scared to snorkel

[spud1997]

:mad: I'm taking a cruise in August and my husband wants to snorkel and I am sooooo worried that I will be eaten by a shark....has anyone ever seen one snorkeling...what's the risk of running into one while out there. Do the guides go down with you...:mad: Someone help me calm my fears

[scubaran]

:mad: I'm taking a cruise in August and my husband wants to snorkel and I am sooooo worried that I will be eaten by a shark....has anyone ever seen one snorkeling...what's the risk of running into one while out there. Do the guides go down with you...:mad: Someone help me calm my fears

 

Hi,

 

No fear of encountering sharks on your snorkeling excursion. They are solitary animals and the though of having 20-30 5-6 foot creatures with tubes sticking out of their mouths, splashing around and bumping into each other is enough to send them running the other way. Be aware, I'm talking about reef sharks. You may actually encounter a nurse shark while snorkeling. This vareity of shark is more like a large catfish who spends most of the daylight hours relaxing under a coral edge waiting for the occasional lobster or crab to walk by. They are quite safe but please don't go around grabbing their tails as they stick out from under a ledge (and even seeing a nurse shark is a rare occasion). As far as guides, they will usually separate those who want to be guided from those that want a guide and will escort people around the reef pointing out the wonderful things to see. But be aware, on most snorkeling excursions I've been on in the Caribbean, just seeing a bunch of fish can be a challenge on occasion. Anyway, from someone who snorkels and dives on the reefs, I hope this helped.

[10X]

I agree with Scubaran, you are very unlikely to ever see a shark. My wife and I have been on 11 cruises and we snorkel (or I scuba dive) at almost every port. While snorkeling we have seen just one shark, a small Nurse Shark passively lying on the bottom in Key West. I dove down and took a picture and we continued with our snorkeling.

 

I have seen sharks while scuba diving but they mostly keep their distance and you can barely make them out at the outer edges of your visibility.

 

The only time I've ever even been close to a shark was on a dedicated shark dive in Bora Bora where we had perhaps 30 sharks swimming all around us. They didn't bother anyone and we didn't bother them. I just took lots of photos. It was quite exciting to see them up close and I look forward to doing it again.

 

Relax, go snorkeling, and have a good time.

[LCW]

I've been snorkeling dozens of times in lots of places (Hawaii, Mexico, Carribbean, Australia), and the only place I've ever seen a shark is Tahiti. And then, they ignored us. Mostly, you'll be too large for most sharks to be interested in you, and if you use fins, you won't be flailing around like an injured fish, so you'll be safe. The larger sharks are often depth dwellers, so as a snorkeler you'll be OK.

[sea-jay]

People swimming in the open ocean rarely get bitten by a shark and when they do, its a combination of things. It is feeding time, the person is wounded with blood in the water, they are spashing feebly trying to stay afloat, there are other sharks around, all in competition for food, there are food fish in the area. When swimmers get bitten at the beach, its generally because they end up in a school of food fish and the only thing the shark sees is the hand or foot in the water and a little bit of splashing.

 

As a scuba diver, I have encountered many sharks, check out my photos (especially the April and Nov 05 albums for sharks). Most of them may be curious but don't want anything to do with something as big as they are. Sharks also don't like to swim too near the surface for no reason at all and when there are 20 or 30 people all in a group, that is too much for most of them. Also, when you snorkle, you generally just kinda float and not do much swimming so you aren't attracting the sharks by splashing.

 

Please don't let this little fear keep you from enjoying a very relaxing and interesting activity.

 

Happpy bubbles.

[TJ&Ace]

Well I am glad to see that I am not the only one. :o My husband is also wanting to do this and I am scared to death of not only sharks, but all the other stuff in the water. YIKES! :eek:

[caribbean dreams]

You will love it, It is very calming.

[piphigoddess]

My husband is also wanting to do this and I am scared to death of not only sharks, but all the other stuff in the water. YIKES! :eek:

 

Don't wear shiny jewelry and stay with your swim buddy and/or group. Most of the animals are going to be afraid of you and unless you get in their way or agitate them (don't poke at the eels) they won't bother you.

[bruce-r]

When you are on the surface or in the boat, you can't really see what is in the water, so your imagination is all you have to go on for what is there. Hollywood has done a good job making sharks into the "Bad Guy". Once you are in the water and looking at what is there, it isn't nearly as scary and think the little colorful fish are nice. In all likely hood you won't even see a shark, or any other large predatory fish for that matter.

[karenj4546]

I'm an avid diver/snorkeler who luckily married a guy who shares my passion. HOWEVER, I do understand that it isn't for everyone (especially my 12 y/o who is scared of every aspect of snorkeling). So, my input will be slightly different. You don't mention where you're going. That matters! If it's the Caribbean, there are plenty of places where you can go to a beach and try it out (though I'd certainly practice at home in a pool prior to going to a beach. Many dive shops will let you use their pool for a small fee to do this). We've grabbed cabs in many ports. Usually, they'll take you to "a great beach" and pick you back up at a prearranged time. That way, you've got a beach entry. This is important because if you can touch bottom, you won't feel like you're out of control. A slower way to acclimate. It also lets you choose whether to snorkel or to sit on the shore. However, your husband really should have someone in the water with him (a buddy). I don't know how effective a buddy you'd be, if you're terrified.....

If you're planning on a shore excursion snorkel, it's more likely that you'll be in a boat. This one absolutely frightens the beejeebers out of our daughter. So, when we've done one of these, we simply let her decide whether or not to join us in the water. Usually, she stays on the boat and dangles her feet in the water.

I adore snorkeling, but understand that some folks don't. If you're feeling "pushed" into doing this, you're not feeling in control. So, biggest advice is to practice first and then decide for yourself. I doubt that it's the critters which are scaring you...

Karen