The blue-water ghost. Long white-tipped pectorals, slow circles around the boat, a Red Sea regular.
Oceanic whitetips are deep-water predators that come close to coastal reefs only at specific seamounts. They were once among the most abundant pelagic sharks on Earth and have crashed 95–99% over the last century to bycatch and finning. IUCN now lists them Critically Endangered.
Red Sea liveaboards (Daedalus Reef, Elphinstone, Brothers Islands) are the world's only reliable encounter, peaking Oct–Nov. They cruise into the blue water around the boat, sometimes inspecting divers at the safety stop, and stay for entire surface intervals. The white-tipped fins are unmistakable.
They demand respect, historically responsible for more open-ocean shark incidents than any other species (in shipwreck and air-crash survivor accounts), but recreational dive encounters at established sites are calm and controlled.
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This species hasn't been logged at any of our partner sites yet, destination + season data will appear here once we've confirmed a reliable spot.
We're still curating destinations where this species can be reliably encountered. Check back soon, or chat with us for a custom itinerary.
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