WhenToDive
Shark · 🦈

Oceanic Whitetip Shark

Carcharhinus longimanus

The oceanic whitetip was once described by Jacques Cousteau as the most dangerous of all sharks — not for any particular aggression toward divers, but because it is the shark most likely to approach survivors of open-ocean disasters. For divers today, encounters are typically deliberate: the Red Sea sites of Elphinstone, Daedalus, and the Brothers (October–December) are the most reliable in the world, with Cat Island in the Bahamas (April–June) a strong alternative. Oceanic whitetips are bold, curious, and slow — classic pelagic bearing.

The oceanic whitetip was once described by Jacques Cousteau as the most dangerous of all sharks — not for any particular aggression toward divers, but because it is the shark most likely to approach survivors of open-ocean disasters. For divers today, encounters are typically deliberate: the Red Sea sites of Elphinstone, Daedalus, and the Brothers (October–December) are the most reliable in the world, with Cat Island in the Bahamas (April–June) a strong alternative. Oceanic whitetips are bold, curious, and slow — classic pelagic bearing.

The year at a glance

Global aggregated reliability — at any given month, how reliably can you find this species somewhere in the world?

Global reliability · as of October 2026 Rare Moderate Reliable

Where to see them in October

Sorted by October reliability and species status.

  1. 01

    Red Sea — Brothers, Daedalus & Elphinstone

    Egypt · red sea · peak
    5/5

Full season breakdown

Peak Present Rare

Destination
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Notes
Red Sea — Brothers, Daedalus & Elphinstone
Elphinstone and Brothers walls during autumn
Fuvahmulah
Rare / occasional
Marsa Alam
Rare / occasional
Maldives (Central Atolls)
Rare / occasional