Jaws 3 (1983)

Mike Brody and his overbearing girlfriend Kay rule to roost at Sea World Orlando.  The theme park is gearing up to unveil its Undersea Kingdom to the public but there's something fishy going on. Lurking beneath the surface is a baby great white shark that was airlifted in swam in from the ocean. Mike and Kay survive an attack thanks to dolphins Cindy and Sandy and capture the shark, which eventually dies.  They soon realize they got a Pamela Voorhees situation going on and that the baby's mother was responsible for the death of an employee.  Chaos erupts as the mother shark attacks waterskiers, bumper boaters and traps dozens of guests in the leaking Undersea Kingdom.  It's up to Mike, Kay and a conveniently visiting shark hunter to stop the carnage.  The shark is eventually killed via grenade and Cindy and Sandy avoid becoming tuna fish sandwiches.

Jaws 3 seemed like a cool idea on paper.  Taking its cue from Friday the 13th Part III (1982), the third installment of the Jaws (1975) franchise was filmed in 3D.  Roy Scheider balked at returning so Dennis Quaid and his pit stains star instead.  (Quaid later admitted to being on drugs in every frame of the movie.)  Most people consider Jaws: The Revenge (1987) to be the worst sequel and perhaps the worst movie of all time, but I disagree.  It's better in The Bahamas.  At least Jaws: The Revenge is so bad it's good.  Jaws 3 is just bad.  Laughable special effects, dismal shark screen time and Mike's annoying as hell girlfriend make it God-awful.  Despite this, the film raked in $13 million at the box office during its opening weekend, a record held until Spy Kids 3D twenty years later.



Jaws 3 was filmed in Orlando, FL

Location: Sea World
Address: 7007 Sea World Drive, Orlando, FL

Tour Guide Rehearsal/News Conference (The Orca Encounter)

Mike Brody's Water Landing (Paddle Boats)

Orca Pool (Dolphin Theater)

Cindy and Sandy have nothing on these dolphins...

Sandy, whose real name is Capricorn, resides at the Discovery Cove theme park down the street from Sea World.

Sean Arrives (Park Entrance)

The Lagoon (Sky Tower)

The beach area is now gone.  This shot was taken from the bay bridge... 

Great White Shark Exhibit (Stingray Lagoon)

Bumper Boats (Seafire Grill)

The Undersea Kingdom (Shark Encounter)

My favorite character in the entire Jaws franchise is the Jaws 3 tour guide. She is no-nonsense and tells the guests to calm the fuck down as the water rises to their eyeballs...

The Underwater Restaurant (Sharks Underwater Grill)

This shot was taken in the tunnel...

The Ski Show (Orca Encounter)

How this film did not receive an Academy Award nomination for Best Special Effects still puzzles me to this day...

Locations Visited: March 2020

Related Locations:

Jaws (1975), Jaws 2 (1978), Jaws: The Revenge (1987)

Locations Master List