Shark
Tiger shark
Galeocerdo cuvier
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
| 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.
| 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.
| 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.
| 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.
| 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
This is a researched draft, not yet human-verified. The seasonality and logistics are drawn from the sources below — confirm specifics (permits, fees, closures) with an operator before you book.
- 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.