A robust requiem shark of oceanic islands, inquisitive and common at the northern Galapagos.
Named for the islands but not restricted to them: the species occurs at oceanic islands across the tropical Pacific and Atlantic. In the Galapagos it is the requiem shark a diver meets most often, and at the northern islands it patrols in numbers.
Robust, blunt-headed and hard to distinguish underwater from the dusky and the bronze whaler. The useful character is the first dorsal fin, which is tall and begins over the rear of the pectoral fin, and a low interdorsal ridge running between the two dorsals — visible on a good photograph, rarely on a passing animal.
They are inquisitive and will close on divers, particularly in open water and particularly at Darwin. Recorded depth range runs from the surface to well beyond diving depth.
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.