they also surrounded the island in netting or some kind of barrier that only smaller fish are able to penetrate. No sharks Just absolute Magic!
Only the snorkel lagoon/family beach is netted off (and as others have eluded to, its not perfect).
Serenity Bay, on the other hand, is wide open to the ocean. At least that's my experience. I've snorkelled out just past the orange ball markers that I would estimate are about 100 yards off shore. I've never seen any nets.
And Miss Eeyore, I must report that I have had the thrill of seeing a shark while snorkelling in Serenity Bay. He was way out at sea (near or beyond those orange markers), but I did see him long enough to get a picture with my under water camera. I have also seen a sting ray in Serenity Bay as well (but he was gone too quick to get a picture).
However, there is nothing that you need to fear. These creatures are wild and don't have any interest in humans. They try to avoid you. YOU ARE NOT A SOURCE OF FOOD to them therefore you can only be a danger to them.
The creatures you do have to worry about in Serenity Bay are jelly fish, sea urchans, and sea lice (depending upon the time of year).
Because we've always been during the times of year that sea lice were not a problem, they have not been a issue for us.
The jelly fish we have seen have been small, few, and far between. But it is theoretically possible for you to get stung.
But THE WORST is the sea urchans. They have spikes that will come off and embed in your foot if you step on one. We didn't know about the urchans and when wading around off the adult beach on our first trip. A week later my wife was still getting spikes out of her foot. But all you have to do to avoid problems with the urchans is to wear some sort of foot apparal (like sock mocks, the beach shoes) or fins (if you're snorkelling).
If this will help at all, let me give you some examples of wild animals in other nature situations. I love the Great Smokey Mountains National Park. I've spent a lot of time in those woods. They have snakes, bears, bees, and other wild life. In the nearly three-quarters of a century of the parks existance, NO ONE HAS EVER BEEN KILLED BY A SNAKE (and they have poisonous copper heads and rattle snakes in those woods). How ever scores if not hundreds have died from bee stinks (alergic reactions of course). As for the bears, there been very few bear attacks (most of them being the fault of the human such as leaving out food when they shouldn't) with only one death. And even the situation of that death was extreamly strange (a 100lb bear killed a 100lb woman, a match like that should be a stand off enough that the bear would have run of if the woman had fought back).
I hope some of this can reasure you, but wanted to let you know that when you get to the island, they do have signs warning of the wild life that does live in the water (this ain't no swimming pool) and don't want you to become suprized when you see them.
