This large, bulky shark is part of the well-known requiem family of sharks, as are its cousins the reef sharks. It is distinguished by silver white marks on its fins and can grow up to 10 feet long. Silvertips are considered a somewhat aggressive species as it must compete aggressively with other sharks for food. Their diet consists of coral reef dwelling bony fish, smaller sharks, and even eagle rays and they are known for their unique behavior of running their prey up before eating them.
As they eat mainly reef occupying species, silvertips are only found in the warm tropical waters of the Indian and Pacific Oceans. Since they spend most of their time around offshore islands and coral reefs they are spotted by scuba divers fairly often. If you want to encounter these slick swimmers on your next dive vacation, explore the map below to find the best places around the world to dive with silvertip sharks.
