Best places to dive with Blacktip reef shark

Resident on shallow reef flats and lagoons across Baa year-round.

Common in the shallows, on reef flats and along the lagoon edge, including the Tetamanu coral garden. Small and skittish; reliable year-round in shallow water rather than in the pass drifts.

Reliable year-round in shallow bays such as Shark Bay, Aow Leuk and Hin Wong. Shy and easily spooked by regulator noise, so often easier to see while snorkelling.

Juvenile blacktip reef sharks patrol shallow sand and reef edges around the islands. They are often easier to spot while snorkelling than on scuba and should be treated as regular rather than guaranteed.

Juvenile blacktip reef sharks are resident around Terumbu Kili, Chek Isa and Pulau Ekor Tebu. Most cruise sand flats and reef edges in under 5m and can be easier to see while snorkelling than on scuba. Regular, but not on every dive.

Juvenile blacktip reef sharks patrol the shallow bay at Koh Bida Nok and are among the most reliable shark encounters in the central Andaman, often seen on a single shallow dive or even while snorkeling.

Seen regularly on the reef tops and shallow walls, often alongside grey reef and whitetip sharks.

Reported in the shallower zones of Shark Ridge and along the reef flat. Sightings are patchy and usually brief.

Seen around the Padang Bai and Nusa Penida reefs, often in shallower water than the whitetips.

Patrols the shallower reef tops and wall edges; encounters are fairly frequent but not guaranteed on any single dive.

Reported in sandy and reef areas. Sightings are possible year-round but not predictable enough to code as resident.

Occasionally seen alongside whitetips at Shark Point and along reef drifts; sightings are not guaranteed.

Seen patrolling shallow reefs around the Adang/Rawi group; not a guaranteed sighting.

Reported mainly at the offshore Koh Prins and Koh Tang sites, including a cleaning station at Shark Point. Inshore sightings around Koh Rong are much less frequent. Claim rests on operator pages only.

On the shallow reef flats.

Commonly seen on shallow reef flats but not guaranteed on every dive.

Seen on shallow reefs and around the islands; a common Andaman reef shark. Sightings vary by site and day through the open season.

Common over shallow reefs and around the islets such as Koh Chi and Koh Pachumba.

Blacktip reef sharks may patrol Renggis and exposed reefs, but sightings are variable and should not be described as guaranteed or seasonally predictable.

Occasional on Vava'u reefs year-round, alongside whitetips and the odd grey reef shark. Encounters are single animals rather than aggregations.

Documented around Mitita in the 2017 survey and still reported by operators; no defensible monthly peak or current encounter rate was found.

Effectively absent. Decades of fishing pressure inside Nha Trang Bay have left shark sightings very rare, and nobody should book this region expecting them.

Possible in suitable habitat; no unsupported monthly peak is applied.

Occasional operator reports from Shark Plateau and outer reefs; no defensible month-by-month pattern was found.