Swimming With My Shark Buddies!
These nurse sharks are famous!
Believe it or not, there are many people who would love the opportunity to swim with these amazing creatures and who come to the Bahamas islands to do just that!
However when I first encountered the famous nurse sharks in Compass Cay, Exuma (an island of the Bahamas) I was NOT one of those people!
I won't lie, I was terrified when I first saw them! I do cut myself some slack, I was 14 years old at the time and the only thing I knew about sharks were that they were EXTREMELY dangerous!
I remember watching a young man begin to walk down into the water, my first instinct was to shout out to him "Hey! What the heck are you doing! Don't you see those sharks!" however I was so shocked I just stood there and watched as he descended into the water.
I remember thinking 'Oh no....he's about to be shark chow' as I stood frozen waiting for the sharks to attack.....but they never did!
I watched as the young man swam leisurely around in the water and I remember being SO confused! I looked up at my mom who smiled down at me and asked ever so calmly "Would you like to swim with the sharks darling?"
What are Nurse Sharks?
Nurse sharks are kind of like Bahamian catfish in the shape of a predator. Bottom feeders, nurse sharks mostly appear to sit down on the bottom of the shallows and suck sediment and little critters from the sand. If you are underwater near them, you can hear them squeal a high-pitched sound. Source: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/nurse-sharks-of-compass-cay
Nurse sharks are extremely friendly creatures. They basically just hang out all day and night. They are fed by the local marina workers and are a great attraction for curious animal lovers like myself! These creatures are so amazing, they even have names!
Don't get me wrong these friendly creatures can be aggressive when they need to but for the most part they are laid back because they are basically pampered and spoiled. Lol!
Source:https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/nurse-sharks-of-compass-cay
I am now a HUGE fan of these amazing creatures and I swim with them every chance I get. Check out the short video below of me swimming with these wonderful creatures in Compass Cay, Exuma!
That’s awesome, I’m a desert rat so when it comes to sea creatures I’m clueless. I learned something new today.
Thanks for reading!
I feel like anything with Nurse in the name shouldn't be TOO threatening (unless you're one of the little critters).
Lol!
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That's a cool story. Do you also scuba dive?
I really like that GIF in slow motion.
I have an old high school friend who is a scuba dive master in The Bahamas. It looks like an amazing place to be.
I do scuba dive! It's one of my favorite activities! What is the name of your dive master friend...I may know him!
THE WATER IS SO CLEEEEEEEEAAAAR. Beautiful.
The waters here are truly spectacular!