This is not a good picture but is it a shark?

Travel discussion for St. John
PA Girl
Posts: 4485
Joined: Tue Aug 29, 2006 11:55 am

Post by PA Girl »

I am sitting here, rocking back and forth a little bit, chanting to myself "it is just a dolphin, just a dolphin, just a dolphin......"

I have three irrational fears - snakes, rouge waves and sharks. I do not want to see a shark while snorkelling! Good thing I wasn't planning on going to Waterlemon next month.
User avatar
luvinsun
Posts: 464
Joined: Sun Jan 06, 2008 7:42 pm
Location: Painesville, OH

Post by luvinsun »

see, now here is me going... "let me follow him, and I'll tell you what it is!"

Last year, I was out snorkeling around the Maho point by myself (my husband stayed on the beach that time) and I saw a nurse shark just sniffing around the bottom, so I just followed him, took pictures and video of him. When I was done and swimming back, I was talking to this young girl and told her what I saw. She was afraid to go over to the point by herself, so I told her to come with me and I'll take her. We found the nurse shark again, she freaked out and started swimming back to shore!

When I got back to the beach and was telling my husband about the shark and showing him my video, he actually got mad at me for not high-tailing it out of there... haha! I laughed at him and called him a big baby! lol! I just love to snorkel!
Tami
***************************
Image[/url]
User avatar
snorkelqueen
Posts: 432
Joined: Tue May 29, 2007 12:33 pm
Location: california

Post by snorkelqueen »

HOLEY MOLEY - Watch me walk on water...... :shock:
Image
PA Girl
Posts: 4485
Joined: Tue Aug 29, 2006 11:55 am

Post by PA Girl »

I could control myself if I saw a nurse shark because I know their mouths are small, they couldn't "rationally" take a bite out of me. I would calmly and quickly leave the area, not drop dead in the water the way I think I would with a "real" shark.
GraysonDave
Posts: 479
Joined: Thu Feb 11, 2010 7:41 am
Location: Georgia

Post by GraysonDave »

liamsaunt wrote:Haha on the dolphin votes :wink:
Would you believe a manatee?
User avatar
Sumerwaters
Posts: 103
Joined: Fri Nov 05, 2010 10:49 pm

Post by Sumerwaters »

I did see dolphins at Waterlemon and Maho last time I was there.
mindehankins
Posts: 3014
Joined: Fri Mar 06, 2009 8:21 am
Location: Western NY State

Post by mindehankins »

I had a close encounter with a sharky kinda shark, in shallow water. I was outta that water in 10 seconds FLAT, squatting on the edge of the water cause my legs wouldn't hold me, literally peeing myself in shock and fear, right on the sand!
nascarfan59
Posts: 509
Joined: Fri Oct 27, 2006 9:24 pm
Location: Central IL

Post by nascarfan59 »

I enhanced the picture in Photo Shop and you can see that there is a second dorsal fin. That makes it a shark as dolphins do not have these. Reminder to self "learn to swim Faster". :D
Image

God is great, beer is good, people are crazy.
ShaSha
Posts: 59
Joined: Tue Sep 13, 2011 6:55 pm
Location: Rolling Prairie, IN

Post by ShaSha »

Oh! SIS! Why would you post this before we newbies get there???? I will not be showing this to Mike! And my vote is that it was a dolphin. The other pictures that you have posted are fabulous. Can not wait to get there!
Dan
Posts: 81
Joined: Mon Nov 17, 2008 10:16 pm
Location: Arizona

Post by Dan »

Hi Cindygad!

I saw a similar shark at Waterlemon last month when I vesited there. The shark I saw was in the shallows and was a lemon shark. This was the second time I had seen one at this bay.

I took several pictures and have them posted on my blog site.

http://sunshinelobster.com

~dan
Connie
Posts: 1940
Joined: Tue Aug 07, 2007 2:20 pm
Location: Philly burbs

Post by Connie »

That's a shark and I don't like seeing that at all.

Grew up with "Jaws" :o)
"Paradise...it's a state of mine"
cindygad
Posts: 460
Joined: Sun Jun 29, 2008 5:05 pm
Location: Indiana

Post by cindygad »

I saw a similar shark at Waterlemon last month when I vesited there. The shark I saw was in the shallows and was a lemon shark. This was the second time I had seen one at this bay.

I took several pictures and have them posted on my blog site.

http://sunshinelobster.com


Dan your pictures are amazing. You are alot braver than me. I was so scared I could hardly point and shoot. I think this is the type of shark I saw too.
Image
User avatar
TouristTrapCheryl
Posts: 268
Joined: Mon Dec 14, 2009 7:43 pm
Location: Salt Pond, St John USVI

Post by TouristTrapCheryl »

That's a shark. Very cool. This is a a very good picture considering the
circumstances, a fast moving shark underwater...

I like the "dolphin votes". Totally knew what you were up to Xilandgirl, a sweet
gesture easing the fears.

My dog Phoebe was bit by a shark that she was chasing in
the grassy flats off the reef in Johnson's Bay. Shark got away unscathed but Phoebe
wound up with 13 stitches. Totally her own fault for chasing the shark, which was a
baby only about 3 feet long. And yes, Phoebe kept chasing it even after it bit her.
Leave the sharks down here alone and they'll leave you alone. Sharks are amazing
animals and seeing them in the wild is fantastic. I love sharks. But y'all already
know what an animal lover I am, all of them and insects too. Cheers -c
-cheryl

Image
PA Girl
Posts: 4485
Joined: Tue Aug 29, 2006 11:55 am

Post by PA Girl »

TouristTrapCheryl wrote:That's a shark. Very cool. My dog Phoebe was bit by a shark that she was chasing in
the grassy flats off the reef in Johnson's Bay. Shark got away unscathed but Phoebe
wound up with 13 stitches. Totally her own fault for chasing the shark, which was a
baby only about 3 feet long. And yes, Phoebe kept chasing it even after it bit her.
I DO NOT appreciate this information! :)

We know people that have similar problems with their dogs and rattlesnakes here in PA, the dogs just don't know when to give up the fight.
User avatar
liamsaunt
Posts: 5968
Joined: Mon Aug 07, 2006 4:08 pm

Post by liamsaunt »

The coolest shark sighting I had on St. John was at Great Lameshur Bay. John and I were swimming back from Tektite when we encountered a huge group of fish swimming in a tight circular school. All around the edges of the school were large, very excited fish, including barracuda and some others...I can't remember now, maybe porgy? One of the barracuda lunged at us so we backed off but stuck around to see what was happening. It turned out that there was a blacktip reef shark under the school of fish, sort of herding the school into the tight circular school. We watched for a while but left before the shark's friends decided to show up for the impending dinner party :wink:

This was the best picture I could get of the shark--the water was deep and there was lots of sediment:

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28539958@N00/3713808093/" title="Great Lameshur blacktip shark closeup by liamsaunt, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2632/3713 ... 951340.jpg" width="500" height="227" alt="Great Lameshur blacktip shark closeup"></a>
It's like looking in your soup and finding a whole different alphabet.
Post Reply