Sharks - cococay

[newparents]

CocoCay is one of our stops when we go away and I am a little nervous as I am hearing there is alot of shark activity here :eek: obviously its everywhere but I am hearing about here in particular, just wondering what other people's experience of this is when at CocoCay?? Thanks in advance.

[wolfcathorse]

I wouldn't worry. The big ones don't cross the reef that surround CocoCay. Just the babies may wander in. You may see more stingrays and jelly fish than sharks. There isn't a great white out there in a feeding frenzy!

[reallyitsmema]

We were at Coco Cay in August and did see some small lemon sharks at Barefoot Beach. They didn't bother anyone. Now, the huge stingray we saw, that made me nervous!:eek::p

[okiecruiser71]

I saw a school of hammer heads there last year. Be careful.

[cb at sea]

Sharks are everywhere. The good thing about Coco Cay is the water is so clear, you can see what is in there with you! No worries!

[newparents]

Yikes, I wouldn't not go in the water, I'll just be very careful, this is prob a good thing actually as this will encourage me to loose weight before our hol as at the moment I have the figure of a big seal so will need to work on that ha ha, seriously though, I would just stay shallow and not be seperated from the crowds, thanks for all your replies, its appreciated :)

[Cruzn Fool]

You can use the strategy I use for things like this. Just look around at everyone else and make sure you aren't the slowest one there :p

[north29]

The Jelly fish and Man of war. If stung you will probably smell like a salad for a day LOL. That is the antidote they will give you.

[Ourusualbeach]

Reef sharks, stingrays and barracuda seen them all at Coco Cay.

[Aquahound]

CocoCay is one of our stops when we go away and I am a little nervous as I am hearing there is alot of shark activity here :eek: obviously its everywhere but I am hearing about here in particular, just wondering what other people's experience of this is when at CocoCay?? Thanks in advance.

 

The truth is, yes, there are sharks. It's the ocean. However, I'm not aware of any bites at Coco Cay. Typical for near the beach are nurses, lemons, bonnet heads, black tips and other small reef sharks. Most common are nurse sharks. But trust me, you are not on the menu. Go, swim, and have a great time.

 

If it makes you feel better, I don't live too terribly far from the Bahamas. We have the same sharks on our reefs...and then some! I swim almost daily, especially in the summer and even though I've come face to face with a couple of the big ones, I've never been bitten, nor do I know anyone who has.

Edited January 22, 2014 by Aquahound

[Mapleleafforever]

We've seen many a stingray but still no sharks.

[Mystaken]

There used to be a shark that was nicknamed Snaggletooth. If he showed up the staff would get people out of the water and chase him off on their jetskis. I've never seen a report of anyone getting bitten by a shark there (and you know CNN would be all over that!) Just go and enjoy yourself, it is highly unlikely that you will see a shark of any kind! And the staff is very vigilant in protecting the passengers!

[ehfl]

I have seen sharks there, but you don't have to worry. Sharks are very common in the Bahamas, but there are very few cases of attacks. The few cases of shark attacks in the Bahamas have been when a person is spear-fishing where the shark is really going after the injured fish.

 

Sharks have good eyesight, and the water in the Bahamas is very clear. Sharks can see that you don't look like their normal food.

 

This is totally different from places like California, where the water can be murky, and people are often dressed to resemble seals (wetsuits and flippers).

 

If you see a shark while snorkeling, enjoy the experience. They are remarkable creatures. Usually, if you swim towards a shark, it will swim away. Their normal food is normally smaller, injured fish that try to avoid them....they don't see big animals moving towards them as food.

[cruisinfanatic]

Sharks are everywhere. The good thing about Coco Cay is the water is so clear, you can see what is in there with you! No worries!

so can they

[Mystaken]

Candyman!

 

Shark attacks are over sensationalized in the media!

Edited January 22, 2014 by Mystaken

[JasonV1]

I've scuba dived with sharks around me, not really a big deal if you leave them alone. If shark attacks in the Caribbean were a problem you'd hear more about it.

 

Fear jellyfish more than anything else. Fairly common, and easy to swim into if you aren't paying attention. No they won't eat you, but the stings can be a pain.

[edjny]

Also, the sting rays will not bother anyone either. They will snap up that stinging tail if you step on them though. Just do the 'sting ray shuffle' when walking through the water when sand is on the bottom. The sting rays will be eager to get out of your way if you let them know you are coming.

[LindaO]

You have more of a chance of being injured or killed on your way to the port to board the ship than you have of even seeing a shark in the Caribbean. Do some research... or just read this article...

 

http://www.islands.com/articles/truth-about-caribbean-sharks

 

Or at least read this section of the article...

 

Since 1997, ISAF has recorded six shark attacks in the Caribbean, compared to 96 in North America and 30 in South Africa. Why the disparity? "A combination of cold and warm waters brings a large variety of sharks to South Africa," says Burgess, "while a tremendous amount of people and year-round good swimming weather in Florida increase the chances of attacks in North America."

 

The organization, founded by the U.S. Navy in 1958 in response to the numerous shark attacks on sailors during World War II, is now managed by the University of Florida in Gainesville, Fla. More than 3,200 worldwide shark-attack investigations dating to the mid-1500s are housed at ISAF, says 50-year-old Burgess.

 

The Bahamas, with its huge amount of coastline and larger tourist and resident populations, has recorded more attacks than any other Caribbean destination - still only 35 since 1896 - while the rest of the region averages less than one attack each year. Florida averages 20 to 30 shark attacks each year.

[CruiseGirlKS]

Sharks are everywhere. The good thing about Coco Cay is the water is so clear, you can see what is in there with you! No worries!

 

Definitely, clear beautiful water. :D

[cruiseknots]

You can use the strategy I use for things like this. Just look around at everyone else and make sure you aren't the slowest one there :p

 

I like this strategy!

[Travelnewby]

You can use the strategy I use for things like this. Just look around at everyone else and make sure you aren't the slowest one there :p

 

Thanks - That definately made me laugh out loud!

[anjomojo]

Been there about four times. Agree on the water. No worries.

 

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[Big_G]

I saw a school of hammer heads there last year. Be careful.

 

Did you mean the drunks or real sharks? :confused::D

[UNV-IT!!!]

We also saw hammer heads. But they never came too close to the shore nor did they seem to care. We were snorkeling