Reef shark (Carcharhinus perezii). Click on photo to enlarge.
In the Bahamas we see sharks on nearly every scuba dive. Most of the time you can bet that sharks see us even when we don’t see them. Often we will see a shark in the distance, which never approaches. But in San Salvador, Conception Island and Crooked Island, the Reef Sharks tend to pass repeatedly, sometimes within about 12 feet of us, then veer away, and come back to do it again.
We do not know if they are just patrolling their regular territory, or if they are hoping that we are a big predator who might injure some fish they can grab. In fact, that is how most shark bites occur: a diver has speared a fish and the sharks sense the wounded animal and goes for it. Reef Sharks are in the family of Requiem Sharks and are considered dangerous.
So even though we see them frequently, we remain wary and keep an eye on any sharks that approach. Easier said than done! They and we are moving in three dimensions so we have to be looking up, and looking down, as well as side-to-side! And then when you have two or three sharks to keep track of, well….it can get exciting!
When we see a shark, what we normally do is stay close to each other, low to the corals or back to the wall and watch until we discern the pattern to their cruising. Then as long as they are behaving normally we go on with our dive, still keeping one eye on them. What you should never do is frantically swim away from an approaching shark. Instead, you should face the shark head on and portray confidence to give the shark the idea that if it approaches you it will get hurt! If you feel like you want to get out of there, stick together and return to the boat calmly. With the Reef Sharks we have never felt like we needed to cut short our dive.
Reef shark at Crooked Island, Bahamas (Click on photo to enlarge)
On some of these dives Don got some nice photos with the Canon 5D Mark III, and Denise shot some great video with the GoPro Hero4. This video clip (below) includes a shark eating a little fish! Enjoy!
Love all of your videos. Thanks for sharing them.
There’s bear repellant, how about shark repellant? Aside from being wary, sticking close to each other- carry a weapon
We have a device called Shark Shield that we sometimes wear. It puts out an electric current which apparently repels sharks by interfering with the electrical receptors in their brains! The only problem with it is it is an electric cable that is about 5 feet long that carries a current. If you are behind the person carrying the device and bump into it, it will give you a small jolt. Nevertheless we will wear it if we are in waters that we suspect are populated with Great Whites, Tiger or Bull sharks.
Expected the theme from Jaws! Beautiful film and pictures!
Oh my gosh!😱 I could never ever ever be a scuba diver! I don’t know how many more of these posts my heart can take!
Wonderful photos and videos! Really makes me want to go back there but I would stick with a snorkel! No swimming with sharks for us. Thanks for sharing that with us though. We can live vicariously. What happened to the Cuba trip?
OMG, my heart is still pounding from watching that video. How do you not go through all your air in 10 mins with those sharks swimming around you?