Sharks at Spanish Cay (Bahamas)

This is just a curiosity question. My sister and her husband stayed at Spanish Cay night before last, or perhaps the night before that, and she said that there were several sharks swimming around the boat (which made her disinclined to go swimming). Just wonder if anyone might know what species they were (I presume it is a regular thing for them to be doing that, since I noticed that there are some videos on YouTube).

Hawgwash said:

Sharks in abaco....are they anything to worry about? - Abaco Forum

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Thanks for the link. Couple of people (at that forum) said lemon sharks, reef sharks, nurse sharks -- my brother-in-law opined that they were nurse sharks.

I only saw one video, but I've spent a lot of time underwater not too far from there. The most common sharks there are blacktip and reef sharks which are not dangerous. The video looked like there was a lemon shark though...and they are usually fine but have been known to be aggressive at times.

As long as you use a little commonn sense and be aware of your surroundings you'll be fine. Where ever you swim in the Bahamas there are sharks near by, whether you see them or not.

Most likely nurse sharks. As they get used to being fed off the boats.

But with no pictures or description there's no telling.

The easiest way to identify a nurse shark is that both dorsal fins are the same size

Benthic2 said:

The easiest way to identify a nurse shark is that both dorsal fins are the same size

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... and they do not eat your fingers if you put your hand in the water, this is a good test too

A swimmer was surprised to spot a juvenile dusky whaler around 1M long after a 3/4 hour lap swim in the beachside pool at Palm Beach Sydney. The pool fills with seawater,the shark was probably washed in by the surf. No one was bitten, marine animal experts were used to catch and release the shark into the surf.
Not sure if our "grey nurse" sharks are the same, but ours are protected and regarded as harmless, even though they can be quite large.

They ( nurse sharks ) will bite if provoked though....I can personally swear to that fact.

Nurse sharks waiting for us to fire up the barbecue, Staniel Cay, Exumas.

dvd; said:

Nurse sharks waiting for us to fire up the barbecue, Staniel Cay, Exumas.

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Here's a Nurse inside the Grotto that I didn't see until after I jumped through the hole in the roof.

Even the placid Port Jackson shark (aka a Wobbegong, which sounds like an aboriginal name for it) will bite, if someone stands on it.
(Port Jackson is the correct name for Sydney Harbour).

BruceK said:

Even the placid Port Jackson shark (aka a Wobbegong, which sounds like an aboriginal name for it) will bite, if someone stands on it.
(Port Jackson is the correct name for Sydney Harbour).

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Port Jackson shark (Heterodontus portusjacksoni) and Wobbegong are different species. Wobbegong - in fact - is a collective name for at least twelve different species in the family (divided into three genera) Orectolobidae. The name Wobbegong is indeed assumed to have aboriginal origin. All Wobbegong species except two live around the coasts of Australia. There is also an Indonesian Wobbegong and the Japanese Wobbegong.

Port Jackson shark is of course also an Australian coaster. Its family (Heterodontidae - "Bullheads") consists of 9 different species spread out along different coastal regions (Asia, Africa, N & S America).

Tons of nurse sharks around us at the moment, you see them swimming by the boat at anchor, by the docks and in the water when taking the pooch to shore. They are more frightened of us than anything.

I've seen a bunch of Nurse Sharks in the marina at Spanish, but also a few bulls. The Bull Sharks are the ones we encounter in the Bahamas that concern me. Not enough to stay out of the water, but I have a healthy respect for them.

Especially when spearfishing.

Benthic2 said:

I only saw one video, but I've spent a lot of time underwater not too far from there. The most common sharks there are blacktip and reef sharks which are not dangerous. The video looked like there was a lemon shark though...and they are usually fine but have been known to be aggressive at times.

As long as you use a little commonn sense and be aware of your surroundings you'll be fine. Where ever you swim in the Bahamas there are sharks near by, whether you see them or not.

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Not from what I have heard about Blacktips...and from Wiki.....

"Normally wary of humans, blacktip sharks can become aggressive in the presence of food and have been responsible for a number of attacks on people. "

Blacktips are good to eat. Bite 'em back, after grilling.

I'm surprised Blacktips would be considered "aggressive"...I've never seen that kind of behavior from them. I've seen them take fish off spears but never bother the person holding it. Obviously all sharks deserve some respect.

Me and a blacktip in the Abacos

Greetings,
Mr. B. "Me and a blacktip in the Abacos" Which one is you?

Dougcole; said:

I have a healthy respect for them.

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What we all need be aware of is nature; how we have messed with it and the food chain. Predictability is out the window.

Out here. we are experiencing unnatural and aggressive behavior among bears, cougars, coyotes; all creatures that we used to live with quite safely, from both sides. Now we have moose attacking cars.

Marine life anywhere is no different.

Being followed by one of these guys for 15-20 minutes makes me more edgy than a nurse shark.

here's me with a nurse shark I caught by hand.

the truth hurts so be aware there are way to many bull sharks in that area and for some reason they are mean and will gang up. fish cay to manjack cay is shark land. save your fish guts in a bucket and dump them a mile from your dive spot.

Way too many bull sharks down here too. Two instances of them stranded high and dry when the flood waters receded after ex: Tropical Cyclone Debbie rains.

Bull sharks can get very aggressive....

They can be identified by the lack of an interdorsal ridge and the leading edge of their dorsal fin is above, or forward of, the central axis of their pectoral fin, BUT....its important to remember that your odds of being attacked by a shark are so small that it should not be a consideration in most people's lives. If you're not spear fishing or surfing, in the surf zone or swimming at dawn or dusk....you have nothing to worry about.....you really don't.

When we were there mostly nurse, but we did see one bull shark cruise through, kids would tie up fish heads to string and hang them off the dock as entertainment.

During the day off the beach snorkeled and the barracuda took quite an interest in my watch, so don't swim with anything shiny

When in the Bahamas a few years back, I was surprised to see how many marinas (eg Staniel Cay) actually feed sharks at the dock. These were pretty big bull sharks that were treated like pets. From my understanding, bull sharks are very pervasive and aggressive. They can live in fresh/brackish water for extended periods and are known to travel significant distances (hundreds of miles) up rivers. I often wondered whether I was close to a BS while snorkeling even though I never actually saw one!!

Spanish Wells- Dolphin and Dog Playing

This isn't the greatest picture, but when we were on a mooring at Spanish Wells, our neighbors dog jumped in the water and swam to a passing dolphin. They interacted for about 10 minutes- seemed to be playing together.

OK..last shark pic...I promise...but here's a Bull Shark I was snorkeling with...this was in Nassau though...not the Abacos...but they're everywhere.