Blacktip reef shark

Photo: Peter Musila · CC BY-NC

Blacktip reef sharks rest in the slack-water eddies at the southern end of the channel between tidal flows, easily identified by the distinctive black-tipped fins. They patrol the shallow reef margins at dawn and dusk hunting reef fish with quick, agile turns. Their presence is a reliable indicator of reef health — their vulnerability to fishing pressure means they disappear quickly from unprotected reefs, and the stable resident population at Wasini reflects years of marine park enforcement.