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Jaws 2 movie cover Movie Locations Guide

Where was Jaws 2 filmed?

1978

City Locations

Navarre Beach, Florida; Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts

Location Types

Beach/Oceanview, Cape Cod, Naturescapes, Clubs/bars

Location Styles

Beach house, Beachfront, Dilapidated/Neglected, Luxury Hotel

About Jaws 2

Jaws 2 is the follow-up to Steven Spielberg’s critically-acclaimed 1975 film Jaws. Jeannot Szwarc did the honors of directing the second installment written by Howard Sackler and Carl Gottlieb. Rod Scheider starred in the sequel as Chief Martin Brody alongside Murray Hamilton and Lorraine Gary who reprised the roles of Mayor Larry Vaughn and Ellen Brody respectively.

Spoilers ahead! The plot follows Chief Brody, four years after the first film, as he investigates a series of disappearances and other strange incidents happening around the fictional Amity Island. Like the first film, it’s soon revealed that a great white shark is at the center of it.

As Boyd gets deeper into unraveling the case of two missing divers, he finds a camera on the scene. After processing the film, he realizes that the pair had a photo shoot encounter with a familiar toothy menace. Boyd presents his findings to the local council but Mayor Vaughn doesn’t seem to have taken the town’s previous attacks as a learning curve.

Led by Mike (Mark Gruner), Boyd’s son, Jaws 2 focuses more on the younger characters and their close encounters with the great white. Mike and a group of friends set off in sailboats not knowing about the imminent dangers.

The great white attacks one of the boats and it sets off a chain reaction that sees most of the water vessels capsize. Just like in the first movie, Brody hunts the shark down and the movie ends with the great white electrocuted to death.

“Back in the Water,” borrowed from one of the film’s famous lines, is a 2022 documentary in the works. The production revisits the Panhandle in Florida and recounts how the second Jaws installment affected the town’s residents. Instead of shining a spotlight on the filming process, the documentary tells stories about the production from the locals' perspectives.

Jaws 2 Locations

The production team returned to Martha’s Vineyard for the Jaws 2 production process. Various locations along the Emerald Coast also received some screen time. Given that the second installment suffered from production delays, much like the first movie, Navarre Beach served as the filming location for most of the beach scenes.

The Grapevine, a local paper, wrote “The Jaws people are back among us…more organized and more moneyed.” Most residents welcomed the production team, and a number even appeared in the film as extras.

However, other Panhandle natives weren’t too happy with the film crew’s intrusion. Only one drugstore reportedly agreed to board up its windows to create the moody aesthetic that Hancock wanted. Soon enough, there were “Universal Go-Home” T-shirts in circulation, and the production faced a myriad of other challenges. Production proceeded as expected, in the end, and that’s why the classic thriller exists.

Here is a run-through of some of the best scenes in Jaws 2 and details about their real-life filming locations.

Fun fact:

Just like the first film, the mechanical shark used in Jaws 2 proved a pain to work with. It cost a whopping $1.5M to construct, and in total, three sharks were built as props for the film. The seawater caused parts of the mechanical models to erode and the damage was so extensive that they couldn’t shut the shark’s mouth.

The thrilling opening scene in Jaws 2

Navarre Beach, Florida

The movie opens with two divers, Bert and Ernie, and one points out to the other “down there.” They dive down deeper to explore a sunken fisherman’s boat, and as they move through the cabins, a dim, threatening shape approaches.

We then see several flashes in the distance before the scene ends with Ernie’s camera gently floating toward the beach. The next scene shows Chief Brody arriving at the beach in his blue-and-white jeep.

Navarre Beach, located off Route 98, served as the setting for those particular scenes and most of the film’s other exterior shots. The filmmakers chose the area between Destin and Fort Walton Beach simply because of the warm, pleasant climate and the depth of the water. The waters in the area were also deep enough to plausibly have sharks circling around the platform set up in the area. Tucked away in Northwest Florida, Navarre Beach offers some solitude away from the regularly packed beaches. While visiting the Jaws 2 location, you might as well learn how to surf, enjoy the night glow kayak paddling sessions, or go dolphin-watching aboard a speed boat.

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The teen sailor’s hangout scene in Jaws 2

Hog’s Breath Saloon, Okaloosa Island

Mike hangs out with his group of friends, amongst them Brooke, Jackie, Timmy, Andy, Ed, and Tina, at a pinball arcade. That’s where they discuss their plans to go on a sailing picnic. As the plans for their sailing trip take shape, Jackie asks two critical questions. “Who’s bringing the wine? And who got a quarter for the box?”

The interior scenes depicting the teens hanging out and playing pinball were shot at the Hog’s Breath Saloon formerly located on Okaloosa Island. The restaurant/bar was relocated and set up at 541 Harbor Boulevard, Destin because its original location was flagged as a hurricane-prone area. Located between Destin and Fort Walton Beach, as of 2005, the original filming location of Jaws 2 in Okaloosa Island stood in a derelict state. The relocated joint also closed shop in 2020, and through their Facebook page, they explained that they hoped to be back in service in due time.

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Brody breaks the news about getting fired to Ellen scene in Jaws 2

265 East Chop Drive, Vineyard Haven

Brody is Amity’s Chief of Police whose glorified days as the hero from the first film have since waned as the second movie begins. His relentless pursuit of the great white earns him the boot, and he returns home in a drunken stupor.

Explaining everything to his wife, he says “Fired. Canned. Out of my fanny. The Selectmen just made Hendricks the new Chief of Police.”

A stunning abode at 265 East Chop Drive, Vineyard Haven stood in for Brody’s charming Oceanside residence. In 2002, the house went through a remodeling process and the shingled residence that now stands on the lot barely resembles the screen location.

The Amity Police Department is another location that was filmed in Massachusetts, to be precise 33 North Summer Street, Edgartown. They dressed up the Martha’s Vineyard home for those scenes, and the location also doubled up as one of the production offices.

On South Water Street, you’ll find a residential building where the filmmakers had shot the Amity Gazette scenes. Edgartown served as the setting of various other Jaws franchise locations including Amity Hardware (55 Main Street), Amity Town Hall (70 Main Street), and Port Hunter, which is a seafood restaurant at 55 Main Street, lent its establishment for the interior scenes of the Amity Hardware.

From Oak Bluffs, the Line 13 or Line 9 bus will get you to the Jaws 2 filming location on East Chop Drive.

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The grand opening ball scene in Jaws 2

Holidome Holiday Inn, Navarre Beach

In the first few minutes of the film, there’s a scene where Chief Brody enters The Holidome where a grand opening ball is in full swing. He takes his place amongst other dignitaries and Mayor Vaughn, who is presiding over the ceremony, starts speaking.

Some of the words of his speech somewhat described what was to come as the movie progressed. “We're happy once again to be in the center of things, where the action is...”

The Holiday Inn “Holidome” at Navarre served as the film’s headquarters. Production offices were set up on the ground floor, and the crew remodeled some of the Gulf-front suites for Scheider and David Brown. Universal rented out 100 Holidome rooms for a reported $1 million.

Sadly, the Holiday Inn no longer exists after getting destroyed in the wake of the 2004 Atlantic hurricane season. If you do find yourself at Navarre Beach, the fishing pier is worth checking out to enjoy the sunsets, turtle-watching, or go fishing. Also plan a stopover at the Navarre Beach Marine park located in Santa Rosa.

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Grace Witherspoon witnesses a shark-related tragedy scene in Jaws 2

Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts

Located in Massachusetts, Martha’s Vineyard provided the overall setting for the fictional Amity resort. The filmmakers chose the location because they wanted an island that could conjure up an eerily empty feel.

The popular summer destination lent locations throughout Katama, Harthaven, and Mayhew Lane to the Jaws 2 production. Other outdoor scenes were filmed around the town of Destin, Florida. One of the scenes filmed at Martha’s Vineyard is when Grace Witherspoon witnesses a shark-related tragedy from her porch. Deputy Jeff Hendricks (Jeffrey Kramer) responds to the call she places in to report the incident.

Talking to Brody through a walkie-talkie he explains that he didn’t find anyone on-site, and Brody who is on shore interviews some witnesses. One of them describes the incident as an explosion. “One minute they were having a wonderful time, the next, bang!”

There’s plenty to do around Martha’s Vineyard, from visiting the beaches to exploring the Oak Bluffs Campgrounds. Hop onto the Line 7 or Line 9 bus to explore the various locations around Martha’s Vineyard.

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Brody fires his gun at the beach scene in Jaws 2

Chappaquiddick Island, Martha’s Vineyard

One of the Jaws 2 scenes saw Brody firing his gun towards the water at the beach. A lifeguard standing on his platform watched in shock as Brody fumbled with his firearm.

The lifeguard soon shouted out, “It's bluefish! It's a school of bluefish! Chief! It's bluefish!” It’s one of the incidents that would later cost Brody his job as the Chief of Police.

That particular scene and others were filmed at Chappaquiddick Island which is a section of Edgartown, Massachusetts. The Island features stretches of sparsely populated beach acreage. Locals call it “Chappy,” and the Island is considered one of New England’s best-kept secrets. There are varieties of landscapes in the area ranging from meadows to woodlands and coastlines to explore. Make a day out of the trip to hike the endless trails or visit the Cape Poge Wildlife Refuge, a natural reserve located at the eastern tip.

Dike Bridge, where Ted Kennedy’s plane crashed, is among the places most tourists search for while visiting the Jaws 2 filming location. Get to Chappaquiddick Island via the Chappy Ferry” from Edgartown.

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Conclusion

You are certainly equipped with enough knowledge about the Jaws 2 locations, and that should help you map out your “Jaws-inspired” tour. Even more fascinating are the tidbits about the film that, looking back now, made the movie even more epic.

The crew used an island set fabricated on a barge and docked it at the Shalimar Yacht Basin to stand in for Cable Junction. Much like in the first film, it was one of the Jaws 2 film sets that came with several challenges. On one occasion, it broke off from its anchorage and Szwarc received a call telling him that the floating set was drifting off.

The teen actors had a close call when real hammerhead sharks circled them. Filming from a distance, the crew didn’t realize that the young stars were in real distress because the scene called for them to behave in such a manner. One proprietor reportedly sold Universal boats and boating equipment worth $40,000.