Happy Shark Week
Get your chum ready - shark week starts tonight!! Its my favorite holiday of the year!
LOL! I heard that a lady was screaming "Shark!" at Secret Harbour last week at some tarpon who were in feeding at a silversides buffet! :@)
Several years ago when I was a beach attendant, I heard a tourist scream there was a great white shark swimming in the bay. As I was pretty sure there are no great whites around here, I had to go look. Her "great white shark" was a 3' nurse shark feeding on the reef. I nearly fell over laughing at her.
Waited all year for this!
LOVE sharks
It is great to know that we do not need to worry about shark attacks in the Virgin Islands. That was one of my very early attractions. I had been in California and the Bahamas and Florida where violent shark attacks are somewhat common. The waters of the Virgin islands were and are still rather shark free. Over the years there have only been a few reported encounters between sharks and swimmers. In fact there have only been a hand full of violent shark attacks here in over 50 years.
Sharks myths are just that...myths. You are more likely to get hit by lightening.
not wanting great whites, but would love to see more sharks there. It is my one disapointment with the diving there.
I saw a tiny black tip in hull bay snorkeling not long ago - loved it! I'd love to see a few more as well Terry!
48 different shark species currently known to be found in the carib - exciting! Caribbean Shark Database!
Carcharhinus altimus Bignose shark
Carcharhinus acronotus Blacknose shark
Carcharhinus falciformis Silky shark
Carcharhinus galapagensis Galapagos shark
Carcharhinus isodon Finetooth shark
Carcharhinus leucas Bull shark
Carcharhinus limbatus Blacktip shark
Carcharhinus longimanus Oceanic whitetip shark
Carcharhinus obscurus Dusky shark
Carcharhinus plumbeus Sandbar shark
Carcharhinus porosus Smalltail shark
Carcharhinus signatus Night shark
Carcharias taurus Grey nurse shark
Carcharodon carcharias Great white shark
Galeocerdo cuvier Tiger shark
Ginglymostoma cirratum Nurse shark
Hexanchus griseus Bluntnose sixgill shark
Isistius brasiliensis Cookiecutter shark
Isurus oxyrinchus Shortfin Mako
Isurus paucus Longfin mako
Negaprion brevirostris Lemon shark
Negaprion brevirostris Lemon shark
Prionace glauca Blue shark
Rhincodon typus Whale shark
Rhizoprionodon terraenovae Atlantic sharpnose shark
Sphyrna lewini Scalloped hammerhead
Sphyrna mokarran Great hammerhead
Sphyrna tiburo Bonnethead
Squalus acanthias Spiny dogfish
Carcharhinus perezi Caribbean reef shark
Pristiophorus schroederi American sawshark
Dalatias licha Kitefin shark
Eridacnis barbouri Cuban ribbontail catshark
Heptranchias perlo One-finned shark
Scymnodon obscurus Smallmouth velvet dogfish
Alopias superciliosus Bigeye thresher
Alopias vulpinus Thresher shark
Euprotomicrus bispinatus Pygmy shark
Sphyrna media Scoophead
Sphyrna zygaena Smooth hammerhead
Carcharhinus brachyurus Copper shark
Squatina dumeril Sand devil
Squatina dumeril Sand devil
Apristurus laurussoni Iceland catshark
Apristurus canutus Hoary catshark
Scyliorhinus retifer Chain catshark
Schroederichthyes maculatus Narrowtail catshark
Rhizoprionodon porosus Caribbean sharpnose shark
Isistius plutodus Largetooth cookiecutter shark
Apristurus parvipinnis Smallfin catshark
We say a pretty decent size reef or lemon shark (not sure which it was) inside the reef at Buck Island earlier this year. And we saw another of the same outside the BI reef when we swam through a cut and around to the north side of the island. And, a pretty big nurse zoomed past us at BI as well--all earlier this year. Until this time, I had never seen a shark around STX.
And I had to laugh at the story about the woman mistaking a tarpon for a shark. I'll admit to having the same experience at Buck once when I turned the corner right into a school of tarpon--and nearly crapped my pants because I thought they were sharks!
Bernie
It may have happened 38 years ago in Cane Bay, but it gets my attention:
http://www.undercurrent.org/blog/2009/09/10/diving-shark-attack/
Sharks should swim twice. Once in the ocean, second in a spicy broth
Does watching shark week make anyone else crave sushi?
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