Whitetip Reef Shark
Daytime Hiders, Nighttime Hunters
Not to be confused with its cousin, the oceanic whitetip shark, the whitetip reef shark prefers to spend most of its time resting in small caves and caverns amongst the reef. Unlike most requiem species, he does not need to swim continuously to breathe. They are similar to the nurse shark in that they can pump water over their gills to keep them freshly oxygenated, allowing whitetips the ability to lie on the ocean’s bottom or stay still, suspended in the water inside a small cave. If you are looking for them while scuba diving your best bet in finding them is to look into all of the caverns and overhangs.
They are nocturnal, coming out at night to hunt for food, so many night divers may encounter them swimming while night diving. They love to hunt fish, crustaceans, and octopus for food. These animals are considered non-aggressive towards humans and are generally not threatened by human presence, allowing divers excellent photographic opportunities. Whitetips are the most common reef shark in the Indo-Pacific region and can be found as far east as the Central American Pacific coast and as far west as South Africa. Click on the map below to find the best locations around the world to dive with them.
Popular dive sites
Ship wreck
6 Logged dives • 8 Sightings El barco is a shrimp fishing boat that got caught in a storm and is now part of the scenic bottom of the Nicoya Peninsula. It sits at approximately 30m on a bottom sand and its structure is still almost completely in place.Costa Rica
El Secreto
14 Logged dives • 17 Sightings El secreto has a maximum depth of around 18m. The more flat bottom provides the perfect environment for smaller fish species, but its position closer to the open ocean means that sharks and other pelagic species usually show up following the currents.Costa Rica
Ski Run
27 Logged dives • 21 Sightings Very popular dive site with many repeat divers. Start the dive on the edge of the coral reef. Head down the sand to see the glassfish bommie. Watch the trevally feeding. While dropping slowly down the slope, look for sleeping white tip reef sharks and extra-long garden eels. This dive has something for everyone.Australia
Frijoles
17 Logged dives • 12 Sightings Once the anchor is in position, we descend along the line to about 10 meters. From there you can decide whether you want remain in the shallows along the reef or follow the gravel-covered sand bottom to the deep reef at over 25 meters. Large boulders that pile up underwater and form a complete, elongated reef.Panama
