Group Of Sharks Has Close Encounter With Divers

Caribbean reef sharks are an exciting sight for divers, although they are intimidating enough to raise the hairs on the back of the neck of even the most adventurous. When these reef sharks appeared on a dive in Belize though, they brought a pair of bull sharks, one of the most aggressive and unpredictable of the shark species. They look similar to Caribbean reef sharks, but they are bulkier and have a very different nature. What started as a quiet dive became more thrilling than these divers expected. The sharks passed close enough to give a very clear view of their cold eyes and impressive teeth.

The truth is that shark attacks are rare, even in the case of bull sharks, and if the divers remain calm, stay together and stay vertical, their chance of experiencing a serious problem is very small. Even though they know this to be true, the divers can be seen moving closer together and instinctively pulling their feet and hands in closer.

The sharks are almost ten feet long, always hungry and always curious. They have no hesitation about approaching and even swimming among the divers. They may have been looking for a free meal because sharks have learned that scuba divers often spear lionfish, an invasive species that divers are committed to culling for the benefit of the reef. It would be dangerous to spear any fish in the presence of hungry sharks, as it would encourage feeding behavior and competition among the sharks which would make them much more likely to bite a diver.

Divers also know that there is a fine line between curiosity and aggression and that improper behavior will have serious consequences.

The divers in this video all surfaced without any incidents, but they were all surprised to have been greeted by the bull sharks. This dive took place on a wall near the famous Blue Hole near San Pedro, Belize. Reef sharks are a relatively common sight but it is quite rare to see bull sharks swimming so close to scuba divers.