Rating: 
Summary: More an autobiograhy than a non-fiction book
Review: After writing "Jaws", getting famous, and having a movie made of the book, Benchley finally gets to meet the sharks. He realizes that they aren't all that bad, and this is what "Shark Trouble" is about - he says.
Benchley tells us about his underwater adventure while in the shark cage, his encounter with sharks while outside the cage, he describes six dangerous sharks (the man-eaters), and goes on with advice how to swim safely in the sea to avoid them. If we follow all the rules, we are - more or less, fingers crossed and prayers made - safe from sharks. It just happens, though, that sharks can't see very well in the dark or in murky water, and when they solely rely on other senses than their eyes, they tend to take a test bite, not more than a nibble the size of your foot or hand. It's nothing to worry about, and not going to be fatal, Benchley assures us, because a shark figures out pretty quickly that you are too bony to eat and immediately leaves you alone. So, unless your bleeding extremity attracts further sharks in want of exploratory bites, you stand a good chance to safely make it to the beach. And if there happens to be a knowledgeable lifeguard on duty, your chances to survive are even better. Believe Benchley: very few people die from attacks.
Well, I believe that sharks are not out to attack humans, but I get more reassurance by reading the books by underwater photographers Michele and Howard Hall, than by reading Benchley's. The writer does, occasionally, contradict himself or get wrapped up in storytelling (the shark-nibbling type), but he succeeds in bringing sharks into perspective: they are huge, possibly dangerous, rarely mean. They are important apex predators that keep nature's balance, they are the most feared but not the only dangerous ocean creatures, and they are threatened by extinction.
I enjoyed this book, especially the chapters on safe swimming in the ocean (which are good commonsense advice), the environmental children story, and his insights of the sea. It is, after all, not a book so much about sharks, as a book about Benchley, Peter Benchley, Benchley Peter, and, yes okay, his adventures with the sharks.
I was fascinated when Benchley recounted a ride on a manta, the exact same incident Michele and Howard Hall describe in their book "Secrets of the Ocean Realm." The two stories are quite different. Since Michele was the one who initially rode the manta, I tend to believe her story more. Not that it matters, but it makes me wonder how much of Benchley's personal shark encounters are laced with imagination, too. He does like fiction, after all.
Rating: 
Summary: So,me useful information, but a lot seems to be "filler"
Review: Heard the taped version of SHARK TROUBLE, written and read
by Peter Benchley . . . this is a nonfiction book that tells you how to be safe in, on, under, and around the ocean . . . Benchley, author of JAWS, draws on more than three decades of
experience around sharks and other marine animals . . . there is
some useful information here, but a lot of it has seems to be
"filler" material; e.g., a short fiction piece on what would happen if every shark on the planet were to be killed . . . also, I'm not sure why he bothered to include a whole chapter on ocean swimming safety . . . overall, I came away with the felling that you have to be careful when in the ocean, in that there's a LOT of marine life that is potentially harmful to humans (though I'm not so sure that I had to keep hearing this over and over) . . . I further did come to accept Benchley's premise that we should redirect our research priorities and spend more money on looking at all the valuable resources in the water--and less on the much scarcer resources in outer space.
Rating: 
Summary: Super book!
Review: Highly recommended for the armchair adventurer: entertaining, engrossing, informative, well written. Peter Benchley describes some of his personal shark-adventures with intelligence, modesty and wit. Interwoven with the extraordinary episodes he describes are both general ecological observations and specific, practical advice for seashore swimmers.
Rating:
Summary: A MUST READ for all who swim in the ocean
Review: I highly recommend this book for anyone who swims in the ocean, parents of children who will swim in the ocean (even for those who simply wade in) and for anyone who has trouble re-entering the ocean after reading and/or watching "JAWS."Peter Benchley takes an almost apologetic tone in the first part (of three parts) of the book to first the general public and second to ocean and marine life scientists for writing a book (JAWS, 1974), that turned into a movie, that scared so many reader's/viewer's pants off to go into any body of water other than the family pool or bathtub. He also tells the very interesting story of how he came to write "JAWS". Peter Benchley masterfully weaves his and family's many awe-inspiring as well as heart-pounding, real-life adventures in bodies of water all over the world (as well as the adventure of others) with lots of "how-to" and "you-can-use" information about the ocean, from her shores to her depths and all the life inbetween. His point? Know and respect the ocean and life within, and she'll welcome you in; ignore her (warning) signs and she'll bite you (sometimes literally).
Rating:
Summary: A Surprising Delight
Review: I really enjoyed this audio book. In it, Peter Benchely recounts his adventures in the seas interspersed with factual information on sharks and other sea creatures. Benchely, unlike some authors, reads his work with enthusiasm and skill, making it engaging from beginning to end. I came away with a much deeper respect for the sea and the creatures in it and a renewed sense of the importance of understanding the interconnectedness of all things. Besides the environmental importance of the book, it is full of fun and funny and even scary adventure stories. I highly recommend it.
Rating:
Summary: A Surprising Delight
Review: I really enjoyed this audio book. In it, Peter Benchely recounts his adventures in the seas interspersed with factual information on sharks and other sea creatures. Benchely, unlike some authors, reads his work with enthusiasm and skill, making it engaging from beginning to end. I came away with a much deeper respect for the sea and the creatures in it and a renewed sense of the importance of understanding the interconnectedness of all things. Besides the environmental importance of the book, it is full of fun and funny and even scary adventure stories. I highly recommend it.
Rating:
Summary: If you like sharks and the ocean...good read!
Review: I'm an avid Benchley reader and this book wasn't a disappointment as a whole. My only complaints are that 1) it's too short! and 2) Benchley is on his soap box again about evil mankind killing off the oceans. I enjoyed the stories immensely, since I'm a scuba diver. If you have an interest in the ocean and it's predators this is quality entertainment as well as informative. He pours it on a little thick on the subject of shark-hunting and overfishing. Maybe he feels partly responsible because of the shark fear incited by Jaws? Don't know. Good book though. I wish it was 200 pages longer.
Rating:
Summary: Great fun!
Review: Most of my family and friends love to tease me about the fact my all-time favorite movie is "Jaws," based on a book by the author of this book, Peter Benchley. I had absolutely no idea, however, that Benchley himself has quite a lot of experience in the non-fictional shark world. He has spent decades diving in some of the most remote, dangerously-shark-infested waters of the world, watching them, studying them, enjoying them. This is a truly entertaining book that is part shark encyclopedia, part memoir. Mixed in with a ton of information about a variety of shark species are dozens of stories about Benchley's actual experiences with them. Some of his stories are just incredible -- how did he ever get out of THAT? -- though quite possibly the most amazing story comes at the end of the book when he writes a chapter about his experiences with some other dangerous sea creatures -- an orca in the one I'm thinking of right now, though the story about the manta ray comes in at a close second, in my opinion! Benchley is an extremely entertaining writer -- witty and intelligent -- and this book was a joy to read not just because the stories were incredible (I'm fascinated by sea creatures and would love to learn how to dive, so his stories appealed to me on a variety of levels), but because the author himself is so personable it felt like we were chatting over a cup of coffee somewhere. I greatly enjoyed this book and it would be a great one to recommend to interested adults and kids alike (I know some 8 year old shark lovers who would really get a kick out of it!). Highly recommended!
Rating:
Summary: Great fun!
Review: Most of my family and friends love to tease me about the fact my all-time favorite movie is "Jaws," based on a book by the author of this book, Peter Benchley. I had absolutely no idea, however, that Benchley himself has quite a lot of experience in the non-fictional shark world. He has spent decades diving in some of the most remote, dangerously-shark-infested waters of the world, watching them, studying them, enjoying them. This is a truly entertaining book that is part shark encyclopedia, part memoir. Mixed in with a ton of information about a variety of shark species are dozens of stories about Benchley's actual experiences with them. Some of his stories are just incredible -- how did he ever get out of THAT? -- though quite possibly the most amazing story comes at the end of the book when he writes a chapter about his experiences with some other dangerous sea creatures -- an orca in the one I'm thinking of right now, though the story about the manta ray comes in at a close second, in my opinion! Benchley is an extremely entertaining writer -- witty and intelligent -- and this book was a joy to read not just because the stories were incredible (I'm fascinated by sea creatures and would love to learn how to dive, so his stories appealed to me on a variety of levels), but because the author himself is so personable it felt like we were chatting over a cup of coffee somewhere. I greatly enjoyed this book and it would be a great one to recommend to interested adults and kids alike (I know some 8 year old shark lovers who would really get a kick out of it!). Highly recommended!
Rating:
Summary: Enjoyable listening, but...
Review: Peter Benchley makes a good, light, and accomplished reading of his own book. This is easily accessible and not bogged down with science, though depending on what you want, that could be a drawback also. There are some good personal anecdotes. I liked the story of Peter's swim (flight?) on the back of a Manta Ray, and the time he nearly got his family eaten by Hammerheads. It should be said that the book seems a little disjointed at times, and there are chapters that actually have nothing to do with sharks, but instead talk about safety in the water and other sea creatures. The author takes a strong environmental attitude throughout with regard to shark conservation, and is critical of the bad press sharks get in the media (but Peter, didn't you.. er.. have just a little to do with that?) A good book for light reading or listening, but don't expect too much in the way of serious information.
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