Thresher shark

Photo: Ed Corey · © all rights reserved

Thresher sharks appear at Shaab Claudia's outer wall in winter months, typically at dawn when upwelling delivers cold, prey-rich water past the drop-off. Their extraordinarily elongated upper tail lobe is used to stun schooling fish with a powerful whip-crack strike, a hunting behaviour occasionally witnessed by early divers descending the outer wall before sunrise. Vulnerable to overfishing due to their slow reproductive rate, winter encounters at Shaab Claudia represent a rare privilege in the wider Red Sea context.