Everyone’s Favorite Nurse

The ocean is home to over 400 different kinds of shark species, while there are several common species swimming off the coast of the Florida Keys. Today I had the chance to scuba dive with one of these several shark species, the nurse shark. Nurse sharks can grow up to 8' and weigh over 400lbs. They are often seen resting on sand flats and among coral structures in tropical waters! People may and will think I’m crazy for willingly jumping into shark-infested waters, but nurse sharks are one of the most docile sharks known to man.

Nurse Sharks feed mainly on crustaceans and smaller fish. Although nurse sharks are equipped with a set of strong sharp teeth, they use a suction- spit feeding behavior when they are hunting for their prey. Nurse sharks are capable of generating suction forces that are among the highest recorded for any aquatic vertebrate to date. Nurse sharks are not known to attack humans. All known nurse shark attacks on humans were because the sharks were defending themselves from a person that was harassing or provoking them. Just how we are curious about these animals, they are curious as well. If you are lucky enough, a nurse shark may choose you to interact with and rub against!

So despite their name and having the title of a ‘shark’, these giants generally are not bothersome to snorkelers and divers. Sometimes they are interested in interactions with snorkelers and divers, giving them a chance to admire the shark’s beauty.
In all, a dive trip in the keys is not complete without a sighting of a shark. Luckily, I got to see a ton!

As soon as the caption of the dive boat threw the anchor in, she informed us that we were going to have some friends in the water. I always wanted to swim with sharks ever since I was little, so this was my big chance. You could see about three nurse sharks just from standing on the boat. As soon as I stepped in and started diving, about ten more were all around me.

This experience gave me such a thrill and appreciation for these sharks. It was amazing to encounter them and observe them in their natural habitat. 

http://myfwc.com/research/saltwater/sharks-rays/shark-species/nurse/
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/fish/n/nurse-shark/