Valerie Taylor - An Adventurous Life cover art

Valerie Taylor - An Adventurous Life

The Remarkable Story of the Trailblazing Ocean Conservationist, Photographer and Shark Expert
Pre-order free with Premium Plus
1 credit a month to buy any audiobook in our entire collection.
Access to thousands of additional audiobooks and Originals from the Plus Catalogue.
Member-only deals & discounts.
Auto-renews at $16.45/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Valerie Taylor - An Adventurous Life

By: Valerie Taylor, Ben Mckelvey
Narrated by: Janette Frazer
Pre-order free with Premium Plus

$16.45 per month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Pre-order for $26.59

Pre-order for $26.59

Confirm Pre-order
Pay using voucher balance (if applicable) then card ending in
Switch payment method
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions Of Use and Privacy Notice and authorise Audible to charge your designated credit card or another available credit card on file.
Cancel

About this listen

At 83 years old, Valerie Taylor has lived a big, bold, adventurous life.

Born in Australia, Valerie spent a great deal of her childhood in New Zealand. A talented artist, she dropped out of school when she contracted polio and was saved by Sister Elizabeth Kenny's treatment plan; it was two years before she could walk unaided. When Valerie was 15, she found work as an animator and moved back to Australia with her family. All the while she thrived on being close to the ocean, and was a keen spearfisher.

In the 1950s, she met Ron Taylor and then her real adventures started. Together they sailed all over the world, photographing and filming their travels for magazines, TV and movies, and making many documentaries. Valerie and Ron became interested in conservation, and focused on sharks in particular. They did all the shark work on Jaws, and James Cameron decided he wanted to become a filmmaker because of Valerie and her husband.

Valerie is working with the brilliant Ben Mckelvey to share her story of falling in love with the ocean and with her husband, Ron.

Content warning: Contains descriptions of sexual assault

©2019 Valerie Taylor (P)2025 Bolinda Publishing

Critic Reviews

'From working on a Spielberg movie to falling in love with the ocean and husband Ron, this book reveals Valerie's bold and adventurous life, decades-long career as a filmmaker and photographer, and fearlessness of sharks and incomparable understanding of their behaviour.' (National Australian Geographic)
'How she gets all of the energy to do everything each day she wants to accomplish beats me … An interesting and fascinating publication.' (Calodema)

What listeners say about Valerie Taylor - An Adventurous Life

Average Customer Ratings

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Audible.com.au reviews

Amazon Reviews
No Reviews are Available
In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.