We’re back at Staniel Cay – the only place we’ve revisited since we left.

We dinghied in yesterday, and there was some excitement near the dock.

Apparently, there were some fish getting cleaned from the day’s catch.

The fish scraps were tossed into the water, and there were lots of nurse sharks to clean up the mess.

Then this guy decides to feed them the last of the fish, by hand.

Nurse sharks are bottom feeders, and rifle through bottom sediment, rather than catch fast-moving prey for food, but I wouldn’t want to have a finger or toe mistaken for a fish scrap.

Incidentally, nurse sharks are able to respire while stationary by pumping water through their mouths and out their gills, which makes them unique among sharks, as we’ve learned. You see them resting under coral, or even docks sometimes. Phill was out with the Hawaiian sling (an elastic-powered spear gun) the other day – he took a shot, and the spear landed a few feet from a nurse shark resting on the bottom. He very tentatively retrieved it – the shark had absolutely no interest in him…

I know I shouldn’t be afraid of them, but I watched Jaws at a formative age. I tend to find an excuse to make my way to the dinghy when we we see a big one.