C'mon minnesota guy, you need to elaborate on your shark sightings ;). We have been snorkeling leinster for 5 years now and have never seen a shark there before. This is very interesting. I have seen a Nurse Shark and a lemon shark at Big Maho before. Swore I saw a shark of some kind at cinnamon before too but it was too far off and I wasn't about to pursue it. HMM we wil be back at the end of March. Maybe we will see one this time at Leinster. However I am with you on this, it freaks me out too. I have a 7 year old and a 10 year old who are not novice snorkelers also. They like to wander ahead of me so the shark thing is always in my mind. Thanks for sharing, now tell us where, when and what kind exactly did you see 😎

I posted a link here yesterday from another forum and I suppose the moderator deleted it because it referes to another forum....wow that is closed minded....

PM me and I can fwd you the info...

I can find no documentation of shark attacks on STJ and the only two noted in the USVI were in 1963 on St Thomas and 1972 on St Croix. Barracuda can get quite large and they're curious which is why one is always advised not to wear shiny jewelry in the water. The sharks here are harmless whatever their size so no worries. Have a great time in the water and don't play the "Jaws" soundtrack!

first time at leinster in 2005 i was snorkeling out from the rocks and heading toward waterlemon and saw a huge (had to be a shark) object out in the bay cruising out to sea. this thing was big whatever it was. 2007 was the 2nd time to st john and i snorkeled out to waterlemon, and on my way in saw a shark(not near as big as the 2005 monster) cruising below be in pretty deep water near the bottom of the sea. i wish i could identify what type but I'm no shark expert. anyway leaving 2/7/2010 for st john and looking forward to it. thanks all

Hmmm...Sherban, I'm surprised. Haven't known them to block something for that reason. Unless it's something they started this last year?? It's been a while since I've been on.

sherri wrote:
Hmmm...Sherban, I'm surprised. Haven't known them to block something for that reason. Unless it's something they started this last year?? It's been a while since I've been on.

Yeah I'm surprised too...when forums/moderators get too fussy...I usually find another forum....sharing info and collaborating is what the web is all about.

what-ever....

I think some links are ok. But just like you wouldn't expect to get take out from KFC and go into a Denny's to eat it - I imagine the same courtesy applies to website message boards.

Next time you go bring a camera so you can take a photo and share it with all of us that haven't had the opportunity to see sharks in these waters.

I'm going end of march and just bought a new underwater camera in hopes 🙂
I won't guarantee the pic quality because i am a firm believer in giving them "their" space. HAHA! After all I am in there home not mine.
I hope to see a very small non aggressive one. It is reassuring that there has never been a "reported" attack in STJ. I think if you respect the animal, it too will do the same...well unless it is hungary. LOL

It is an amazing experience to see such beautiful creatures even if it is freaky! Minnesota man is down there now. Hope he comes back with a trip report!!

minnesota guy wrote:
I've been to St John twice and both times have done alot of snorkeling. is it my imagination or have i seen bigger sharks while snorkeling at Leinster bay? I'm not talking the little nurse sharks either. i love to snorkel but that freaks me out.

Yes, we've seen a shark before in Leinster bay. we tied to a mooring ball pretty far out in May of 2007 and snorkeled at least a football field or more to get to the reef area... thousands of starfish lined the bottom of the ocean when it finally came into view.. seen a grouper and an octopus going at it which was really cool. on the way back to the boat a curious shark in the 7-8 ft range came into view to take a peak at us and then disappeared into the deep blue.. it was really a neat view as it just glided through the water very calmly and went away.. we climbed aboard the boat and were glad to be out of the water. he was just curious. one thing crossed my mind when we were there. it looked like a lot of other sailboats were moored and likely live there weeks at a time so I imagine food gets thrown overboard quite a bit... next time we'll get closer to shore before jumping in.

Have not seen any large sharks but have seen them trolling the edge of the surf at evening. Probably sand sharks since they were only abt 4 ft long.

I ran into two in the mangroves over on east east a couple of years ago. They were somewhat small but did not swim away as I suspected they would. It was their ocean, so I climbed out and did a LONG hike on the mangrove roots to get back to the Jeep, rather that swim away with them behind me.

Sharks are tasty

While were on a trip to Jost with the wayward sailor right before we got in the water to snorkel we spotted a pretty decent sized one, but it bolted when I jumped in, they really want nothing to do with humans, they are just just searching new areas for food. Its interesting though the local zoo here in Indy has a huge shark exhibit and petting tank, and one of the posters talked about the like 2% a year (or something really low) attacks on humans and why they occur. It showed a few examples of mistakes sharks make, like what a surfer looks like laying on a board in the water waiting for a wave, then next to it what a seal (sharks favorite meal) looks like on top of the water, they were eerily identical.

Our reefs are a natural habitat for many smaller shark species.

Divers all have stories of them. Snorkelers are typically looking down and don't see them.

There aren't that many around, and most of those which can occasionally be seen -are completely harmless.

They don't bother anybody and are used to humans being around.

Off the reefs, and in deeper waters, larger species can be seen. But again, the waters are so clear here, that the sharks don't mistake us for food (like they do in the roily waters of Florida), and leave us alone. Night dives, especially at places like the piers, are a common sport, and divers occasionally report seeing sharks, but are rarely if ever bothered by them. We're not on their menu.

I just got back from a snorkel trip off St .James island last week. We were in about 20 feet deep water. I saw a 4.5-5ft shark. It didn't look like a nurse shark. It moved jerky like and had sharp shaped fins!! I wasn't too scared then but am a little freaked out now. I'm still waiting for my underwater pictures to come back to see if I got a picture of it. I guess I was lucky to have seen it but, I wish I didnt! It was about 11am.

Well, this take's care of any snorkling I was planning to do on our next trip to St. John. I do not care to become some sharks dinner. I will just swim or wade very close to shore and yes Im a chicken. lol

Might have been a reef shark. There has never (? or not for years and years and years) been a human attacked by a shark in the USVI. If you are afraid to swim/snorkel here, you pretty much should stay out of open water everywhere.

you will be fine, snorkel where it is shallow that's all, I don't like swimming in deep water. I have been snorkeling here for 20 years on vacation and 3 years almost everyday since I moved here and have never seen a shark. thank god I would freak, don't swim at night or early, early morning and you will be fine, of all the places you can snorkel this is the safest, I would be scared to swim in Hawaii or Austrailia, but here is no problem.