Fodor's Travel Talk Forums - Sharks, Jellyfish and other dangers that lurk at sea

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Sharks, Jellyfish and other dangers that lurk at sea

Where in the Caribbean do these pose a threat for swimming and snorkelling?

We've vacationed in St. John 6 times, and until this last time, were never bothered by anything. A storm about 3 days prior to our arrival brought in jellyfish, but I've never seen any before. My wife was stung once by a sea wasp (small jellyfish with tentacles), but it wasn't that bad. We saw several, but were never bothered again. We've also seen a nurse shark (once), but again, it did not bother us. Baraccuda are common, and a bit frightning due to their size (up to about 6 feet) and nasty teeth. I've never heard of an attack on a human, and I've read that it is extremely rare (30 times in history). Most of the time they've attacked when it was extremely murky, or when someone is spearfishing. They are very curious, and might follow you around, but they have never once bothered us. All this is true for St. Thomas as well. Jim.

Been diving for over 14 years. I live in Fla, vacation in the Bahamas regularly(Abacos) and have been down through the British and Dutch Virgin Islands. As long as you are not spearfishing you are fine! (If you are, hold the fish out of the water as you swim back to the boat and do so as quickly as possible). Baraccuda are intimidating but not dangerous. The worst thing about them is they open and close their mouth to breath which looks a little like chewing. They are curious so they will often hang around, but pose no threat at all. Jelly fish hurt but are not a real danger and can usully be avoided by listening to weather, surf or diving reports, (the ones that cause problems tend to come in large numbers). Otherwise just avoid them when you se them in the water. The best advice I can give is dive and if you see something that bothers you move to another place. Your probably not going to be in any real danger, but you may feel uncomfortable. A small move can make begining skin divers more at home in the water.

The biggest threat in the sea and on the reefs is man destroying them by being careless and standing on the reefs and breaking off the coral. We have encountered all the "dangerous" creatures and they never bothered us a bit. They are more afraid of you than you are of them. I would advise not touching anything (you may encounter fire coral and you shouldn't touch the coral anyhow) and don't stick your hands in any holes. You will be fine.

Thank you very much for all of your replies. Jim, how close to the shore was the shark you saw and how common are they? The thought of being in warm and clear Caribbean waters is very appealing to me but I'm afraid that I might be too nervous and apprehensive about encountering some of the "resident" creatures. Even if it doesn't actually pose any danger to me, the thought of encountering a barracuda or shark is enough to send chills down my spine. On the other hand, if I stayed close to shore in very clear waters maybe I'd be okay.

One place I certainly want to avoid: The Mona Passage b/w Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic! I have heard that many Dominicans try to flee their life of poverty and squalor by crossing the shark-infested Mona Passage to Puerto Rico in small boats. I have heard that many of these people never make it to PR; they fall victim to the sharks on the way. It makes me think how blessed we are.

We saw the nurse shark when we were snorkeling. It was in about 20 feet of water: we were on the top, and the shark was on the bottom. We decided to swim on, even though we knew that the nurse shark posed no real threat to us (they are one of the most docile sharks out there). From my discussions with others on the island, spotting a shark on St. John is rare but not unheard of. Ryan is exactly correct -- all these creatures are more afraid of you than you of them. The great barracuda is the most startling of all, but you just have to remember that they won't bother you. I've seen my share, and I think if they were going to hurt me, they would have a long time ago. I think one of the things that frightens people is that they will swim along on the surface; seeing a nice fish 10-20 feet below you is one thing, but at eye level is something else. I hope this has not deterred you from the islands -- many beaches have none of these creatures at all, just beautiful fish to look at. - Jim

You continue to post negative questions and I am now sure that you are just trying to flame the board. If you are serious, which I really doubt you would not be happy anywhere in the Carribean. Things are slower there, in most cases the service is slower, because the carribean works on "Carribean Time" on most islands. I would suggest trying somewhere in Florida like Orlando, which has several good hotels and things to do. Please stop flamming the board.

Jim: Thank you very much for the prompt reply. Tweedy: You are the one being antagonistic and negative. There is nothing wrong w/ any of my posts. I AM serious and your assesment of me is completely inaccurate. I had a great time in Antigua and Puerto Rico when I was a kid and I hope to travel to the Caribbean sometime within the next few years. Based on the research I've done so far, there are many places which I would really enjoy. Keep *your* negativity to yourself!

By the way... I have absolutely no interest in Orlando!

If you think nurse sharks are limited to deep water, or if you don't go out too far you won't encounter any, think again. In Provo in May there were two nurse sharks at White House within three feet of shore.

Yes, Tweedy, SHUT THE HELL UP!! "Decent" has a legitimate posting on this board!!!

Amid all the slander...I was stung by a jellyfish (?) in St. Lucia. I never actually saw it, just felt it. Good advice, which most people know, is to wear a t-shirt when snorkling or diving which helps to keep you from sunburning your back. Because of the t-shirt the stings were limited to my lower arms and. And for god sakes, don't freak out like I did and try to wipe it off.

What the heck is a negative question? This subject is of interest to me, and I think to others (lots of great info in the responses!). I love the ocean and have been to lots of beaches and have to overcome my fears every time I go snorkelling.

Thank you very much for your support Tim and Pat.

Come on you guys, there's no reason to be rude to Tweedy.She has been very helpful to people on this board.I know why she made those statements. For many weeks Decent Tropical aka Oceanbreeze has posted on several boards questions about not wanting to be around people of the opposite sex in bathing attire, questions about fearing the safety records of small airplanes, the safety of ferries, the possibility of contaminated food or water, the threatening sea life etc. etc. All those questions are fine individually but put them all together & it makes perfect sense why someone would wonder why in the world you would consider going to the Caribbean in the first place! Then without having been there; there is suddenly all the advice being posted by DT on various island topics. Personally I don't care......the board is for everyone; but for some of you who overreacted to Tweedys statement, maybe you just didn't see the whole picture.

Tweedy is the one who overreacted. There is nothing wrong w/ any my posts, individually or together.

Yes, Tweedy is extremely knowledgeable and willing to share her experiences for the benefit of all. Decent Tropical (or whatever name they are going by this hour) just likes to stir up heated discussions. This is most likely some kid who has summer time on their hands and needs a swift kick in the behind and a job! With the attitude she portrays a convent may be a good choice of vacation locale! In order to stop this insanity, just ignore all her posts and maybe she will go away.....

Melinda, your viciousnesses is surpassed only by your abysmal lack of critical faculties, intelligence and grace. I deeply resent your arrogant and treacherous attack. You have SOME NERVE making completely unfounded assumptions and judgements about me and then taking it upon yourself to tell others to ignore my completely sincere, legitimate and valid posts. You should carefully read my replies to Tweedy but then again you are probably either not capable of comprehending them and/or too biased in favor of Tweedy and against me to do so. I will now refute your toxic, insidious and slanderous post. "Author: Melinda ([email protected]) Date: 8/04/1999, 9:51 am ET Message: Yes, Tweedy is extremely knowledgeable and willing to share her experiences for the benefit of all." That could very well be true but it is completely irrelevant. Having those positive qualities is not a license for arrogantly making unfounded assumptions and judgements about and antagonizing other posters. "Decent Tropical (or whatever name they are going by this hour) just likes to stir up heated discussions." No! Not at all true! A careful reading of my posts by any reasobable person with decent critical faculties does not support your accusations. "This is most likely some kid who has summer time on their hands and needs a swift kick in the behind and a job!" Wrong again. I'm 26 but that is really irrelevant. What would be wrong w/ a kid asking sincere questions? Who are you to decree that every kid must work for the entire summer? If a kid made posts like mine, it would show that he or she was quite intelligent and sophisticated for his or her age. It is very telling that you think such a kid needs a "swift kick in the behind..". I'm very thankful that I didn't grow up w/ you as a parent or teacher! "With the attitude she portrays a convent may be a good choice of vacation locale!" First of all it's "he", I am a man. why did you assume I was a woman? You are obviously referring to my posts where I made it clear that I try to avoid seeing women wearing nothing more than swimming attire. Saying that b/c of this the only place I should vacation is a convent is preposterous. (Not there is anything wrong w/ a convent although I suspect you may think there is). First of all, contrary to how many resort-goers view them, the tropics are much more than just beaches and pools. There is beautiful scenery, mountains, rainforests, beatiful flora and fauna, interesting and often friendly people, historical sites, etc.,etc. Saba doesn't have any beaches! Secondly, there are ways in which someone with my values could enjoy beaches and pools. There are beaches which are very-lightly used and there are times of day when even more heavily-used beaches are virtually desserted. There are also many villas for rent with private pools. "In order to stop this insanity, just ignore all her posts and maybe she will go away....." How dare you tell people to ignore my sincere, valid and legitimate posts.

Decent Tropical, I was just curioius? How many hours per day do you spend on the computer? If you spend as much time on other boards as you do on Fodor's, you must have pretty nimble fingers! Don't you have anything else to do? Maybe you need to see "someone" about your problem. Everyone is obviously had enough of you here. Bye Bye.