Shark Encounters

Great hammerhead - Sphyrna mokarran [back to top]

A very large hammerhead, unlike the smaller bonnet head and scalloped hammerhead, this magnificent and powerful predator can reach lengths of up to 18 feet. They can be found from shallow waters to the open ocean. They feed on a variety of bony fish, small sharks but have a distinct liking for stingrays. Some sharks have been found with several stingray barbs in their mouth. This species seems to be a solitary animal, rarely seen with another, although we are fortunate to have seen as many as five at one time. Besides their size, the way to tell a great hammerhead from any other hammerhead is it's extremely large sickle-shaped dorsal fin. There is no mistaking it. We have seen dorsal fins in excess of three feet in height. These are some of the most beautiful, prehistoric sharks in the ocean and one is privileged to see them.

It is not uncommon to see great hammerheads in Palm Beach, especially during the fall and winter months were they are occasionally sighted on our reefs. We have even seen them from the boat, skimming the surface. To swim with a great hammerhead for an up close and personal encounter, and really get the opportunity to get photographs or video of this elusive shark, you will want to book a spot on one of our Bahama Shark Expedition trips. These trips run between December and April each year.

Caribbean reef shark - Carcharhinus perezi [back to top]

The Caribbean reef shark is the shark most people envision when you say the word shark. In the Bahamas there are several areas where you can see these sharks. Our West End/Little Bahama Bank trips have several sites where you can swim with these sharks, but almost any area of the Bahamas will be home to the Caribbean Reef Shark.

A common shark found in healthy reef environments that can sometimes be found offshore. It can grow to about 9 feet but usually averages in lengths of 4-6 feet. It is found throughout the Caribbean including Florida and the Gulf of Mexico . These sharks eat a variety of bony fishes. They are powerful and impressive predators that make up the majority of most organized shark dives.

In Palm Beach, Shark Canyon is where most reef sharks call home. It gets its name from the fact that these fascinating animals seem to really like this area. This reef is loaded with many species of fish, turtles and eels. It is a healthy reef system, in part because the sharks are there to keep it that way.

They are easy to identify, with their round, blunt snout. Their bodies can vary from slender to heavy set depending on size and body color ranges from pale to middle gray with white underbellies. They are smooth, sleek sharks that are amazingly agile and beautiful to watch. You can see this shark year round.

Bull shark - Carcharhinus leucas [back to top]

Thought to be extremely aggressive, you will find as a scuba diver, that they tend to stay pretty far away from you at most times. On occasion, one may get curious and come in for a closer look, but rarely. The bull shark is a very bulky, massively built shark with a blunt round snout, small eyes and no real conspicuous fin or body markings. Think of a wrestler or body builder, they look like they have no neck and the same goes for a bull shark. They have an extremely large girth, not at all sleek looking like a Caribbean reef shark.

Nurse shark - Ginglymostoma cirratum [back to top]

Very common in the Bahamas and throughout the Caribbean, these sharks have a very large second dorsal fin, long paddle shaped caudle fin and very small dotty eyes. It's pectoral fins look almost "angel like" if viewed from above. They are tan in color as opposed to the black tip or Caribbean reef shark, which are gray in color. They grow to lengths of 9-10 feet and can be found in shallow waters, reefs, rubble bottoms, and are mostly seen lying on the bottom during the day as they are nocturnal by nature.

They feed on crabs, shrimps, lobsters, and octopuses along with fish. You can find these sharks on just about any reef. They are very docile when left alone. On Shark Canyon , there are about 3 or 4 friendly residents who on occasion will swim up for a scratch on their backs; gently of course. Pink house, a site visited during surface intervals and snorkel trips can sometimes have over 10 nurse sharks lying together under the ledges.

Lemon shark - Negaprion brevirostris [back to top]

In Palm Beach , we see these solitary animals occasionally on deeper reefs, but recent findings have shown a migration of sorts in northern Palm Beach County in numbers up to 50+. In January and February, when the water is colder, in the low 70's, they have been seen lying in the sand very close together. Scientists are still trying to figure out exactly what they are doing there. It is most likely courting or mating related. It is however a very unique and amazing spectacle. Until 2000 it had never been heard of anywhere in the world. Scientist are now trying to get this particular area zoned "off limits" to fishing and especially lemon shark fishing during this aggregation and protect the migrating sharks who come here as they most likely make up a large population of lemon sharks on the east coast. Depending on how large the aggregarion is, we will run special trips to see them.

Lemon sharks get their name from their light coloration. Males seem to be thinner than the females who can reach over 10 feet in length and be very bulky. They have a pointy snout and small eyes as well as two dorsal fins, like a nurse or sand tiger shark.

Blacktip reef shark - Carcharhinus limbatus [back to top]

These sharks are found almost worldwide. Most people confuse the Caribbean Reef shark for a Blacktip. These sharks have small amounts of black on the extremities of various fins; they look like they've been dipped in paint. The snout, when viewed from the side, is longer and pointier than the rounded snout of the Caribbean Reef.

In the Bahamas blacktip reef sharks are commonly seen.

Spinner Sharks - Carcharhinus brevipinna [back to top]

This shark is very similar to the Blacktip reef shark, but it's snout is longer and they don't get as big. Most are six feet or less. They are seen in our area, migrating down the coast by the thousands. They get their name from the way they jump out of the water, spinning like spinner dolphins. We have seen them from the air just off Palm Beach in large schools, cruising along the shoreline. We have also observed them as far as two or three miles offshore, jumping and spinning out of the water, which is an amazing site to see. They can be seen from November through April in Palm Beach .

For more shark information, stories, research, and what you can do to help sharks around the world, please visit the following links:

• Sea Shepherd
• Save Our Seas
• Shark Trust
• Shark Research Institute
• ReefQuest Center for Shark Research
• Elasmodiver.com