The blacktip shark is common to coastal tropical and subtropical waters around the world. The blacktip shark has a stout, streamline body with a pointed snout, long gill slits, and no ridge between the dorsal fins. Most individuals have black tips or edges on the pectoral, dorsal, pelvic, and caudal fins. The average length of Black Tips is 1.5 m (4.9 ft).
The Blacktip is very fast and swift in the water especially when feeding on a school of fish. They are known to breach out of the water and spin in the air whilst predating. The blacktip shark is viviparous (Give Birth to live young). Females bear 1–10 pups every other year and young blacktip sharks spend the first months of their lives in shallow nurseries. Grown females will return to the nurseries where they were born to give birth themselves. Amazingly in the absence of males, females are also capable of asexual reproduction.
Danger to Humans
Low Risk
Black Tip sharks are like little dogs when diving with. No particular attention needs to be drawn towards them. The only risk there is when feeding them they tend to get into a frenzy and divers may get in the way. There have been recordings of bites but the only bites that have been recorded in Aliway shoal are all provoked by divemasters being in the way during a feeding frenzy.
Where to see Black Tip Sharks
The blacktip shark has a worldwide distribution in tropical and subtropical waters. In the Atlantic, it is found from Massachusetts to Brazil, including theGulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, and from the Mediterranean Sea, Madeira, and the Canary Islands to the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It occurs all around the periphery of the Indian Ocean, from South Africa and Madagascar to the Arabian Peninsula and the Indian subcontinent, to Southeast Asia. In the western Pacific, it is found from southern China to northern Australia, including the Philippines and Indonesia. In the eastern Pacific, it occurs from Baja California to Peru. It has also been reported at a number of Pacific islands, including New Caledonia, Tahiti, theMarquesas, Hawaii, Revillagigedo, and the Galápagos.
Most blacktip sharks are found in water less than 30 m (100 ft) deep over continental and insular shelves, though they may dive to 64 m (210 ft). Their favored habitats are muddy bays, island lagoons, and the drop-offs near coral reefs; they are also tolerant of low salinity and enter estuaries and mangrove swamps. Although an individual may be found some distance offshore, blacktip sharks do not inhabit oceanic waters.
Black Tip Sharks can be seen throughout the world. In South Africa you can either cage dive with the Black Tips which requires snorkeling experience or see many of them on a Baited Tiger shark Dive which requires Open Water 1 to Advanced depending on the number of dives you have done and when your last dive was. Minimum 20 dives is required.
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