Leading a humble, sedentary lifestyle, the nurse shark may not be the most thrilling shark to dive with in the sea, but it is by far one of the most common. This dusty brown, robust animal is a very popular sighting amongst the coral reefs of the Caribbean and is mostly distributed in the eastern Pacific Ocean, along the coast of the Americas, the eastern Atlantic Ocean, and the western Atlantic Ocean along the coast of Africa.

Despite its docile behavior, the nurse shark is actually ranked fourth in documented shark bites on humans not because it is in any way aggressive, but because of its slow, sedentary nature many divers make the thoughtless decision to try to pet them. In all actuality, they are considered non-aggressive and are generally not threatened by human presence, allowing divers excellent photographic opportunities. Because they do not need to swim continuously to breathe, having the ability to pump water over their gills, they like to lie on the ocean’s floor unmoving. They are usually found resting on the bottom of the reef or inside small caverns. Check out the map below for all the best dive sites around the world where you can dive with nurse sharks.