I have a question for all you experienced Bonaire divers. Have you ever seen any sharks in the waters of Bonaire? If so what kind, how big and are they aggressive? I am a fairly new diver and I have a real fear of sharks. I'm convinced I was a turtle in a past life and was eaten by a shark LOL. Just kidding, but seriously I just want to know if I needed to be concerned. Thanks

Harmeless nurse sharks and small (3 feet) reef sharks are often seen by divers during dives at the East coast. This is the "wild side" of the island where you will be able to dive occasionally (no wind, little surf).
Sharks are seldom seen at the regular dive sites (West coast and Klein bonaire).
To my knowledge (and I am a long time resident) there have never been incidents and accidents in our waters between sharks and divers.
Nothing to be concerned!

You have a bigger chance of getting stung by a bee underwater than even seeing a shark at Bonaire. You have to go to spots that only heavy duty experienced divers go and even then those sharks are non-aggressive and mostly small.

An occasional whale shark passes through, but since they are filter feeders, no worries with them.

Kimberly,

Yes there are occasional sharks found in Bonaire...we look for them all the time...however, they are generally nurse sharks which are quite docile. They tend to lie underneath ledges. They won't bother you if you don't bother them. You have more to fear from fire coral and sargent majors....

10 years, more than 15 visits and I have seen one teensy nurse shark hiding in the reef on Klein Bonaire and it had to be pointed out to me by someone with VERY sharp eyes.

The MOST aggressive creature (next to diver swimming next to you) in the waters of Bonaire is the damsel fish. If it grew to 1 or 2 pounds I would never dive again... those things are VERY territorial, ask any photographer.

Kimberly~

My advice is to give all sharks plenty of room. All sharks have the potential of being dangerous. Caution is always needed when in the presence of sharks. Never turn your back on them and always have a plan for yourself if you encounter one while diving. Never panic, keep calm and cool until they leave or you can slowly leave their area. Learn the warnings signs of the sharks pre-attack motions. Just be aware of your surroundings at all times. Let's face facts, sharks have sharp teeth and they are not puppies or kittys like some people will let you believe.

Thanks for the info I'm not overly worried but you never know. What are the warning signs of the sharks pre-attack motions? If anyone could fill me in I'd appreciate it. Thanks

Yikes Jim! You're scaring her! :-0

Seriously, Kim, The "men-in-gray-suits" are very rare in the waters of Bonaire. I've never seen anything other than a sleeping nurse shark under a ledge on Klein. Bonairian waters are safe, except for those dammm-sssel fish as mentioned above.

Have a good time!

BTW, Bonaire should cure you of your fear of sharks! If not, please let us know! I might have to recommend a 2nd trip to Bon for you to work on that phobia! Ha!

I might still say I have the phobia just to get a 2nd trip back. I just know I'm going to love it! I can't wait, 23 days to go!!!

Hi Kimberly,

If you are very, very lucky you might see a bull shark. (Only on the east side)

Peter, If there is the possibility of seeing a bull shark on the east side of the island then I will only be diving on the west side. I certainly would not consider myself lucky to see a bull shark. Aren't they very dangerous and aggressive sharks? I put them in the same category as great whites. Now you scared me!!!
Kim

Jeeez, you people floor me !!!!

All those that have actually seen a shark (while in the water) while diving Bonaire raise their hands... This does not include Walt III who lives on Bonaire there and dives for a living.

I didn't want to scare you. You'll probably have better chances of winning the national lottery then to see a bull shark.

Sharks, we haven't seen any Beautiful Sharks for at least 2 weeks. I have had many encounters with Sharks here on Bonaire. As a matter of fact we try to go to sites where they have been spotted just to be able to see them, swim with them and try to take pictures. The best observations have been made while diving a Rebreather, as they are usually very sensitive to bubbles, probably why most divers here don’t see them.

Unfortunately once the word gets out, the fishermen show up and bye, bye sharks. But for those so inclined the Chinese snacks are usually serving fresh shark fin soup.




Jim you wouldn't happen to be a little afraid of Sharks yourself??

My (current) internet handle is SharkOfBonaire (or SOB for short ), and I'm in the water sometimes...

I've lived and dived on Bonaire for the last 6 years Kim, and have never seen a shark in Bonaire's waters. Unlucky I guess.

In terms of general shark attack signs, there are two which indicate you're being considered for a nibble:

1) The shark bumps you with its head/snout - done presumably to get more information about a possible meal (and perhaps to feed more information to the shark's Ampullae of Lorenzo - organic structures which detect electric energy and aura). At this point you can bump back (fist or camera strobe on snout (because if your fist slips, well...), and this will, in my limited experience (see http://www.richterscale.org/diving/sdsharks.htm) give the shark enough cause to reconsider treating you as a potential food source.

2) The shark(s) is/are moving in a frenzied, erratic fashion and arching their backs. Serious warning sign here - if you see this, duck behind a coral head and make yourself as small a target as you can. (seen on Discovery Channel, and heard from shark researchers).

Jake

Kim, I've been going to Bonaire for the past nine years and have done 265 dives there. Only twice have I seen a shark on the west side, and only in passing. While Jim is correct that if you should encounter a shark, they should not be considered puppies or kittys, the chance of you seeing a shark on the West side are slim.

Believe it or not, last October, on the west side of the island just south of the airport, we saw a pair of reef sharks about 3 ft long at the bottom of the reef around 100 ft. I was at about 75 ft on the reef wall and my wife was at about 85 ft and slightly behind me. There were five of us diving at the time, and three of the five of us saw them. Naturally, I didn't, but my wife and two others did. They were apparently just meandering along their merry way, totally unconcerned with us - which is the way almost all wildlife is when you see them in their own habitat, be it in the water or on land. If you don't bother them, they won't bother you.

Seems like I heard that phrase in a singles bar somewhere...... but that's another story.

Very rare to see a shark in the waters of Bonaire... unless your dive buddy happens to be a lawyer.

Indeed, it is good to know a little about electroreception by elasmobranchs. My studies of the elasmobranchs were fascinating. Many fish, especially the elasmobranchs are able to detect electric fields. These structures known as the ampullae of Lorenzini are located on a sharks head and rays also have them on their pectoral fins. Basically, the ampullae are sensitive electroreceptors. There is a canal that connects to a surface pore which is filled with an electrically conductive gel. Without going into too much detail here, muscle movement generates electric potential. The motor nerve cells produce very brief changes in electrical potential, and muscular contraction generates changes over a longer period of time. The receptors are amazing, ampullary organs have thresholds lower than 0.01 mv per cm!! In terms of water displacement, the lateral line system can detect currents as little as 0.025 mm per second! And Walt is absolutely right, sharks can be very sensitive to bubbles.. if you want to get closer (if you see one), put on a rebreather! My partner had a lot of fun learning rebreather diving with Walt, he dove with it for the rest of the holiday!!

Interesting stuff Sarah. I guess I've learned something 2day! Thanks 4 the teaching

Happy to share it.. My only experience with a shark was many years ago in the Maldives. The Black Tip swam between my legs!! (but it was only a pup).. awwww

WaltIII~

Nice to hear from you again, no I'm not afraid of sharks but they are by no means tame fish as some people report. I have seen sharks feed during shark dives and also have been bumped and "smell" as I put it. And yes my camera was between it and me. I didn't mean to scare anyone but I did mean to make divers aware that these sharks ALL have predatory backgrounds, and like animals, some don't always behave as predicted.

And Jake, I couldn't have given the pre attack description better myself. Bravo!

Rae and I will be doing our first shark dives next week in the Bahamas. I hope to get some nice photos. I'll post a brief report on the dives when we return in the community chat section.

Jake,

Thanks for those tips...I'll keep them in mind.

I've never seen a shark on the islands west side, but on my only two east side dives I was fortunate enough to see fair sized reef sharks both times.
Interestingly, a recent study of shark attack victims showed that over 90% of them had peed in their wet suits. Unfortunately the report didn't indicate whether the sharks had been attracted by the scent, or whether the peeing took place around the moment of impact.

LOL Andy
I guess peeing in your wetsuit won't be covered by your insurance form now on

Looking 4ward 2 the pictures Kay!

We have seen two young and very shy blacktips at Bloodlet in 2001 and a big Nurse shark with two Remora on Klein in 2000 and a baby Nurse shark North days before 9/11.

Not Bonaire but our last dive in March this year (70 mins) was the best of my life - a school of 30 grey reef, followed by a mixed group of (White, Black and Silver)Tips followed by a school of 8 Mobula and then a Napoleon Wrasse, Turtle and then very close encounters with 6 Manta Rays.

57 Days to BON :-}

Brian

in all the years we have been diving Bonaire...only one shark siting .. a pair of reef sharks down around 80 ft and then the fab whale shark @ Webers Joy..oops add a nurse shark in the park to that...my friend was snorkeling in the National Park area.. and said " Debbi..is that a shark down there? I smerked to myself and then looked...sure enuff ! she had sited a nurse shark laying on the bottom" " 'Good eye " as we say... but don't we all wanna see sharks to add to our lifelist ?

Thanks for all the info everyone, I feel a lot better about getting in the water now.
Kim

Although we haven't seen one underwater, my wife and I watched a small reef shark feeding on a fish carcass one night in Lac Bay. We happened to see a flash of movement in the shallows next to a little stone wall. After retrieving a dive light we watched the shark (~2 and a half feet long) feed for about a half hour. It would make a lightning dash in from the bay and grab a mouthful then dash out. It didn't seem to mind our light but seemed very wary in general. Yet another special moment on the island!

Danger or Endangered...

The only danger from sharks on Bonaire is the fear of sharks. Fear is a terrible animal and thrives on the irrational and at times, rational. Fear, and its kissin' cousin, panic, are far, far more dangerous than sharks...especially on Bonaire. Diving there since 1966 I have to say there is no danger of shark attack on Bonaire, so leave your fear at home.

I would suggest that describing shark behavior as "pre-attack" is rather misleading. Sharks do show territoriality, and at times exhibit aggressive behavior, posture changes, etc. but this should not be described as pre-attack, as if it was going to happen. Telling someone who is inexperienced in viewing sharks to look for those signs, is just not useful. They have nothing to compare it to and are likely to misinterrupt it. It just adds to the fear factor.

Most species of sharks are just endangered, not dangerous. If you see sharks just enjoy them, watch them like any other fish, amazing animals. But those sea urchins...now they are dangerous, but not Bonaire's sharks.

Living in Florida we see sharks. Diving in the Bahamas you can get to see sharks. Diving off New Jersey you can see sharks, like we did when I was working at the Sandy Hook Marine Labs back in the 1960's when there still were a lot of sharks. One night we counted 22 brown sharks swimming around the boat. We passed on diving that time since it was a chumming area for bluefish too.

But here is a true story about real danger from sharks. It happened in NJ. The research dive team (me among them) as working with the research shark dept on a population and reproducton project. Great whites, makos, blue, bulls, brown, sand, and hammerhead were all part of the study. Many species, including great whites, spawn in the late summer in the cradle of shark birthing from Montauk, LI to Long Beach Island down the Jersey Shore. In fact, we all know the story about sharks in the Raritan River by Sandy Hook that Peter Benchley wrote a story and made a movie about. You know the name.

In those days hundreds of sharks were tagged and released, with rewards offered for return of information. No one really knew much about their migration patterns or distances they swam in their lives. One tag was returned to Sandy Hook (near NYC) from South Africa (a great white). That was really a mindblower back then. Still is, come to think of it.

But here is the dangerous part of the story.
Sandy Hook Lab workers drove government issue cars, Studebachers. Old, klunky things, all the same shape and size and color. Part of our research was done working with the local commercial fishermen to gather data of species, size, location, etc. and mapping and diving those areas for fish counts, water temp, and just "seeing what is out there". One day we had a newspaper reporter go out offshore with us to do a story about the undersea world off the Jersey coast. The boat captain followed sonar religiously and helped with locations and documenting spots. He was a cool customer and his son headed the research dive dept.

We were surfacing after a first dive when Captain Wicklund firmly said you better get out of the water, something big followed you up on the sonar. He didn't have to say it twice. Of course the reporter was really pumped, but we weren't. The few minutes on the deck seemed like hours as we waited for the boss to surface. His father grew nervous for total time underwater and as the sonar shapes were clearer. Finally, Bob Wicklund surfaced beaming with pride that he found a new sponge he never seen before at 90ft. He was out of air when his father told him to get out of the water...now. We were all concerned, and who won't be. The next day the Asbury Park Press carried a great story about the dive research being done off the coast with pictures including the boss (not Springsteen) and his sponge, and a story about the unknown dark shapes that followed us up that day. Who knows what is was. But this day was not done.

After getting back to the dock and carrying dozens of twin 80s tanks back to the warehouse, we got a call from the commercial docks. They had a great white shark that was still alive and did we want it for research. This was a regular run, but a great white was special. The good thing about Studebachers was that the backseat is easily removed, which we did and 3 of us headed off to Keyport and the fishing fleet. When we found the captain, we found the great white was still alive but it was a juvenile, about 4 ft long or about a year old. But I remember how magnificent is was, built like a torpedo, rock solid, and a deep respect entered my soul for these creatures. Jim got the tailend, I got the middle, and Stumpy (well-named eh) got the head. We carefully placed the shark in the back of the old Studebacher, where it was still active and kicked around from time to time, adding to our excitement about the prize we where bringing to the scientists for further study.

Well, on the way back, there was a hitchhiker on the road. This was too good to be true. He surely wanted a ride. Circling back, we stopped and watched as this kid approached the car. "Sure we can give you a ride, but you have to get in the back". That was fine with him... Well, if you could have seen his face as he started to get in the car. As if on queue, the shark kicked enough to scare the wits out of this poor kid as he stared into the face with black eyes peering at him. He went off running and screaming down the road. Yup, fear of sharks is worse than the sharks themselves. Well, we laughed all the way back to the labs, looking for more hitchhikers...of course.

So the moral of the story is to be careful about whose car you get into because it can be full of sharks. But don't be afraid to get in the water off Bonaire...it is much safer.

From Florida,

Bud

Bud

very nice, I remember the first night dive in Bonaire and the initial "what the heck was that" when I got buzzed by the tarpon for the first time.

If its all the same to you I dont' think I want to wake up a sleeping shark.
jimini®

We have some big ones over here!

JAWS HUNT BEGINS

A search for Great White sharks in beginning off the coast of Cornwall.


The 14-day mission comes after a reported sighting off Baggy Point, North Devon.

Photographs will be taken from an underwater cage and tags attached to any sharks found so their movements can be tracked.

The search is being led by shark conservationist Richard Peirce, who wants Great Whites to be protected in British waters.

The 55-year-old from Bude, Cornwall, will be joined by South African shark expert Craig Ferreira, on a private charter boat.

Its owner, a skipper and a documentary film crew will also be on board.

It is hoped Great White sharks will be drawn to the scent of fish remains released into the water from the boat.

A baited line with a float attached will be used to draw the shark closer.

There were some small black tips hanging around witches hut last week.

I am packing for my 8th annual trip to Bonaire and am glad to have found the info here because I saw a very large "fish" and spent a lot of time looking at it, trying to take photos, curious and have finally been able to identify it with the help of the email here and the many pictures I have looked at. I "knew" it was a whale shark, but everyone I spoke to at the dive shop where I stayed said it must have been a big fish! (No sharks here!) This was no big fish, this was a very big whale-shark! I saw it in the waters below the oil pier, near Tori's Reef. I was so astounded by it I kept trying to get in close to it's face and it would back up under a large outcrop of rocks. Of course, I had no idea at the time what it was (being a mountain girl from Pennsylvania). I could have stretched my arms out to my sides and not been able to wrap them around the "face". I am glad i spent a lot of time looking at it, because even now, two years later, I can see it in my mind's eye perfectly (it looking at me, looking at it). However, if I see it again, I will turn around and quietly swim away! (I know that they "eat plankton and small fish", but I will still exit cautiously!) This is one of many unforgettable experiences I have had in the waters of Bonaire, and I want to mention that I do not dive. I snorkel. Usually 3 or 4 times a day, every day for two weeks, in as many different locations as I can get to! I can't imagine vacationing anywhere else in the world.

Interesting...........But I was diving at Weber's Joy around the middle of August and saw five black tips on a couple of different occasions at that site. They were small sharks, but seemed to be hanging around that area for a few days. I got some great video of them during that time.

You are right Dave...5 of them...3 also on Andrea 1..but might have been the same sharks down from Weber's Joy. I've not seen them now for several weeks.

Scott