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Be Careful at Brewers Bay SAW A SHARK!!!!

Minoushka

By Minoushka,
in Tortola

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Minoushka

Minoushka

Posted
Posted

WE just came back from Tortola .Went to beautiful Brewers Bay .Lovely quiet beach .WEnt snorkeling with millions -literally -of tiny fishes-anchovies or sardines Ther were so many you could not see thru them

The pelicans had a field day !!! Cute to see them dive to fish

One dove right next to my son and scared the daylights out of him

Swam out saw HUGE fish Was later told they were tuna .WE are talking many feet long 4 plus .Very scary when you don't know if big fish are dangerous .They did not bother us

To be honest I did swim out quite far saw a big blue shadow under me as the water got murky I observed the shadow and did not move much and recognized the tail

YES IT WAS A REEF SHARK Yes left promptly and did not go back in

I am now terrified of going back in anywhere

Was told afterwards that yes this place does see sharks

To be fair he did not bother me however .............

Can I go back in and not be terrified of this close encounter of the worse kind

Any advice???

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Pyrate13

Pyrate13

Posted
Posted

First, it's very unlikely the very large fish you saw was a Tuna. The more likely suspect is a Tarpon which are very common in the BVI and are harmless.

As for the shark, yes, shark do appear in the bays on occasion but there are no recorded shark attacks in the BVI that I've ever heard of. Do you have a working knowledge of the different species of sharks? Enough to idendify this one for sure? It may have been a Nurse shark which are very common and harmless, Lemon sharks also seem appear fairly regularly. Most snorkelers and divers are thrilled when they get the chance to see them no matter what type they are. Don't let this wonderful encounter deter you from the water. You are more likely to get hit by some careless person on a jet ski somewhere than you are of being attacked by a shark in the BVI.

 

Also, the small fish you saw were probably Silver Sides.

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#1TravelMom

#1TravelMom

Posted
Posted

I've actually paid for trip to purposefully swim with sharks. They are amazing. They are often interested in looking at humans, but then just swim away. They are magnificent to watch. I've swam with as many as 30-40 at one time and have never felt that I was in danger.

 

Just so you know, statistically, more people die from head injuries sustained from coconuts dropping from trees.

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woodofpine

woodofpine

Posted
Posted

And its WORSE on land! :D

 

You just need to realize that its their home and, generally speaking, we're not part of the food chain. Unless you're in area where great whites are plentiful (S.Africa, Australia) you sort of need to keep it in perspective.

 

There's been a population explosion in my area of Bull Sharks during the past decade. Bulls are not nice, big, toothy, and they like shallow water. But again, we're not really they're preferred food. They don't prefer red meat :)

 

There's a pretty famous picture from years ago taken by a traffic helicopter off the west coast of FL showing a busy beach and a whole bunch of swimmers offshore maybe 100 yards or so, with a group of large sharks between them and the beach. The swimmers were oblivious, the sharks were equally disinterested...

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Minoushka

Minoushka

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WE were actually quite far out maybe the distance of 2-3 blocks

THe water was not that deep close to the rocks maybe 10-12 feet .

I knew something was beneath me -a big blue shape>the water was very disturbed so I could not see what it was .I did not move until it left .Trust me I knew that tail IT WAS definitely not a fish.I swam back and it left me alone

It really had no reason to taste me what with all the fish around

WE are going back soon and I am scared now

Truthfully I always was but now more so!!!

To be fair the beach was magnificent!!!

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zqvol

zqvol

Posted
Posted
Okay, now I am concerned--were thinking about going here on our upcoming cruise. Maybe if we don't go out too far--how far out did you go?

 

Thanks.

 

If this really bothers you don't go into the ocean at all. Sharks can be in as close as 10 yards to the shore. It is not a big deal, especially in clear water. Most sharks that you see are nurse sharks and they are not meat eaters. Though I must say the first nurse shark I saw at Jost Van Dyke scared me to death.

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freedomrider

freedomrider

Posted
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Okay, now I am concerned--were thinking about going here on our upcoming cruise. Maybe if we don't go out too far--how far out did you go?

 

Thanks.

 

Please re-read the post from Pyrate13 above. It is 99.999999% certain that he/she is spot on. That is, Nurse Shark, Tarpon and Silver Sides. All common in the BVI, completely harmless and fun to watch. Please put the concerns out of your mind. If you are lucky enough to come across the Nurse shark or tarpon, hang around and enjoy the show. If you pay attention you may see turtles and rays as well. Enjoy.

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Mekamax

Mekamax

Posted
Posted

I was terrified of sharks but hubby wanted to scuba dive so I tried and passed certification - my first ocean dive we did was Curacao at the SeaAquarium to hand feed sharks behind plexiglass. This way they are real close but not a threat. It did really help. I have since learned and watched every show on sharks I come across and humans are so much more cruel to them then they are to us. The best way to concur your fear, I suggest, is to learn as much as you can about sharks - then you will be excited next time you see one but cautious too. education is the best medicine to fear. Debbie

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dcsam

dcsam

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Nurse sharks seems to hunker in towards the bottom. My first sight of them was a bit alarming, but they're fairly harmless. We actually paid good money to swim with approx. 30 wild black-tip sharks in Bora Bora. Was so much fun diving down and swimming towards them - not away. Truly an experience I'll carry with me for a lifetime.

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  • 2 weeks later...
plus521

plus521

Posted
Posted

We leave in 13 days for our cruise, one of our stops is Tortola. and are deciding where to go, reading that you saw a shark a Brewers made my stomach drop..... And If we do decide to pick a beach to go to it will be Brewers, how exciting........ Now if you told me you saw a great white..... Then maybe I would worry.... Don't get my wrong, I would be freaking in the water and get out going wholy shi* do you know what I just saw, but wow!! All I can say is the movie "Jaws" just really messed us up when we we were young huh??

 

Amy:p

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  • 10 months later...
  • 2 weeks later...
Julia’s Journey’s

Julia’s Journey’s

Posted
Posted
Sharks can be amazing creatures to see in the wild. Usually, they are much less interested in you than you are in them.

 

(Hoping to be somewhere where we see this many sharks again!!)

 

Looks like what we saw in Bora Bora - I was even surprised when my son then 9 swam with the sharks:rolleyes:

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  • 7 years later...
L33_RYM

L33_RYM

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We were in Tortola last week. We went out snorkeling & about 100m from the beach we saw an absolutely huge fish. We were sure it was a shark because of the sheer size of it. Now that I'm home I researched it & I'm pretty sure it was a 6ft Tarpon. I just wished I had a camera with me.

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saxplayer

saxplayer

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Going here in August 2016 and I do NOT want to see shark of any kind while I'm in the water! I don't care how many times I hear we "aren't their preferred food", or how unlikely it is that they attack, I prefer NOT to see one! I'd probably have a heart attack, they wouldn't have to bite me in two for me to die! Just saying! Yes, I saw "Jaws" as a kid and all of the sequels and I don't miss "Shark Week"! But on screen is the only place I want to see one. :eek:

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L33_RYM

L33_RYM

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You can get a taxi from the cruise terminal. It's about $14 return & takes about 20 mins. There is a small bar there that sells drinks & a limited selection of food. You can hire sunbeds there (they are functional but they are not the best) & snorkel gear.

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blue_water

blue_water

Posted
Posted (edited)
Are there loungers/umbrellas to rent at Brewers Bay?

How easy is it to take a taxi there? Pick up afterwards to get back to ship?

Or for safety reasons' date=' should I use the ship's excursions if they offer it?[/quote']

 

Lounges are for rent, not sure about umbrellas but there is shade there.

Several safari taxis will be lined up at the dock to take folks to Cane Garden Bay and Brewers Bay, just hop one you are directed to for Brewers. Fare is $16pp round trip, and you can ask the driver what time he will return for you.

 

Nicole's beach bar has an excellent cheeseburger that you won't find on the Lido deck!

 

No need to use the ship excursion, taxis are very easy and reasonable and much less expensive.

Edited by blue_water
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