USVI-On-Line

Wow - It looks huge! We will be there this summer for our first trip and am hoping will not come close to anything that big. The kids would probably think it was cool but not me. Hope you are having a great trip.

We didn't get there until 3ish, I heard about the shark! But did you see the spotted eagle ray down by the house at Maho, biggest I have seen, a real beauty?? We didn't have a camera, would love to see a photo if you got one!

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

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 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...

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.

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!

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.

Oh my, this thread is freaking me out. That would definitely scare the bajeezus out of me. I don't have a clue between different types of sharks but I know the look of a shark and coming across any type would probably cause me to scream, lose my snorkel, swallow water and drown!

@Pickle: much agreed...boy, this will make me a little nervous to snorkel maho, but knowledge is power

Wow, I saw a small one a couple years ago between Maho and Francis, but this one would keep me on land for a while. According to National Geographic, nurse sharks are harmless to humans "for the most part" but can be up to 14 feet! They're also nocturnal. Makes your encounter even stranger.

I saw a nurse shark a few days ago at the point between Maho and Little Maho. It was a very cool site, and I got some pictures that I will post when I do my TR. Just got home late last night, so hopefully will post it this weekend.

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.

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