Grey reef sharks...

[alcina]

Grey reef sharks are pretty common on a lot of our dive sites here so today's dive was pretty normal...except...

...today there were at least two, maybe more, big ones (and fat). Didn't see them together, but they each had distinctive marks. Both were acting like psych patients off their meds and that made me a little nervous.

First one was right as I was almost to the bottom - zipped in, slowed down, zipped off and turned just on the edge of vision. Kept watching and sure enough, back it came - but right on the edge of vision...this is pretty normal for them here.

A bit later that one came back and did the zip, slow, zip away thing again. Shortly after a second one came in and did that, too. Now I'm thinking this bears watching...so I'm diving and looking and turning circles.

Then sure enough - here comes one again. Fast. Close. So I back up against a bit of handy reef and watch. Zips into the gloom. Darts back and circles...then circles in closer. So close and slow I could see the detail in its eye. No photos as I am set up (of course) for close ups and black backgrounds and thinking if it gets that close I'm using the camera to bop it on the head

Anyway...I haven't seen this behaviour from these guys before. They usually just cruise around or hand right at the edge of vision and follow you.

Interested to hear if anyone has seen this/has an idea of what they were doing. Links to good grey reef info would be nice, too, as there is a lot of rubbish out there!

 

[isurus]

well if you will insist on diving in suc a lovely spot all the time these things will happen! were they giving the usual grey reef aggressive territorial display (fins down, arching, gaping etc) or just zipping around a lot? I had a limbatus do something a bit similar in egypt and came to the conclusion it was curious but two sounds bit more unusual. what time of day was this?

 

[caymaniac]

Gray Reef Sharks are most interesting...

 

[Mike Veitch]

Hey Alcina, its grey reef mating season here at the moment and they are acting somewhat strange. Loads of mating scars all over em. They do tend to get territorial when they are mating. Perhaps also mating in your area?

But i wouldn't worry unless they start threat posturing, ie moving extremely slow, back arched almost in an s shape. This is unmistakable behaviour, completely different from fins down there is food around behaviour. Once you see the threat posturing you will know it.

Then you must leave.....