Caribbean Sharks

[Caroline Joan]

Should I be worried about sharks in the Caribbean islands?
I love snorkelling but not keen on being eaten.
Is it generally ok to snorkel everywhere or are there places that are higher risk?
I should never have watched those jaws movies.
The only shark I have actually seen in my 55 years alive was near the island of Psara in Greece and that was from the yacht. It shot off so fast I never got a good enough look to work out what type it was.

[Olly75]

Originally Posted by Caroline Joan

Should I be worried about sharks in the Caribbean islands?
I love snorkelling but not keen on being eaten.
Is it generally ok to snorkel everywhere or are there places that are higher risk?
I should never have watched those jaws movies.
The only shark I have actually seen in my 55 years alive was near the island of Psara in Greece and that was from the yacht. It shot off so fast I never got a good enough look to work out what type it was.

Despite what you read in the media, sharks don't hunt or actively search out humans. Some might get a little curious, especially when they have been exposed to human presence (and can get bad when they are chummed for tourists.....), but in general they will ignore you or just swim away.

[denverd0n]

Do you only snorkel in freshwater?


The fact is, there are sharks everywhere. 99.999% of the time they leave people alone. I wouldn't worry about it. In fact, I don't worry about it. I live in the Tampa Bay area of Florida. There are plenty of sharks around here, but that doesn't stop me.


Enjoy yourself and stop worrying.

[Peregrine1983]

I have dove with dozens and dozens and dozens of sharks. Your time is much better spent worrying about sun exposure while snorkeling than worrying about sharks.

EDIT: almost forgot... make sure you get some reef safe sunscreen!

[Tornadosailing]

No worries. You'll mostly see these guys in the Caribbean. My apologies for the poor camera work.

https://youtu.be/C4CqB8qNYI8

[Cyrus Safdari]

You should indeed be worried about sharks in general and how humans are wiping them out, but not of them eating you. You're far, far more likely to die in a car accident driving to the beach, if that's any help.

[MV Wanderlust]

I have dived with and photographed literally hundreds of sharks over the years, including organized shark feedings. I have a healthy respect for sharks but don't fear them.
Neither should you. Sharks generally don't care about people because we don't look, swim, or smell like their food. Go, snorkel, have some fun. You're in far more danger from the idiot from the neighboring boat than from elasmobranchii.

[Pauls]

I agree in general with the comments above, to the point that shark attacks are rare and you should get in the water and enjoy yourself. However, rare does not equal zero. I used to dive commercially and know 2 guys that were hit by sharks, both great whites. Both survived. Both hits took place within a few miles of a sea lion rookery, a known spot for whites to hang out because they feed on sea lions.

If you want to be real about shark danger you need to assess it on a local level. There are some areas, for example around the Farralons during the time great whites visit, where you are crazy to go snorkeling. When the whites aren't there (their visits are seasonal), it's a different story. 99% of the seas are safer than that. So talk to the locals. Generalizing about shark danger is of limited value. And again, most of the world is well worth diving.

[Nicholson58]

We are live aboard in the Caribbean and snorkel or dive often. We have only ever seen a couple reclusive hiding sharks under the corals. Nothing large and certainly nothing aggressive. There is nobody down here feeding them so they leave divers alone.

[Caroline Joan]

Thanks for your feedback, I'm starting to be a bit more relaxed about sharks. When you say your in Caribbean, would your shark sightings be from Barbados up to the Bahamas - this is the area we will be going.

[Nicholson58]

Originally Posted by Caroline Joan

Thanks for your feedback, I'm starting to be a bit more relaxed about sharks. When you say your in Caribbean, would your shark sightings be from Barbados up to the Bahamas - this is the area we will be going.

The Bahamas is know for having more sharks. That said, you can probably look up shark incidents by region. We have sailed from St John to Grenada. We spear a lot of lion fish but sharks are scarce. Keep away from the spines.

[UFO]

Originally Posted by Olly75

Despite what you read in the media, sharks don't hunt or actively search out humans. Some might get a little curious, especially when they have been exposed to human presence (and can get bad when they are chummed for tourists.....), but in general they will ignore you or just swim away.

HAHA You should tell that to the Great Whites down Here (West Australia) 1 or more people a year are taken down here. Not an issue in the Caribbean though.



Tiger Sharks, Nurse Sharks and Bull Sharks have been known to have a nibble, but most sharks are pretty harmless - I have dived with all of them except the Great White. My two favorites being the Leopard Shark and Wobbegong Shark - Both are pretty chilled.

[leboyd]

I have dove and snorkeled from the Puerto Rico down to Barbados over the last 30 years. In all, maybe only 100-200 times. I can recall seeing one shark off St. Croix while snorkeling the underwater national park. It was leaving fast... I also recall seeing a shark somewhere else along that stretch, but can't remember where. I'm pretty sure that if you search the web, the average number of shark attacks in this large area with a very larger number of scuba and snorkel swimmers, the average number of attacks per year is less than 1 - probably way less.

Enjoy your snorkeling, and don't worry about it.

[belizesailor]

Originally Posted by UFO

HAHA You should tell that to the Great Whites down Here (West Australia) 1 or more people a year are taken down here. Not an issue in the Caribbean though.



Tiger Sharks, Nurse Sharks and Bull Sharks have been known to have a nibble, but most sharks are pretty harmless - I have dived with all of them except the Great White. My two favorites being the Leopard Shark and Wobbegong Shark - Both are pretty chilled.

Nurse sharks are pretty docile, anyone who gets bit by one typically deserved it. If you read accounts of nurse shark accounts they usually start with someone messing with the shark.

Nurse shark napping, San Blas, Panamá:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/nk9alyxln7..._high.JPG?dl=0