Shark at Maho Bay
The beach we go to is the shark bite capital of the world, though no one has been biten bad enough to lose a limb or life, still some impressive bites. Some of these bites have been from nurse sharks, usually after being stepped on, but majority of the bites are from sharks casing after bait fish and a person is in the way. My rule of thumb is if the pelicans are doing alot of diving(fishing)I stay out of that area. By the way, the beach is New Smyrna Beach, Florida. Happy swimming, Laura
You must be the change you want to see in the world
Never feels good to be stalked by sharks for sure. Nice shots, though, Becky (or John, rather). Hope you guys are having a great time!
Ondine, I agree. It's wise to think that way. As much as the behavior of Nurse Sharks is well studied and thought to be generally harmless, they are wild animals with wild instincts and shell-crushing teeth/jaws. (I don't even understand some human behaviors anyway and they are my species .) That said, I don't generally worry about Nurses as long as we both keep our distances. I believe they are not a danger to humans... for the most part.Ondine wrote:I had thought it was always wise to assume that even a nurse shark, while extremely unlikely, could turn on a person, so good to keep a distance...
The odds of an unprovoked shark attack, if the shark can see you clearly, are pretty long.
So while it's always best to use caution and common sense, if you get the chance to see one of these beautiful creatures in the wild, do your best to enjoy the experience - it's one that most people will never have!
So while it's always best to use caution and common sense, if you get the chance to see one of these beautiful creatures in the wild, do your best to enjoy the experience - it's one that most people will never have!
Come see us!
-
- Posts: 236
- Joined: Tue Aug 17, 2010 3:51 pm
- Location: Unfortunately, not on St. John
We had a similar experience out at the great Lameshur. Five or so years ago we were snorkeling the rocks to the left and came across a nurse shark under a ledge. I was just floating above it to take a photo and it came out and darted straight up at me and turned away at the last minute. All our other experiences have been pretty low key, they usually just sit on the ground, but that one experience has made me appreciate that they are, in fact, wild.
- bubblybrenda
- Posts: 549
- Joined: Wed Aug 20, 2008 10:57 pm
- Location: Vancouver, BC
- BuffaloGal
- Posts: 307
- Joined: Wed Oct 14, 2009 10:48 pm
- Location: Buffalo, NY
2 things
Anything with a mouth can bite you. My wife was bitten under somewhat strange circumstances by a stingray, not stung, bitten. Not the end of the world but something to be avoided if possible.
Secondly, I've never been of the idea that an apex predator like a great white, or any shark, mistakes a person for a seal. I mean the only similarity between a seal and me in the water is we are both in the water.
Great pictures though, even though it was a nurse, would have given me pause.
Secondly, I've never been of the idea that an apex predator like a great white, or any shark, mistakes a person for a seal. I mean the only similarity between a seal and me in the water is we are both in the water.
Great pictures though, even though it was a nurse, would have given me pause.
-
- Posts: 49
- Joined: Wed Dec 15, 2010 10:48 pm
- Location: Boulder, Colorado
Jeepers! Thanks for the pics Liamsaunt. Scary! That looks like the big boy we saw at Francis once. It was rushing into the shallows on the right side and was FAST. Always a shock when you see something that is usually slow moving hit its high speed chasing prey. Those baracuda you see almost motionless in the water? They're damn fast! Glad you didn't have a heart attack