The common requiem shark of the region, heavy-bodied with a short rounded snout. Seen on ordinary reef dives and the species most shark feeds are built around.
To about 3 m, grey-brown above and white below, heavy-bodied with a short rounded snout and a small first dorsal fin set behind the pectoral fins. It is separated from the other requiem sharks on the region on the combination of the blunt snout and the low, short free rear tip of the second dorsal fin, which is a character that shows in a photograph from the side and nowhere else.
It is the shark a diver in the Bahamas or Cayman actually sees, on the reef edge and along the wall, usually two or three at a time and often more. Much of what is seen at close range in the Bahamas is at an organised feed, and that is worth knowing before booking: a fed shark behaves differently, gathers in numbers it would not otherwise reach, and associates divers with food. Away from the feeds it is cautious and keeps its distance. It rests on the bottom in caves in some parts of its range, which for a requiem shark is unexpected.
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.