Diving with Blacktip Shark – Carcharhinus Limbatus

Viewing Frequency and Distribution

Blacktip sharks are prevalent in all of the tropical and subtropical seas, and make for excellent photographic subjects. I have encountered them off the South African and Mozambique coasts as individuals, in small packs and in huge shoaling groups of up to forty females – each scenario presents different photographic and stalking challenges.

Ones best chance of encountering these animals is on a Tiger dive near Aliwal Shoal, through Blue Wilderness.

Subject Behaviour

As with most sharks, Blacktips are inquisitive and will readily approach divers underwater. A moderate size shark, they have been recorded to grow to 250cm, although most that I have encountered have averaged around 140cm.

Although no human fatalities have been attributed to this shark, it is still possible to be bitten if the animal is in a feeding mode or is startled – I once witnessed a novice freediver swim directly into a large Blacktip in the middle of a feeding run, and her reflex was to snap violently in his direction. If the animal does come in too close for comfort, a gentle push with ones hand will be sufficient to get the shark to swim away.

Blacktips do not appear to be disturbed by scuba bubbles, although their confidence levels appear to increase in relation to their numbers. Thus in a scenario where they are few in number the freedive photographer will invariably get closer; in a scenario where they are aggregated in groups of twenty plus scuba appears to have no effect on their confidence, and using scuba is an advantage.

Blacktips move quickly, faster than Zambezi’s and Tigers, and will circle quickly on a relatively consistent plane. They do not appear to favour any specific level in the water column, approaching from both below and above. When food is introduced into the water, they will execute rapid feeding runs, moving vertically if necessary, sometimes ending a run with striking series of spins near the surface of the water

Photographic and Stalking Advice

As with all sharks, I find that the best approach to getting close is to adopt a submissive, non threatening attitude underwater. Swimming after the animal will invariably cause it to swim away – rather wait for the animal to approach you.

Blacktips move quite swiftly and I would recommend shooting no less than 1/250s if you want a crisp image. Their bellies are extremely reflective, so its critical to get the right power setting when shooting up, especially when deep. Near the surface the ambient light tends to drown out your flash guns so there is more room for error. Try getting the animals up to the surface, as the potential for dramatic shots is huge.

 
One sure way of doing this is to arrange for your dive operator to throw sardines or some form of chum into the water. The Blacktips will respond instantly to this, executing stunning feeding runs that look awesome as stills and on video. The closer one gets to the action, the greater the odds of a stunning shot and the risk of getting accidentally bitten. In my experience the greatest potential for a killer shot is just after the last sardine has been eaten – the animals then turn their attention on you, making fast head on and rear-on runs that look great as stills.

In terms of lenses for the Blacktip, two ranges are worth considering. In a scenario where there are lots of sharks and they are coming in close, work the 16mm to 20mm range, especially if the visibility is not great. Shooting up from deep can result in interesting mood shots which best capture the number of sharks in the water. Expect also to be frustrated with the many sharks that will be half out of the frame, but don’t let this slow you down – shoot and deal with this later. In a scenario where the blacktips are few in number and not coming in close, step up to the 24mm to 28 mm range, as this will allow you to fill the frame.

Interesting Observed Behaviour

• A large Blacktip shark was seen being bitten in the gill area by a large Tiger Shark while the two were competing for food: the blacktip recovered, although the scarring to its gill area is very apparent