Shark

Tiger shark

Galeocerdo cuvier

IUCN status: Near threatenedBucket-list species

A heavy, blunt-nosed apex predator with faint vertical bars on the flanks, named for the markings on juveniles. Curious and deliberate around divers, it is the headline of warm-season baited dives and cruises reef edges and drop-offs.

Max size: Up to ~5m
Habitat: Coastal and offshore warm-temperate and tropical water

Best places to dive with Tiger shark

rareoccasionalcommonly seenpeak season

KwaZulu-Natal Shark Coast

Sighting likelihood by month
Month	Likelihood
January	occasional
February	peak season
March	peak season
April	peak season
May	peak season
June	occasional
July	rare
August	rare
September	rare
October	rare
November	occasional
December	occasional

The big draw of the warm season, brought in on baited dives at Aliwal and cruising Protea’s Northern Pinnacle; strongest roughly February–May. Sources give a spread of peak months, so this is coded conservatively.

Tiger Beach

Sighting likelihood by month
Month	Likelihood
January	peak season
February	peak season
March	peak season
April	peak season
May	occasional
June	occasional
July	occasional
August	occasional
September	occasional
October	occasional
November	peak season
December	peak season

The headline animal, and a baited encounter — crew use a bait crate to hold sharks at the site. Commonly 5–7 individuals on a dive in season, predominantly large females. Operators describe them as present year-round, but acoustic tracking of tagged tiger sharks at Tiger Beach found most were absent from the array over the summer, migrating north to coastal waters off the US eastern seaboard. Provisioning by operators runs predominantly November to April, and December to March is the most reliable window.

Fuvahmulah

Sighting likelihood by month
Month	Likelihood
January	commonly seen
February	commonly seen
March	commonly seen
April	commonly seen
May	commonly seen
June	commonly seen
July	commonly seen
August	commonly seen
September	commonly seen
October	commonly seen
November	commonly seen
December	commonly seen

Seen year-round at Tiger Harbour, where tuna-head bait and nearby fish-market discards make encounters unusually predictable. This is a provisioned aggregation, not evidence of natural year-round density.

Cocos Island

Sighting likelihood by month
Month	Likelihood
January	occasional
February	occasional
March	occasional
April	occasional
May	occasional
June	occasional
July	occasional
August	occasional
September	occasional
October	occasional
November	occasional
December	occasional

Reported as increasingly common at Cocos in recent years, seen mainly on the outer sites such as Manuelita Outside and Dirty Rock and around Dos Amigos, more often in the rainy season. Not a reliable sighting on any given dive.

Malapascua

Sighting likelihood by month
Month	Likelihood
January	occasional
February	occasional
March	occasional
April	occasional
May	occasional
June	occasional
July	occasional
August	occasional
September	occasional
October	occasional
November	occasional
December	occasional

Emerged as a Monad Shoal regular around 2022 after the threshers moved; occasional, not a reliable target.

Ningaloo Reef

Sighting likelihood by month
Month	Likelihood
January	occasional
February	occasional
March	occasional
April	occasional
May	occasional
June	occasional
July	occasional
August	occasional
September	occasional
October	occasional
November	occasional
December	occasional

Possible throughout the operating year; no unsupported monthly peak is applied.

Osprey Reef & Coral Sea

Sighting likelihood by month
Month	Likelihood
January	occasional
February	occasional
March	occasional
April	occasional
May	occasional
June	occasional
July	occasional
August	occasional
September	occasional
October	occasional
November	occasional
December	occasional

Possible throughout the operating year; no unsupported monthly peak is applied.

Southern Great Barrier Reef

Sighting likelihood by month
Month	Likelihood
January	occasional
February	occasional
March	occasional
April	occasional
May	occasional
June	occasional
July	occasional
August	occasional
September	occasional
October	occasional
November	occasional
December	occasional

Possible throughout the operating year; no unsupported monthly peak is applied.

SS Yongala & Townsville

Sighting likelihood by month
Month	Likelihood
January	occasional
February	occasional
March	occasional
April	occasional
May	occasional
June	occasional
July	occasional
August	occasional
September	occasional
October	occasional
November	occasional
December	occasional

Possible throughout the operating year; no unsupported monthly peak is applied.

Beqa Lagoon & Pacific Harbour

Sighting likelihood by month
Month	Likelihood
January	rare
February	rare
March	rare
April	rare
May	rare
June	rare
July	rare
August	rare
September	rare
October	rare
November	rare
December	rare

Possible at Shark Reef, but much less dependable than bull sharks.

Kauaʻi & Niʻihau

Sighting likelihood by month
Month	Likelihood
January	rare
February	rare
March	rare
April	rare
May	rare
June	rare
July	rare
August	rare
September	rare
October	rare
November	rare
December	rare

Tiger sharks occur in the region but standard dives do not reliably encounter them.

Kona & Hawaiʻi Island

Sighting likelihood by month
Month	Likelihood
January	rare
February	rare
March	rare
April	rare
May	rare
June	rare
July	rare
August	rare
September	rare
October	rare
November	rare
December	rare

Tiger sharks occur in Hawaiian waters but are not a reliable Kona recreational-dive encounter.

Lord Howe Island

Sighting likelihood by month
Month	Likelihood
January	rare
February	rare
March	rare
April	rare
May	rare
June	rare
July	rare
August	rare
September	rare
October	rare
November	rare
December	rare

Possible in the region; no unsupported monthly peak is applied.

Maui, Molokini & Lānaʻi

Sighting likelihood by month
Month	Likelihood
January	rare
February	rare
March	rare
April	rare
May	rare
June	rare
July	rare
August	rare
September	rare
October	rare
November	rare
December	rare

Tiger sharks occur around Maui but routine recreational encounters remain uncommon.

Oʻahu

Sighting likelihood by month
Month	Likelihood
January	rare
February	rare
March	rare
April	rare
May	rare
June	rare
July	rare
August	rare
September	rare
October	rare
November	rare
December	rare

Tiger sharks occur around Oʻahu but are not reliable on standard reef or wreck charters.

Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park

Sighting likelihood by month
Month	Likelihood
January	rare
February	rare
March	rare
April	rare
May	rare
June	rare
July	rare
August	rare
September	rare
October	rare
November	rare
December	rare

Only a handful are documented each season — a genuine chance encounter rather than a reliable sighting.

Sources & last checked

Checked July 2026

Research is source-backed, but conditions and fees should still be confirmed locally.

View 2 sources and checking notes

Galeocerdo cuvier (Tiger Shark), IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
Tiger shark, Wikipedia

Note on the data: Shared species (Malapascua and KwaZulu-Natal). IUCN Red List PDF may 403 to automated fetches but resolves in a browser.