Did THE DEEP film at Mangrove Bay Public Wharf?

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David (Nick Nolte) and Gail (Jacqueline Bisset) first meet Adam Coffin at Mangrove Bay Public Wharf which is at the end of Cambridge Road in Somerset Village. 

Most people never notice the rusty old winch on the edge of Mangrove Bay Public Wharf. 

'Coffin's winch' at Mangrove Bay Public Wharf (Photo Ben Hartley and Google Maps)

But fans of The Deep know this is where Romer Treece (Robert Shaw) showed Adam Coffin (Eli Wallach) the ampule David and Gail had found. 

Eli Wallach works the Mangrove Bay winch while Teddy Tucker cameos as the Harbour Master (Source Sony Pictures)

This scene also contained cameos by people linked to Peter Benchley's novel and an acknowledgement of Mangrove Bay's role in maritime exploration. 

Teddy Tucker cameos as the wharf Harbor Master. Tucker, who inspired the character of Romer Treece (Robert Shaw) was also a special consultant during production. 

"Coffin! Coffin!" Teddy Tucker (right) as Harbor Master and special consultant on the production (Source Sony Pictures).

The extra helping Eli Wallach push the winch is Tucker's real life friend 'Banger' who was the model for Peter Benchley's creation of Adam Coffin.

Adam Coffin inspiration 'Banger' (right) mirrors Eli Wallach as Adam Coffin (Source Sony Pictures)

The scene was originally written to end with Coffin cutting the shark loose and for it to writhe and snap along the wharf toward the camera "right into huge jaw snapping close-up".
 
 "Coffin, goddammit, Coffin!"  was originally "Weigh your own damn fish ... " (Source American Cinematographer)

Cutting the shark loose was also in the screenplay adapted by Doug Moench for the Marvel comic edition of The Deep.

Marvel comic edition of Coffin cutting the shark loose
(Credit Marvel)

According to producer Peter Guber the segment had to be changed after it became difficult to find a suitable shark.  A bull shark was shipped from Miami but despite the diligence of special effects expert Ira Anderson the dead shark wouldn't snap its jaws.

This scene also acknowledged the importance of nearby Kings Point as a birthplace for underwater archaeology. According to Peter Benchley, in the 1960s the Tucker family home became a base camp for experts from the Smithsonian Institution. 

Tucker family home at Kings Point Bermuda
Mangrove Bay Public Wharf (top left) and the Tucker home (foreground) at Kings Point c1960s (Source Teddy Tucker Adventure is my Life)

Those experts included Alan Albright, Mendel Peterson (who helped appraise the Tucker Cross and identify the San Pedro), artist Peter Copeland, and Life Magazine photographer Peter Stackpole some of whom worked from Tucker's dive boat "The Brigadier". 

Teddy Tucker's dive boat in the ocean off Bermuda
Maritime explorers prepare to dive from Teddy Tucker's Brigadier c1960s (Source Teddy Tucker Adventure is my Life)

Writing for National Geographic in 1974, William Graves described The Brigadier as "Broad beamed, flat bottomed, and equipped with a venerable air compressor, she ambles tirelessly among the great coral reefs off Bermuda in search of their historic victims". The Brigadier appears throughout The Deep disguised as Treece's boat Corsair. 

Teddy Tucker's own dive boat playing Treece's Corsair (Source Sony Pictures)

And finally there is the Tucker family home at King's Point which can be seen behind Robert Shaw as he asks Adam Coffin what happened to the rest of the ampules on Goliath. 

Robert Shaw as Romer Treece a character inspired by Teddy Tucker with Tucker's home behind him.
"Adam, what do you reckon to the rest of them then" (Source Sony Pictures)



Were you there when The Deep was being filmed? Share your story of the The Deep filming locations in the comments below.

thedeepfilminglocations(at)gmail.com


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