Two firsts

[pensacolaracer]

I have touched 2 Nurse sharks... both with the point of my speargun. They were both over 7 feet long and coming up off the bottom at me in an aggressive posture. I had no fish on the stringer nor had I shot the gun.

Took me 3 hard jabs with the spear to get one of them to leave me alone. It eventually swam off.

I have seen dozens of them sleeping under ledges and if the temptation ever crosses my mind to get in close, I just remember the 2 big boys I had to fight off.

I just don't mess with them.

 

[jet126]

I was diving at Blue Heron Bridge last night. A 6-8 ft nurse came zipping by me. I was totally surprised as I have never seen one at the bridge before so after I got home I did a little research. I came across the following nugget I thought appropriate for this thread:

"Often times divers will find empty lobster carcasses, a favorite snack of our friend the nurse shark. Have you ever tried to crack open a lobster? Not easy is it? Remember that if you get the sudden urge to touch a sleeping nurse shark."

Under the Bridge by Suzan Meldonian

 

[Orlando Eric]

I do not disturb sleeping anythings. If something swims to me I have taken off my glove and reached out to everything that swims (except lionfish) at some point in my diving history. As long as you are not finning them or eating their soup you are aces with me as there are much greater threats to sharks than some diver touching one. I have not however to date petted one of Fort Pierce's many LARGE resident Bullsharks. Perhaps this winter I will change this. If you read about me in the news ... I did it on purpose and do not follow my example.

 

[Tom Winters]

I started diving when JFK was still President, and in all that time, I never thought about grabbing a shark. I've had 'em brush by me so that I had to shove them off a little, but that's about it. They look at me and I look at them. Period.
A bite from a nurse shark is really messy - the teeth are all snaggle-toothed so the wound is loaded with shredded skin that the ER people have to cut away. You're going to be awake while they do this too, plus it's still hard to keep gangrene from happening.

 

[blackvans1234]

A bite from a nurse shark is really messy - the teeth are all snaggle-toothed so the wound is loaded with shredded skin that the ER people have to cut away. You're going to be awake while they do this too, plus it's still hard to keep gangrene from happening.

I'd be more worried about a nosocomial infection than gangrene.
They'll give you local anesthetics because A) they don't have the staff to hold you down while they work on you B) They can't use restraints to tie you down and most importantly, C) they just don't have the time to deal with someone flopping around in pain. And the hospital makes more money if they use numbing agents

 

[dmoore19]

I'd be more worried about a nosocomial infection than gangrene.
They'll give you local anesthetics because A) they don't have the staff to hold you down while they work on you B) They can't use restraints to tie you down and most importantly, C) they just don't have the time to deal with someone flopping around in pain. And the hospital makes more money if they use numbing agents

If you don't screw with them, you don't have to worry about either nosocomial, gangrene infection A, B, or C and you keep from spending all that money for being stupid.

 

[blackvans1234]

If you don't screw with them, you don't have to worry about either nosocomial, gangrene infection A, B, or C and you keep from spending all that money for being stupid.

You must've never heard.
You can fix ugly, but ya can't fix stupid

 

[dmoore19]

You must've never heard.
You can fix ugly, but ya can't fix stupid

I am not so sure about that. Haven't you heard beauty is only skin deep but ugly goes clear to the bone?

 

[OneFastEuro]

I got stupid with that one in Belize, grabbed on by the tail and it just froze... granted they are all used to divers there, wouldnt try that with one passing by anywhere else.

 

[geogator]

On my very first salt water dive ever this past weekend offshore of Jacksonville I got to see a nurse shark about 15 minutes into the dive. He was about 5 feet long & lying on the sandy bottom, underneath the bow of the barge we were exploring - just sitting there hanging out. I was the lead diver in a group of 6 so I naturally spotted him first. After excitedly turning around & giving the "shark" sign to my buddy just behind me, he then came out from under the bow about 2 body lengths, looked over at me for a few seconds as if to check me out & then calmly turned around & disappeared completely back up under the barge. I was about 15 - 20 feet from him & never once did I have the urge to swim over to where he was & try to find & touch him! (Heck, I was excited enough just to see my first shark that didn't have either glass or a boat between me & it. ) Besides, I was taught to follow the rule of "if you're in the ocean & it's pretty & colorful or has teeth or spines, don't touch it." Guess that applies in this situation.