Castaway Cay - Sharks?

[Alexander]

There is a new fresh water sprinkler area for kids. DS played in there for a bit on our last cruise.

We do not swim in anything that has fish! I am totally freaked out seeing something swim by me. Unfortunately I have passed this onto my kids. I tell everyone how my oldest DS walked on water to get out of knee deep water at CC when he saw a fish the first time we were there!

We usually go for a bike ride, rent some kind of watercraft, eat lunch, and stay on the ship at CC. I know it is everyone's favorite place, but unless you are a beach person who doesn't mind swimming with fish, there isn't a whole lot to do there.

 

[Kristen101289]

I sailed on the Disney Dream from Port Canaveral on Sept. 2nd 2012. Within minutes of arriving at Serenity Bay ( Adult part of the island) we saw multiple stingrays swimming within feet of the shoreline. About an hour after that we actually spotted a hammerhead shark about 20feet off shoreline!!!!!! I waited awhile to get back in the water and snorkel then we saw multiple barracuda. All of these sea creatures I was EXTREMELY afraid of before vacation but If you leave the alone they will leave you alone! I'm surprised there haven't been more shark sightings at that beach. It seemed the shark was following around the stingray.

 

[peaceluv&mickeymouse]

I sailed on the Disney Dream from Port Canaveral on Sept. 2nd 2012. Within minutes of arriving at Serenity Bay ( Adult part of the island) we saw multiple stingrays swimming within feet of the shoreline. About an hour after that we actually spotted a hammerhead shark about 20feet off shoreline!!!!!! I waited awhile to get back in the water and snorkel then we saw multiple barracuda. All of these sea creatures I was EXTREMELY afraid of before vacation but If you leave the alone they will leave you alone! I'm surprised there haven't been more shark sightings at that beach. It seemed the shark was following around the stingray.

Oh boy. That would be it for me!!! We were there about 10 years ago and I never saw anything

 

[mrsklamc]

Anyone have a pic of a serenity bay starfish? Someone posted that it was their avatar early on in this thread, and then I scrolled over and....their avatar is gone.

 

[jahber]

I sailed on the Disney Dream from Port Canaveral on Sept. 2nd 2012. Within minutes of arriving at Serenity Bay ( Adult part of the island) we saw multiple stingrays swimming within feet of the shoreline. About an hour after that we actually spotted a hammerhead shark about 20feet off shoreline!!!!!! I waited awhile to get back in the water and snorkel then we saw multiple barracuda. All of these sea creatures I was EXTREMELY afraid of before vacation but If you leave the alone they will leave you alone! I'm surprised there haven't been more shark sightings at that beach. It seemed the shark was following around the stingray.

A hammerhead would be awesome! It's my daughter's "favorite" shark. (Who else has a favorite shark?). I've never heard of a hammerhead shark attacking a human and I googled it to be sure. Yep, very few recorded attacks. I will be sure to remind myself of that if we see one. We didn't see anything interesting the last couple of times, but maybe we need to venture further out this time.

 

[mrsklamc]

It is also my favorite shark!!! (And Sheldon Cooper's.)

 

[FlyingBelle]

It is also my favorite shark!!! (And Sheldon Cooper's.)

He likes swordfish too

 

[jahber]

It is also my favorite shark!!! (And Sheldon Cooper's.)

Oooh, I didn't know Sheldon had a favorite shark. We are pretty nerdy around here, so I'm not surprised.

 

[missj1975]

I have seen lots of starfish at Serenity Bay but I don't have pictures handy. I have also seen an octopus during low tide. That was the coolest! My husband saw a small shark. I'm glad I didn't see that cause I probably wouldn't be getting back in the water.

 

[mrsklamc]

Oooh, I didn't know Sheldon had a favorite shark.

It was on a recent episode....a week ago, maybe two.

 

[RayaniFoxmur]

Why don't these creatures get moved to behind the fence line?! I understand how when they're small, they can get thru and then grow big, but come on - look what happened to the Crocodile Hunter b/c of a Sting Ray If that thing had buried itself and no one saw it and stepped on it, the tail w/barbs could have whipped up and gotten the person. I don't want that happening to me or my family, especially my kids

I don't mind "admiring them from afar", but not in the same waters I'm frolicking in. This and the picture of the barricuda having lunch is giving me the hebejebees!

Okay well first of all what happened to the Crocodile Hunter was a freak accident with a Bull Ray, which are not located in Caribbean waters. And when I say freak, I mean it. Death by sting ray is extremely rare and only 17 have been logged since 1996.

Regardless of that the ocean is these creature's home too. Yes, Disney could move them out, but that's not to say they wouldn't find a way back in... one way or another.

If it bothers you that badly, don't swim in those areas? It's the Ocean. As much as we may not like it, Disney cannot keep it 100% safe all the time.

 

[goeva]

We've seen barracuda every time we snorkel on the family beach. One note about them -- they like shiny objects. You should not snorkel or swim with rings and other shiny jewelry on.

There are barracuda and nurse sharks at Castaway Cay, and some of the sharks slip through and around the shark net at the family beach.

On another cruise, we had to make an unscheduled stop after CC because a 13-year old boy decided to tease a nearby barracuda (probably not Barry!) who took a sizeable chunk out of his hand and he needed some stitches and a tetanus shot/antibiotics.

Yikes! Thanks for the heads up.

 

[jahber]

Okay well first of all what happened to the Crocodile Hunter was a freak accident with a Bull Ray, which are not located in Caribbean waters. And when I say freak, I mean it. Death by sting ray is extremely rare and only 17 have been logged since 1996.

Regardless of that the ocean is these creature's home too. Yes, Disney could move them out, but that's not to say they wouldn't find a way back in... one way or another.

If it bothers you that badly, don't swim in those areas? It's the Ocean. As much as we may not like it, Disney cannot keep it 100% safe all the time.

It's just like the gators in our "lakes" here in Orlando. If we call Fish and Wildlife they won't relocate the gators because they just find their way right back in. They've made it their home, after all, and will do whatever they can to get back (as the critters at CC might)! Instead, here they destroy the animal. Obviously, in highly inhabited areas, this is a danger, and I would argue is worth it. On the other hand, sometimes they were there first! The lake we swam in at UF had resident gators. The lifeguards (my roommate was one) just cleared everyone off the beach when one decided to sun on the diving platform. It's part of life here. *shrug*

 

[chemnerd09]

My favorite shark is a whale shark, which I finally got to see up close last Thanksgiving. If we can include rays, my favorite is a manta ray. I would be so excited to see sharks at the island, but I doubt we'd get my mom off the boat again if that happened.

 

[D-Dreamer]

A couple cruises ago, when we were snorkeling in the family beach area, we saw a lion fish by one of those sunken pot habitats/decorations. It was beautiful, but freaked us out a bit because we had heard they were toxic. Before that, we had only ever seen them in aquariums, never in the wild. Since that experience, my kids have preferred bike riding on CC rather than snorkeling!

 

[PirateTigger]

We did not see sharks last October, but we had schools of fish around our ankles at the family beach, the kids were feeding them chocolate chip cookies. It was a blast watching the littles ones in the ocean with fish swimming around them. So I would beg most sea life around CC is well fed. Based on the post here can not wait to find out what we will see in April.

 

[Princess Sleepy]

A couple cruises ago, when we were snorkeling in the family beach area, we saw a lion fish by one of those sunken pot habitats/decorations. It was beautiful, but freaked us out a bit because we had heard they were toxic. Before that, we had only ever seen them in aquariums, never in the wild. Since that experience, my kids have preferred bike riding on CC rather than snorkeling!

How cool would that be!

My DDs' favorite shark is the whale shark. We saw a movie about them at the science museum last winter and they both think they are extremely cool.

I am doing a cruise sans children in April and can't wait to check out the wildlife at Serenity Bay.

 

[dahuffy]

Bump

 

[Aura of Foreboding]

Thanks for the bump - what an interesting discussion!

We never made it past about 3 feet from the shoreline on the family beach, so we didn't see any fish. We are planning on snorkling this time. I think I would freeze up if I saw a shark (or any large fish), but I am from the prairie, and am not used to fish (I think they move funny)

 

[annabug]

very interesting!