Triaenodon obesus
Photo: malcolmnobbs.com
What to look for
A slim grey shark with a flattened head, a short blunt snout and bright white tips on the first dorsal fin and the top of the tail. Blacktip reef sharks are chunkier with black fin tips; grey reef sharks are stockier with a dark trailing edge on the tail. If it is lying on the sand under a ledge, it is almost certainly a whitetip.
Night dives
After dark whitetips switch on, hunting in packs through the coral for sleeping fish, often ignoring divers entirely as they squeeze into crevices. It is one of the best things to see on a liveaboard night dive. They are not a threat to people: the recorded bites are from divers grabbing them or feeding them.
Where to see it
Dive with us to see it
You might also see
- Grey reef sharkThe classic reef shark: a stocky grey patroller of walls, drop-offs and current points, often in groups.
- Blacktip reef sharkThe shark of the shallows: black fin tips cutting the surface over the reef flat and lagoon.
- Loggerhead turtleThe big-headed turtle of the reef, with a crushing beak for crabs and shellfish. Regulars at Coral Gardens and Milln Reef.
