A shallow-water shark of reef flats, often in water too shallow to dive.
To about 1.8 m, though most seen here are under 1.5 m. Grey-brown above and white below, with a conspicuous black tip on the first dorsal fin backed by a pale band, black tips on the other fins and on the lower tail lobe, and a short rounded snout. The white band behind the black dorsal tip is the quickest separation from the whitetip and grey reef sharks.
It works reef flats and lagoon shallows, frequently in water shallow enough that the dorsal fin breaks the surface, and moves onto slopes at higher tides. It takes reef fish, cephalopods and crustaceans. It is timid towards divers and generally leaves; encounters on scuba are usually brief and at distance, and snorkelling over a reef flat is the more reliable way to see it. Recorded from the shallows to about 25 m.
Ratings are per location: 1 means found on most dives that look for it, 5 means a handful of records. Where enough dives have been logged the figure is calculated from them; otherwise it is an editorial estimate, and says so. We publish habitat and destination, not the dive site.