The widow of world-famous author and ocean conservationist Peter Benchley will fly to Bermuda tomorrow to comfort the widow of sea legend Teddy Tucker.

Wendy Benchley, who carried on her husband’s work in protecting the seas, said she will fly from the US to be with the Tucker family as they mourn the loss of the man she called “part ocean creature himself.”

Ms Benchley, who knew Mr Tucker from the 1960s when she and her husband travelled to interview him for National Geographic magazine, added: “Teddy Tucker is not only famous in Bermuda, he is famous around the world with scientists and archaeologists — people who knew how extraordinary his contribution has been.

“He was, for Peter especially, such a close friend, a mentor and a tutor for him. His encyclopedic knowledge was just extraordinary — he knew history, archaeology, gems and jewellery, the construction of boats and the oceans.

“It is most amazing what was packed into his brain.”

Mr Benchley, the author of Jaws, which became one of the biggest-earning films of all time and a multiple Oscar winner, said that his later adventure book The Deep was partly inspired by Mr Tucker as well as Mr Benchley’s visit to Bermuda in the 1960s.

But Ms Benchley said Mr Tucker deserved to be remembered as much for his work in protecting the oceans as he will be for his glamour exploits as shipwreck diver and treasure hunter.

“He was an utterly fascinating man and he and Edna together were such a fantastic team and a powerful force in Bermuda for ocean conservation issues,” she said.

“That was a very important part of Teddy’s life — people know about his exploration and the treasure, but he did much more than that.

“And Edna was very much part of his life on the ocean conservation he worked so hard on. They were the driving force to get people to recognise the Sargasso weed and the Sargasso Sea and how important it was.

“I know Teddy Tucker right from the get go was always into what was going on under the surface of the ocean, the currents, the fish population. His understanding of the ocean and its currents was just phenomenal.”

And she added that scientists who visited Bermuda and watched Mr Tucker dive were astounded at his endurance underwater.

She said: “I feel he was part an ocean creature himself. He could go down and stay down under the ocean for hours and hours. He was a man that was made for the ocean.”

Ms Benchley said it was particularly cruel that a keen observer of the ocean bed like Mr Tucker had suffered from a degenerative eye condition in his later years.

“His eyesight was outstanding — he could see things underwater that other people had to be right on top of to notice. He had eyes that could see below the surface and all of his senses were tuned to the ocean.”

Ms Benchley said Mr Tucker was recognised internationally as a “first class” wreck diver and archaeologist and, even in his later years, was still sought out by experts in the field for his advice.

“He was known around the world and he did the most spectacular book where he put down a lot of his knowledge so it would exist for future generations,” she said.

“And if you ever heard him tell stories, he was a master with a wicked, impish sense of humour. It all just came alive for people.”