Frank Mundus

Frank Mundus (October 21, 1925-September 10, 2008) was a sport fisherman at Montauk, New York who is said to be the inspiration for the character Quint in the movie and book "Jaws".] ] Up until his death, he chartered out his boat "Cricket II" for those seeking the thrill of big game fishing.

Mundus early techniques which included killing whales merely for chum and harpooning sharks (practices which are outlawed today) earned him criticism even at the time. In the last few years of his life Mundus had campaigned for shark fishermen to catch and release their prey including a conservation book "White Shark Sam Meets The Monster Man." In 2008 the Cricket spent much of the summer docked near Atlantis Marine World in Riverhead, New York where conservation of the predators was preached.

Mundus died on September 10, 2008, due to complications from a heart attack he suffered on September 6, the day he returned home to Hawaii after spending the summer in Montauk. According to his obituary he had spent the last night in Montauk aboard the Cricket 2 which had made him famous and had his heart attack in the Hawaii airport immediately after returning.

Early life

Mundus was born in Long Branch, New Jersey and moved to Brooklyn when he was young. In 1951 he began a charter fishing operation in Brielle, New Jersey. He was criticized there after bringing a dead whale to the port.

The Pelican

He then moved to Montauk in 1951 saying he wanted to start charters for bluefish. In his first year at Montauk he played an important role in the rescue and retrieval of "The Pelican" an overloaded party boat in which 35 of 54 onboard perished after capsizing in a squall. He was among the second wave of searchers, and helped tow the hull of the Pelican to port with ten dead bodies still trapped inside. The disaster was the worst in Montauk recreational history and led to numerous laws regulating the industry. [Dark Noon by Tom Clavin - International Marine/Ragged Mountain Press (April 5, 2007) ISBN 0071486593]

Monster Fish

However he soon discovered that bluefish were not plentiful but the sharks were in the Montauk waters [ [http://www.dansmagazine.com/sports/archive/sports3-2004/story_sharkhunter.html - Great White Hunter by John Capone - Dan's Papers - August 2004] ]

Mundus started what he called "Monster Fishing" with boats leaving the port at Lake Montauk. Mundus with his colorful character became immediately popular. He further helped his reputation by catching a 4,500 pound white shark by harpoon (the figure of 4,500 pounds was estimated without the shark having been weighed). In 1986 he and Donnie Braddick caught a 3,427 pound great white off Montauk which still holds the record for the largest shark ever caught by rod and reel. The capture of the shark was controversial at the time with some saying he had killed the whale on which the shark was feeding when caught and that the shark was harpooned rather than caught by rod and reel (either of which would have negated the record). The International Game Fishing Association ruled that the catch was legitimate based on photographs.

In 1991 the U.S. Coast Guard said that his license had expired and he had to reapply. Mundus initially attempted to sell the Cricket 2 and moved to Hawaii. The sale did not go through although the boat would be operated by others. He officially retired as a charter captain in 1997. In the years before his death he would come back to Montauk for its shark tournaments and would ride along on higher priced Cricket 2 excursions. He died in Hawaii shortly after returning from Montauk.

Colorful Character

Mundus reputation was enhanced by his eccentric personality and ostentatious displays of the killed sharks (something he would say later he regretted). "He always said the charter business was 90 percent show and 10 percent go," said Chris Miller, a Montauk resident who had seen him on the docks. He colored his big toenails red and green for port and starboard. He wore a hoop earring and an Australian slouch hat and a shark tooth necklace. [ [http://www.27east.com/story_detail.cfm?id=167581 Montauk's shark hunter, Frank Mundus, dead at 82 - The East Hampton Press - September 17, 2008] ]

He said that the cricket name was inspired because his profile resembled that of Jiminy Cricket.

He made appearances on David Letterman and Larry King.

Inspiration for Quint in Jaws

Mundus is often said to be the inspiration for charter captain Quint in the book and movie Jaws. Jaws author Peter Benchley denied that he was the inspiration and Mundus was not used as a source in the movie. However many Montauk residents say that Mundus was definitely the inspiration. John Ebel a mate on the Cricket said that Benchley had privately acknowledged that Mundus was the inspiration but had publicly denied the association for legal reasons. [ [http://www.easthamptonstar.com/dnn/FrankMundusObituary/tabid/6569/Default.aspx Montauk's shark hunter, Frank Mundus, dead at 82 Montauk's 'Monster Man' Dies - The East Hampton Star - September 18, 2008] ] They note the following:
*Mundus and Benchley had gone on shark hunting expeditions out of Montauk prior to the 1974 novel and were filmed together aboard the Cricket II in a 1974 episode of American Sportsman [Montauk's 'Monster Man' Dies - The East Hampton Star - September 18, 2008]
*In the book the fictional Jaws community of Amity is described as being between Bridgehampton, New York and East Hampton, New York. Montauk is in East Hampton (town), New York.
*Quint's boat was said to be berthed at a place called "Promised Land." Mundus' boat at one time was docked at the fish factory called Promised Land in Napeague, New York immediately west of Montauk. [Montauk's shark hunter, Frank Mundus, dead at 82 - The East Hampton Press - September 17, 2008]
*Joe Gaviola, a Montauk businessman, was quoted as saying, "He is Quint. If you read the book was everything Frank was. Benchley spent weeks fishing with him. Give me a break. He is Quint." [Montauk's shark hunter, Frank Mundus, dead at 82 - The East Hampton Press - September 17, 2008]

In comparisons to his character in Jaws his web sites quotes him: [ [http://www.fmundus.com/frank_mundus_frequently_asked_qu.htm Frank Mundus Frequently Asked Questions fmundus.com - Retrieved January 10, 2007] ]

What did you think about the movie Jaws?: It was the funniest and the stupidest movie I've ever seen because too many stupid things happened in it. For instance, no shark can pull a boat backwards at a fast speed with a light line and stern cleats that are only held in there by two bolts. And I've never boiled shark jaws. If you do, you'll only end up with a bunch of teeth at the bottom of your bucket because the jaw cartilage melts.

Is it true that the shark hunter "Quint" in Jaws is based on you? In what ways does he resemble you?:Yes, he was. He knew how to handle the people the same way I did. He also used similar shark fishing techniques based on my methods. The only difference was that I used hand held harpoons after field-testing harpoon guns and discovering that they didn't work: the dart would pull out after hitting the fish.

Bibliography

*Fifty Years a Hooker - ISBN 141348428X - 2005
*White Shark Sam Meets the Monster Man - ISBN 1599260999 - 2005 (coloring book)
*Sportfishing for Sharks - ISBN 0025879502 - 1971

References