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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 see 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.
In Palm Beach it is not uncommon to see great hammerheads swimming across the sand or reef. 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. See our itinerary page for more information.
Tiger shark – Geleocerdo cuvier [back to top]
This
shark obviously gets its common name from the stripes on its side. The spots
and dashes they have when they are young, turn into stripes when they get older.
When they get over 12 feet however, the stripes tend to fade on some animals,
but there is still no mistaking this large, bulky predator. It has a massive
head, blunt snout and large dark eyes. It also has a very large mouth and in
females, their entire body can be so large and bulky they almost always look
pregnant. These sharks are global, found almost everywhere. We have seen these
sharks in deep and very shallow water during all hours of the day. Its diet
is probably the most varied of all sharks, eating anything from bony fishes,
turtles, birds, and crustaceans to garbage. Generally they are quite timid around
divers, staying off in the distance only coming in when he or she has had time
to get comfortable with a situation. Even in a “baiting” situation they tend
to be very cautious. Although they roam every ocean, we find them mostly during
our Bahamas Shark Expedition trips where our focus in on the tiger and great
hammerhead shark. During our 2003/2004 season, we counted up to 20 different
sharks between 8 and 16 feet in one day. We see some of the same sharks week
after week, month after month. These sharks are not uncommon to be seen on some
of the reefs in the Bahamas just swimming by and can be seen cruising the shallow
waters of the Little Bahama Bank. For more information on our special shark
expeditions, please visit our itinerary page.
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 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.
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.
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. We find them on deeper artificial
reefs and wrecks in Palm Beach . In the Bahamas, we find them also on deeper
dive sites that we visit on our Bahama Shark Expeditions . 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 Palm Beach, 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 “angle 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 grown 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 in Palm Beach or the Bahamas . 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. FYI - 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.
In the Bahamas you can see these sharks in on our Shark Expeditions. Our 2004 season has been the most sucessful so far, with up to 15 different sharks on one day in one location averaging 8 feet in length.
Blacktip reef shark – Carcharhinus limbatus [back to top]
These sharks are found almost worldwide. In Palm Beach they have been seen on occasion, although 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 more commonly seen.
Spinner Sharks – Carcharhinus brevipinna [back to top]
This shark is very similar the 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 from the air just off our beaches 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 .
Sandtiger shark – Carcharias Taurus [back to top]
Unfortunately in the Palm Beach area, these large mouthed, bristle toothed sharks were though to be extinct. Although in recent years we have spotted a few solitary animals. More commonly seen on the wrecks of North Carolina , they used to be abundant in the Palm Beaches but were fished out. We are hoping that they make a come back. We've seen them in the late winter and early spring on reefs and wrecks. They are very well known for their pointy snout, and large gapping mouth. They can reach lengths in excess of 10 feet and may look ferocious, but are actually very docile.
Silky shark – Carcharhinus falsiformis [back to top]
These are open ocean sharks that normally stay fairly close to land, but in deep water offshore. They have been seen off of deep water reefs and accompanying other marine animals. They are a sleek, shiny gray to bronze color. These guys are fast, and very agile. They feed mostly on bony fishes.
In Palm Beach , if you want to see a silky shark, you will want to do a blue water drift dive. We place a small mesh bag of chum on the surface of the water and drift with it. The sharks will come up from the depths to have a closer look. In the Bahamas , we find them hanging around deep buoys in the Tongue of the Ocean off Andros Island and sometimes in large numbers around a blue hole in Nassau .
Jim Abernethy's Scuba Adventures also runs trips to other destinations worldwide, to interact with and photograph sharks. Call or email for more information.
For more shark information, stories, research, and what you can do to help sharks around the world, please visit the following links:
