Nurse shark

Facts

• Light tan to dark brown, with a barbel hanging on each side of the mouth and two rounded dorsal fins, the first one bigger. Young ones have small black spots.^[2]
• Hunts at night. By day it rests on sand or in caves and crevices, often going back to the same spot, sometimes in groups.^[2]
• Usually swims off when approached, but if bothered it can bite and hold on hard. Look, don't touch.^[2]

Related guide: see the guide →

Where it's been reported (21)

From the sources on each dive site's page. Sightings are never guaranteed.

• Ambar Wreck · Aguadilla & Northwest“nurse shark” (PSAI (Professional Scuba Association International))
• Crash Boat · Aguadilla & Northwest“nurse sharks” (Crashboat Watersports (Aguadilla))
• Crash Boat Anchor and Wall · Aguadilla & Northwest“snapper, grouper, nurse sharks” (Aquatica Underwater Adventures)
• El Natural · Aguadilla & Northwest“nurse sharks” (Aquatica Underwater Adventures)
• Cayo Lobito · Culebra“resident nurse sharks, hawksbill turtles, flamingo tongues and southern stingrays” (SSI (Scuba Schools International))
• Cayo Lobo · Culebra“nurse sharks (resting in small caves)” (Culebra Divers via SSI Scubago / MyDiveGuide)
• The Trench · Fajardo & La Cordillera“nurse sharks” (Aqua Adventure)
• Efra's Wall · Guánica & La Parguera“nurse shark (2015 baseline); great barracuda” (Puerto Rico DRNA / NOAA CRCP)
• Hole in the Wall · Guánica & La Parguera“many sharks; nurse sharks resting in the sandy channels” (Paradise Scuba & Snorkeling Center)
• Star · Guánica & La Parguera“Nassau grouper, lionfish, southern stingrays, nurse sharks, yellowfin goatfish” (Paradise Scuba & Snorkeling Center)
• Las Carmelitas · Isla de Mona & Monito“nurse shark, schoolmaster, dog snapper, tiger grouper and great barracuda recorded on the 2009 survey” (García-Sais J.R. et al., UPR-Mayagüez, for DRNA/NOAA (NOAA Institutional Repository noaa:557))
• Bomber Anchor Valley · Isla Desecheo“nurse sharks” (SSI (Scuba Schools International))
• Candyland · Isla Desecheo“nurse sharks” (SSI (Scuba Schools International))
• Isla Verde Reef · San Juan & North Coast“nurse sharks” (Junta de Manejo Reserva Marina Arrecife de la Isla Verde / Arrecifes Pro Ciudad Inc. (hosted by DRNA))
• The Drift · Southeast Coast“nurse sharks and angelfish” (Frommer's)
• Cayo Afuera · Vieques“nurse sharks; occasional manatees” (vieques.com)
• Mosquito Pier · Vieques“nurse sharks” (Black Beard Sports)
• Playa Esperanza (Vieques) · Vieques“manatees (occasional), barracudas, nurse sharks” (Fodor's Travel)
• Three Rocks Horseshoe · Vieques“nurse sharks” (Aqua Adventure)
• Barracuda City · West Coast“nurse sharks” (ecotreasures (Intrepid Mesh LLC))
• Tres Palmas (Steps) · West Coast“nurse sharks” (PADI / Scuba Diving)