The Red Sea boasts various ‘shark theatres’ for Red Sea shark diving. Of great reputation are Big Brother Islands, Abu Galawas Kebier, Daedalus Reef, Elphinstone, Gota Kebier, Gota Soraya, Sha’ab Sataya, Rocky Island, Paradise Reef. Here’s where oceanic whitetips, scalloped hammerheads, pelagic threshers, grey reef sharks, silky sharks and whitetip reef sharks patrol, roaming their territories. Sightings types of sharks like of hammerheads and grey sharks are not unusual at Sha’ab Sataya. Divers should be aware though that sharks in the Fury Shoal system can be rather ‘touchy’ and have a very powerful territorial instinct.
The Red Sea requiem sharks are part of the family of the Carcharhinidae. Sharks have a reputation of being dangerous to humans, aggressive and harmful. It isn’t quite fair. Respect a shark and its environment and it this respect will be mutual. Regardless of the types, sharks have a sorry reputation of being dangerous and nasty, but at the end of the day, they have zero benefit from putting themselves in danger.
The blacktip reef shark belong to types of sharks, sizing up to 180 cm. It has a slender physique, yellowish to brownish with white tinges. It is small in terms of requiem shark proportions. The timid blacktip reef shark is a lone ranger with remarkably outstanding black tips on its fins. The nocturnal blacktip is comfortable in shallow waters near coral reefs, on reef platforms, near drop-offs and also on sandy bottoms, feasting on fish, crustaceans and molluscs.
The grey reef shark stretches to 255 cm. The singly massive grey reef shark has grey and white tones. It circulates along outer coral reef slopes, hunting small fish and crustaceans. It is a typical nocturnal species, turning aggressive in the presence of food or prey. .
The silvertip reef shark reaches 300 cm. It’s best not to venture in the territory of the silvertip reef shark, because it is potentially dangerous for humans. This powerful species has dark grey or brownish grey colouration. Tends to going pelagic but is also seen in coastal waters, feeding on fish and the occasional cephalopod or smaller shark.
The white-tip reef shark is a slender and streamlined reef shark and the most common, nocturnal shark in the Red Sea, with a greyish-brown body and white tinges. I can reach a length of 200cm. You will often see her accompanied by zebra-patterned pilot fishes. They team up with sharks and have made real big friends, creating one of nature’s most bizarre symbiosis.
So what is it that makes pilot fish welcome and tolerable on the edge of a Red Sea’s shark’s food demand without being absorbed? A pilot fish keep this Red Sea shark happy by freeing it from harmful skin parasites. It doesn’t stop here. The pilot fish enters the mouth of a Red Sea shark to free it from food debris.
The Red Sea sicklefin shark sizes up to 300cm. This shy and stout species is easily aroused, which calls for common sense. It is yellowish of colour, leaning on brown, and preys on benthic fishes, including rays. Its favourite hunting grounds are seaward reefs. This lemon shark is active both day and night.
The scalloped hammerhead shark is a diurnal, pelagic, large, stout and robust shark, tainted grey with brownish to olive green hues. It is big with 400cm and has a peculiar flat and scalloped head with eyes on the sides. Its menu consists of fish, cephalopods, rays and crustaceans. It likes to roam around in solitary mode or in pairs as an adult. The young ones seek company in schools.