Bull Shark or Reef Shark? At Looe Key in the Florida keys.

[@dustinronnie4227]

August 13th a kid got his leg bit from snorkeling from a bull shark on Looe Key, think he lost his leg.

[@CaptainCody7]

Yeah, I did hear about that and read the story. He was a brave kid! I do not think the family did anything wrong and this was just a rare event. However there are almost always sharks at Looe Key so all the more reason to buddy up and stay close to the kids you are snorkeling with. The video above was from a few weeks earlier. I am pretty sure this was a reef shark but I thought it might have been a bull shark at the time due to its behavior. It was probably fine to keep snorkeling but better to be cautious and get out if the shark is approaching rather than keeping a distance and being scared of you. Especially when you have a boat full of kids. When sharks come I try and place myself, the adult, between the shark and the child. Sometimes they do sneak up on you though.

[@TheNickhammond]

People make the mistake of dumping their leftover fishing bait there. Starts off fun when the snappers ball up and act like they are being fed in an aquarium. Then sharks show up and even that Goliath gets aggressive.

[@CaptainCody7]

Yeah, I have snorkeled and dove there many times. You can tell when the fish's behavior changes. There is a reason you are not supposed to feed fish in the sanctuaries. I imagine they will crack down on it now that a child got bit by a shark there. In the past sharks kept there distance and would swim away if you went toward them. Last summer they would circle the boats and there behavior seems a bit off.

[@TheNickhammond]

I just got back from Cudjoe. Snorkeled Loee and sure enough a big reef shark showed up and I didn’t like its behavior one bit. Moved to another part shallower. I have 3 kids and just don’t trust those sharks anymore like you said. Beautiful reef though. The big sharks seem to be on the deeper sections.

[@CaptainCody7]

@@TheNickhammond Yeah, better to be safe. We typically pair up one kid with one adult because the kids are typically having to much fun to be aware whats going on. I swim at the shark if it is approaching and they tend to leave. I will keep diving there as it is amazing but it is good to be aware what is going on. Swimming with a go-pro stick is not a bad idea either.

[@ericalyanakian]

Friendly reef shark accustomed to handouts

[@CaptainCody7]

Yeah, that could be. People should not feed sharks anywhere near a national marine sanctuary. It could explain why the shark kept coming back rather than keeping its distance like most sharks on the reef.