{"id":922589,"date":"2026-04-27T20:50:30","date_gmt":"2026-04-27T20:50:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/922589\/"},"modified":"2026-04-27T20:50:30","modified_gmt":"2026-04-27T20:50:30","slug":"jaws-fans-are-flocking-to-a-marina-in-wales-and-have-been-left-in-tears","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/922589\/","title":{"rendered":"Jaws fans are flocking to a marina in Wales and have been left in tears"},"content":{"rendered":"

People are travelling from all over the world<\/p>\n

20:03, 27 Apr 2026Updated 20:04, 27 Apr 2026<\/p>\n

\"An<\/p>\n

Jon Fieldhouse has invested thousands to transform the vintage fishing boat in north Wales(Image: SWNS)<\/p>\n

A film enthusiast has built the world’s only full-scale replica of the boat from Jaws – with visitors travelling thousands of miles to step aboard.<\/p>\n

The meticulously recreated craft, modelled on the Orca from the 1975 classic, is docked in Conwy<\/a> where it has launched as a unique tourist attraction open to the public.<\/p>\n

Creator Jon Fieldhouse, 59, dedicated months to the project and invested thousands to transform the old vintage fishing boat into an almost flawless replica complete with carefully sourced props from the original film.<\/p>\n

He said: “We’ve already had someone fly all the way from Alabama to see it and we’ve only been open a week. I can’t believe the response it’s had – but it’s the only one in the world, so it’s quite special.”<\/p>\n

\"An<\/p>\n

Jon Fieldhouse(Image: SWNS)<\/p>\n

The passion project was driven by Jon’s lifelong fascination with the film which he first encountered as a youngster. He said: “I was only eight and it frightened the life out of me but ever since then I’ve loved it.”<\/p>\n

Despite the film’s enormous global fanbase, Jon uncovered that nobody had ever successfully built a lifesize version of the Orca, prompting him to accept the challenge ahead of the film’s 50th anniversary.<\/p>\n

The vessel he acquired began life as a 1969 Grand Banks fishing boat which he located in Brighton measuring approximately 42ft in length following a year-long search.<\/p>\n

\"An<\/p>\n

It’s docked in Conwy(Image: SWNS)<\/p>\n

While the original Orca featured in the film was based on a similarly proportioned Bertram sportfishing craft, Jon opted for a traditional boat to more accurately capture the weathered aesthetic fans recall.<\/p>\n

While it was initially in immaculate condition, he intentionally weathered and modified it to match the rundown appearance of the film’s iconic vessel.<\/p>\n

Jon said: “It was funny because while everyone else in the marina was working hard on shining up their boats for the spring, I was making mine look as old as possible.”<\/p>\n

Jon meticulously transformed the exterior, although recreating the interior presented an even greater challenge. He searched worldwide for genuine props, from period kitchen utensils to the tiniest details featured on screen.<\/p>\n

\"Interior<\/p>\n

A glimpse inside(Image: SWNS)<\/p>\n

Among the most striking elements are the instantly recognisable yellow flotation barrels used to track the shark, alongside replica beer cans famously crushed by shark hunter Quint, and a handcrafted shark cage.<\/p>\n

Jon said the endeavour proved worthwhile when he finally witnessed it complete. “I stepped back onto the gangplank to look at it and I got such a buzz,” he said. “Every time I walk onto the marina I have such a huge smile on my face – I’ve got the best job in the world.<\/p>\n

“Some people have been in tears when they’ve seen it because they love the film that much. Seeing people smile has made it so worthwhile.”<\/p>\n

\"An<\/p>\n

Jon says he has the best job in the world(Image: SWNS)<\/p>\n

Visitors can reserve hour-long sessions aboard the vessel, during which they are afforded private time to explore, capture photographs and recreate moments from the film.<\/p>\n

Jon even delivers the famous USS Indianapolis speech for guests at the conclusion of their visit – a highlight he said has left some visibly emotional.<\/p>\n

The attraction has already captured international interest, with Jon featuring on Japanese television and receiving visitors from around the globe.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Visitors can book one hour slots(Image: SWNS)<\/p>\n

He maintains that the film’s enduring appeal continues to captivate fresh generations of enthusiasts. “It’s amazing how it has endured,” he said. “There are so many shark films now but the acting and writing in Jaws makes it very special. I just think it’s fabulous.”<\/p>\n

Jon now hopes the distinctive attraction will place Conwy on the worldwide stage and perhaps even attract some Hollywood A-listers. He added: “Steven Spielberg is rumoured to be interested and I’ve heard that Tom Cruise is a big Jaws fan.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"People are travelling from all over the world 20:03, 27 Apr 2026Updated 20:04, 27 Apr 2026 Jon Fieldhouse…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":922590,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[5010],"tags":[748,16709,4884,457,455,37828,16,15,1764],"class_list":["post-922589","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-wales","tag-britain","tag-conwy","tag-great-britain","tag-people","tag-real-life","tag-things-to-do-wales","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-wales"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/116478649679083178","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/922589","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=922589"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/922589\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/922590"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=922589"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=922589"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=922589"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}