Sharks

Tony Gibson · Post by **Tony Gibson** » Fri Sep 08, 2006 5:10 pm

All you experienced people out there, I love snorkling spending most of my hols in the water, and have done some scuba, however we always been to the Med in the past, I have a slight fobia, developed 30 years ago after seeing Jaws, now though I have examined My Tobago and read lots of books please answere the folowing, What about Tiger Sharks, they follow the Turtles so shouldent the area be full of them?

Post by **Steve Wooler** » Fri Sep 08, 2006 5:27 pm

Hi Tony

Sorry to split your post off, but its best to keep new topics in new threads in the most appropriate forum to help others when searching for information.

Interesting question and not one I can answer fully. As far as I know, the most common sharks around Tobago's waters are nurse sharks, reef sharks and hammerheads - all of which are relatively harmless. A few roaming species, like the tiger and bull shark, can be seen from February until May but I don't believe they come inshore. I've never heard of anyone being attacked/bitten by a shark around Tobago, but I'm sure there must have been the odd incident of divers or fishermen taking liberties and losing a finger or two. Certainly nothing for you to worry about snorkelling though.

Patrick Dankou · Post by **Patrick Dankou** » Fri Sep 08, 2006 6:57 pm

Hi Tony,
Steve is absolutely right, don't worry about sharks while snorkeling, there are no reported shark attacks on record for Tobago, the only shark you might see snorkeling is the docile nurse shark, a harmless creature.

Kevin Hampson · Post by **Kevin Hampson** » Sat Sep 09, 2006 7:14 pm

Hi all,
You may get lucy and see a few small blacktip Reef sharks close in, I managed to get some photos of one about 3ft long off the rocks at Englishmans Bay last year, and I have seen a few very small ones off BWI. Apart from that its just the odd nurse shark, I have seen much bigger one while diving but they don't come inshore very often and they are mostly harmless unless you upset them so I should not let it put you off getting in the water.

Regards
Kevin

Paul Makin · Post by **Paul Makin** » Sat Sep 09, 2006 7:53 pm

yep to all the above.

nurse sharks by far the most common. you can and do see reef sharks, both black and white tips, but these are pelagic and reasonably infrequent visitors to sites closer to shore.

hammerheads are here but their lifestyle and habits will almost always preclude them from visiting shore - water too warm, too shallow etc.

i have heard one report of a whale shark in the colombus passage earlier this year but i suspect he was lost (if correctly identified that is). he should have been off the DR by that time of year. i may have seen a silky once but couldnt be sure.

tiger sharks, bull sharks, gt whites and other dodgy variants of the species are not local to these waters.

remember also that rays, especially stingrays, are very common down here and we know from recent events in australia how dangerous these can be. they are members of the shark family also.

RIP steve, top bloke.

paul

David Watkins · Post by **David Watkins** » Sun Sep 10, 2006 9:57 am

The main sharks you are likely to come across are taxi drivers at the airport!!!!!

Brian Taylor · Post by **Brian Taylor** » Sun Sep 10, 2006 12:21 pm

hello there
dont badmouth our stingrays paul. in another topic it was alreday cleared that the stingrays here are a) different ones and the the guests b) dont like to hug them. we have a family of stingrays in csatara bay and you can watch them swim on the bottom and they would never come too close to you. just if you go swim in the night, shake your feet a bit so you would not step on them, they don't like that!
I also heard that stingrays can only kill you when the sting into you internal organs. they would not kill you on the foot.
please don't scare people for the wrong reasons!
better be afraid of the airport - taxidrivers....

enjoy your holiday

Paul Makin · Post by **Paul Makin** » Sun Sep 10, 2006 6:36 pm

sorry brian, no offence to the rays. the point i was trying to make is that these creatures can be dangerous by accident, especially if trodden on, along with many other sea creatures. i missed the thread identifying the rays local to these waters, although a stingray is a stingray regardless and the waters here do share species with the southern oceans.

not intending to scaremonger, just a gentle cautionary word.

yes, the fatality was a fluke. the norm by far is for any unintentional encounter with any ray (including electric) to be a survivable event.

sorry all

paul

Brian Taylor · Post by **Brian Taylor** » Mon Sep 11, 2006 11:47 am

may the rays forgive you....

Tony Gibson · Post by **Tony Gibson** » Mon Sep 11, 2006 7:14 pm

Tanks all, I didnt mean to imply that all sharks bother me, I find them fasinating and would love to dive with them, but I was not sure about the dogy ones, ( and I would love to see a hammmerhead )
While on the subject of fish, what time of year do the mantaray arive?

Lisa Keith · Post by **Lisa Keith** » Tue Sep 12, 2006 12:11 am

Hi Tony,

They're not anywhere near as frequent as they once were, but there has been one (I assume it was the same one!) in Arnos Vale bay twice in the last month. The last time he/she was there, one of the guys from the dive shop was snorkelling and the manta was obviously inquisitive although kept it's distance. It was great to see! It stayed for a good hour and we haven't seen it since, but the time before that, Stuart (Caribstu) had taken out two people to dive in the bay there, and had a manta come to say hi then too!

If it comes back again, I'll let you know!! Here's hoping it makes Arnos Vale home!! They DO visit all around the island, but, unfortunately, not the same chances of seeing one as you may have had a few years ago.

Good luck though! It's definitely not impossible!

Best regards,
Lisa.

Paul Makin · Post by **Paul Makin** » Tue Sep 12, 2006 5:34 pm

mantas are unfortunately not common at all now. at one time i would estimate that a sighting would be a "given" on 70- 80% of dives. so far this year ive heard only 2 reports of encounters. these were in june on the mt irvine reef,but sightings would theoretically be possible anywhere around the island at any time, they have no season as such.

mantas are large pelagics, coming shallow to feed and breed. it follows therefore that you will usually meet them in areas where they have access to deeper water - speyside and, for eg., "sisters" rocks being the type of environment they would prefer. they are filter feeders so any nutrient rich,constantly moving water will be their preferred restaurant, not sheltered,reasonably slow moving (tidal) bays. the arnos vale/mt irvine bay examples will definitely have come in from the ocean rather than residing locally im sorry to say, although juveniles play it a little safer im told!!

hammerheads like cooler, deeper waters, again ascending to feed. they tend to shoal so seeing an odd individual is not rare but certainly uncommon. we tend to get the scalloped hammerheads and they are awesome. most frequent sightings seem to be around the offshore sites -sisters (again), brothers, maybe the st giles complex etc.

paul