean, coastlines, and wildlife—and they need to be acknowledged and honored.
David Helvarg and I co-founded the Peter Benchley Ocean Awards,™ to honor the legacy of my late husband, Peter Benchley, and to shine a light on the people who were doing exceptional ocean conservation work but were not being recognized. The Benchley Awards honored eighty-three individuals for excellence and achievement across a wide array of marine disciplines and were often referred to as the ‘Academy Awards for the ocean’ by the blue community.
The work and leadership of these individuals over the past 40 years has helped propel a significant upsurge in support and momentum for ocean conservation around the globe. Their commitment to ocean excellence will continue to make our blue planet a safer, more resilient home for nature and humanity for generations to come.
“I have been working on blue and green issues my entire life.”
