Worried About Sharks? 10 Tips for a Safe Swim (by Boaters). no texting & tacking

Ah, those crystal clear waters!

Inviting, warm, full of amazing choral, fish… and sharks.

While we lived on a sailboat and cruised tropical islands, we saw quite a few kinds of sharks.

What’s more important – they all must have seen us too.

Below are 10 simple tips to stay safe. Nothing unusual and no wives’ tales.

All of our posts on: Boat Life @ No Texting & Tacking.

1. Do not swim at dusk, dark and dawn.

Sharks are out hunting for food at dusk, dark and dawn. It is their natural behavior.

So, avoid those times for swimming. Instead, go for an island hike, before the daily heat sets in.

Sunset on the water while sailing the Mona Passage

We loved cooling off during the hottest part of the day.

Thankfully that is the safest time as well.

Sharks have been around for thousands of years. They have developed habits and predictable behaviors.

Such predictable behaviors are learnable. So, learn about them. We are guests at their home.

2. Avoid Murky Water.

Sharks prefer not to be seen by their prey. Murky waters are favorite hunting grounds, especially for some kinds, such as the more aggressive bull shark.

Avoid swimming and splashing in such places.

Besides, being able to see all the amazing colorful fish and choral around, is a lot more fun.

Murky waters are great for kayaking and observing life above the water – mangrove critters and birds (bring a pair of small binoculars along).

3. Turtles rushing in and out? Stay ashore.

When turtles head to their nesting sites, sharks follow as well. There is no need for you to be following too.

Some shark attacks occur near nesting sites for turtles. Both while older turtles exit the water to make their nests, and when small turtles enter the water.

For the US East Coast and the Bahamas, this is usually the time between April and September.

August has been reported as the high season for nesting turtles, in the Bahamas.

If you are not able to switch beaches, check with lifeguards (they are aware of such higher-risk times) and follow their guidance. There is really not much more you can do.

“Be careful” means nothing. Once you are in the water, you are in shark territory.

4. Take your speared fish out asap.

Want to spear dinner – nothing beats it! Do not go alone and keep the dinghy close by.

a boy holding a spear with a lion fish on it

As soon as you spear a fish, get yourselves out of the water.

Fish blood will attract sharks. They can be miles away (but they are probably a lot closer than that) and will arrive within minutes.

We enjoyed a few very tasty meals of lionfish, lobster and grouper while sailing the US and the Bahamas, but those spear-fishing trips kept me worried the entire time the crew was away.

5. Clean your catch away from the anchorage.

Do not clean your fish in the busy anchorage and near the beach. If you are out fishing in the deep, and you catch the big one – clean it while still out.

anchorage in the Bahamas Land and Sea park

Even a small scrap of fish will attract sharks. It is their natural food. There are probably other people right around you, and more, partying on the beach. Be considerate.

If you are so seasick (I know) that you cannot deal with cleaning fish while cruising, keep all the fish scraps with you, in a bucket full of water, while fileting later on.

Ocean fish have large carcasses. Dispose of as much as you can while still out.

6. Do not swim, where someone is fishing.

Look around you. Are people at the docks, or in the anchorage fishing? Do not go for a swim there. They have already attracted sharks.

a girl holding a large mahi-mahi on a sailboat

While we lived on a sailboat, at the mooring field, in Miami, our neighbors caught a hammerhead right next to us (because they threw chum in the water).

No, it’s not allowed at marinas and mooring fields.

Our kids loved swimming and splashing there. We left that place shortly after.

It is the beauty of cruising – if you do not love the neighborhood, sail away.

7. Do not tease, or approach sharks.

Provoked shark attacks happen every year.

Just because they are not out there to get you, it does not mean they will not respond to being disturbed.

Who, in their right mind, would invade the space of a wild animal with the intention to tease it for entertainment?

Do not answer that one, it’s on TV.

Even nurse sharks have been known to occasionally attack. We loved spotting nurse sharks when snorkeling, but “shark” came before “nurse”.

8. Wash and dry your spearfishing attire.

With soap and water.

If you have carried the speared fish next to you, make sure you wash your bathing suit and rash guard, before returning for another fishing trip.

A friend of ours was attacked by a shark and this piece of advice comes from him.

I was always super nervous when my crew went spear-fishing. Even during shipwreck snorkeling trips, I would stay in the dinghy and make sure everyone was nearby.

They call me Fun Police for a reason.

9. Carry a diving knife when diving.

Sharks are a lot better at attacking, than you will ever be at defending, but it is an added peace of mind.

Grab a diving knife and keep it with you. They are very inexpensive and can be purchased in any marine shop, as well as online.

All of our boat gear posts: Boat Gear @ No Texting and Tacking.

Practice taking it in and out of the case. There is usually a small piece of plastic that needs to be pushed out of the way – not something you should be wondering about, while in a hurry.

10. Be careful at Pig Beach, Bahamas

There have been several shark attacks while snorkeling with pigs, throughout the years.

Pig beach is very busy and all kinds of gross things swim in the water – tourists, pigs, food, poop – plenty of commotion to attract sharks’ curiosity.

I have a great post about various other reasons why you may want to avoid Pig Beach. Sharks are just one of them.

Here it is: How to Survive Pig Beach, Bahamas. Behind-the-Scenes Peek.

What sharks do not do:

Now that we know what we should and should not do – how about our hosts?

Shark attacks are statistically very unlikely to happen. During 2023, there have been a total of 69 unprovoked shark attacks, worldwide.

If you are hiking in a storm, your chances of being struck by a lightning increase. If you swim where sharks are swimming, your chances of being attacked also increase.

Sharks are not out to get you.

If sharks want to attack you, they will. There is nothing you can do to prevent this.

Sharks have developed adaptations making them perfect hunters. Just because you are not able to see a fin, does not mean sharks are not present.

As soon as we dropped a piece of fish overboard, sharks would circle the boat within a couple of minutes. They are always nearby; they are just not out to get you.

They do not like your smell and shape.

We, humans, do not smell, nor move like shark prey.

I am convinced that I am as graceful as a mermaid in the water, but it is all in my head. Mine only, by the way, the crew think I am a terrible swimmer.

Anyway, sharks are attracted to fish and certain mammals, not to humans.