Whitetip reef shark
Triaenodon obesus
Illustration: Bloom by Day
A slim grey-brown shark with a blunt, broad head, a white tip on the first dorsal fin and another on the upper lobe of the tail, and nowhere else — the oceanic whitetip it is named like has great white-tipped paddles for pectorals and lives far offshore. It spends the day lying under a ledge in a loose heap with others of its kind, breathing on the bottom rather than swimming, and will usually stay there while you look.
how to recognise it
- white tip on the first dorsal fin and on the upper lobe of the tail
- a short, very broad snout
- second dorsal fin almost as big as the first
- slim grey shark, usually resting under a ledge by day
don’t confuse with
- Grey nurse shark — the grey nurse is far bulkier, has no white fin tips, and shows ragged teeth even with its mouth shut
- Grey reef shark — the grey reef shark has a broad black band along the whole rear edge of the tail and no white fin tips
Field marks read from Fishes of Australia, 2026-10-13. Our wording, their facts. Max size 213 cm TL.
facts
- habitat
- reef
- size
- ~140 cm, to 213 cm
Max size from Fishes of Australia (213 cm TL); the typical size is Bluebird’s, not from a cited source
- records near here
- 1 at 1 of 6 spots
A count of occurrence records near these spots, not abundance. Records are where someone looked.
when it has been recorded
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A gap means no record in the sample, not absence.
the rule
QLD — Max overall length: 150cm, or Max interdorsal length: 60cm · Combined limit: 1 shark or ray per person, or 2 sharks or rays per boat (with 2 or more people on board).
source
· verified 2026-10-10
no NSW rule listed — check before you dive
no closed season recorded for this species — that is not the same as open; check the official page
Rules checked 2026-10-13 against qld.gov.au
Rules change. Check before you dive.
Occurrence data: Atlas of Living Australia (ala.org.au), CC-BY 4.0.
Diver transect counts: Reef Life Survey (reeflifesurvey.com), CC-BY 4.0, supplied via ALA.
Target and protected species: Queensland tidal-water size and possession limits (qld.gov.au) and NSW saltwater bag and size limits plus threatened species lists (dpird.nsw.gov.au).
Habitat and size: Bluebird, approximate, from general knowledge. Not cited. FishBase is CC BY-NC and this app is commercial, so it is not used.
Description written for Bloom. RECORDS ARE WHERE SOMEONE LOOKED, NOT WHERE THE FISH ARE. A record count is a count of records near here and nothing else -- it is not abundance, and a species with few records is not rare. Absence of records is not absence of fish.
Diver transect counts: Reef Life Survey (reeflifesurvey.com), CC-BY 4.0, supplied via ALA.
Target and protected species: Queensland tidal-water size and possession limits (qld.gov.au) and NSW saltwater bag and size limits plus threatened species lists (dpird.nsw.gov.au).
Habitat and size: Bluebird, approximate, from general knowledge. Not cited. FishBase is CC BY-NC and this app is commercial, so it is not used.
Description written for Bloom. RECORDS ARE WHERE SOMEONE LOOKED, NOT WHERE THE FISH ARE. A record count is a count of records near here and nothing else -- it is not abundance, and a species with few records is not rare. Absence of records is not absence of fish.