The Sharks of Bimini

Hey folks!

And we're back. Here's a new blog for you!

Nurse shark

Bimini, The Bahamas is the sharkiest place I've ever been in my life.  It's home to the world famous Sharklab, of course, but it's also a place where large sharks roam freely.  In a single day I saw six species of shark, plus three species of ray.  The nurse sharks (Data Deficient) were everywhere.  They were inside the lab's pens, at the dive sites, and swimming in the marina (more photos on Facebook).

Lemon shark

Lemon sharks (Near Threatened) were also in the pens.  I also saw an adult swimming in the marina.

#friendly #bullshark at the #biggameclub in #bimini #bahamas #saveoursharks

A video posted by @tadziobervoets on Feb 21, 2015 at 9:04am PST

The bull sharks (Near Threatened) patrol the Big Game Club marina every day.  The scientists at the lab go there to study them.  One also came in for a visit when we visited the hammerheads.

Tie content to specific places! This shark lives in the Bahamas Shark Sanctuary. #overfishinar #SharkStanley pic.twitter.com/VHGVd6CzEB
— Bucky Taotaotasi (@saipanblogger) March 3, 2015

Caribbean reef (Near Threatened) and blacknose sharks (Near Threatened) swarmed us at the Triangle Rocks.  The reefies are about 5 feet long; the blacknoses are smaller.

Sharks are worth more alive! Great photo by @Sharks4Kids pic.twitter.com/rZQOI45CYk
— Bucky Taotaotasi (@saipanblogger) February 19, 2015

I've swum with all those species at different times, but this was my first time to see a great hammerhead (Endangered).  I spent two days on the water.  I saw three on the first day and one on the second.

I also saw several spotted eagle rays (Near Threatened) both at the marina and out on the water, several southern stingrays (Data Deficient), and a single yellow-spotted ray (unassessed by IUCN) hanging out in the marina.

There's a bunch of sharks in this shark free marina @BigGameClub Bull sharks and eagle rays! #SharkSanctuary pic.twitter.com/qrrWajubkw
— Bucky Taotaotasi (@saipanblogger) February 8, 2015