Sharks in Malta

Malta may be a small country, but the waters around it are home to a wide variety of shark species. Despite this, there have been very few shark attacks, indicating that most of them are deep-sea species that generally do not come into contact with humans.

Some common sharks in the Maltese Sea include the sharpnose sevengill shark, the bramble shark, and the spiny dogfish.

Sharks in Malta

List of the Different Types of Sharks in Malta

Species Maximum Size Aggressiveness
Angel Shark 4-7 feet Moderately aggressive
Angular Roughshark 3.3-4.9 feet Not aggressive
Basking Shark 23-30 feet Not aggressive
Big Eye Thresher Shark 11-16 feet Not aggressive
Blackmouth Catshark 2-2.2 feet Not aggressive
Blackspotted Smooth-hound 1.6-3 feet Not aggressive
Blacktip Shark 5-8 feet Moderately aggressive
Blue Shark 6-11 feet Not aggressive
Bluntnose Six-gill Shark 15-20 feet Moderately aggressive (rarely targets humans, reports of just one provoked attack)
Bramble Shark 9.2-10 feet Not aggressive
Common Smooth-hound Shark 3-4 feet Not aggressive
Common Thresher Shark 12-18 feet Not aggressive
Copper Shark 11-12 feet Not aggressive
Dusky Shark 9 -12 feet Not aggressive (until provoked)
Great White Shark 11-16 feet Highly aggressive
Gulper Shark 2.5-3 feet Not aggressive
Kitefin Shark 3-5 feet Not aggressive
Longnose Spurdog 3-3.3 feet Not aggressive
Nursehound Shark 4.3-5.2 feet Not aggressive
Porbeagle Shark 6-12 feet Not aggressive
Portuguese Dogfish 3-3.3 feet Not aggressive
Sand Tiger Shark 7-10 feet Not aggressive (due to their small mouths)
Sandbar Shark 5.5-8.5 feet Not aggressive
Sawback Angelshark 4.2-6.7 feet Not aggressive
School Shark 6-7 feet Not aggressive
Sharpnose Sevengill Shark 2-4.6 feet Moderately aggressive
Shortfin Mako Shark 6.5-9.5 feet Highly aggressive
Small-spotted Catshark 1.5-3 feet Not aggressive
Smalltooth Sand Tiger Shark 12-14 feet Not aggressive
Smooth Hammerhead Shark 8-12 feet Not aggressive (but are potentially dangerous)
Smoothback Angelshark 5-5.2 feet Not aggressive
Spinner Shark 7 -8 feet Not aggressive
Spiny Dogfish 2.5-3.5 feet Not aggressive (due to their small size)
Starry Smooth-hound 4-4.7 feet Not aggressive
Velvet Belly Lanternshark 1-2 feet Not aggressive

Recent Cases of Shark Attacks in Malta >>

FAQs

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There have been very few shark attacks in Malta, with the most recent being a non-fatal windsurfing incident in 2010.

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Yes. In fact, the largest ever great white shark was captured in Malta – it was a 23 feet long behemoth!!!

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Yes, there are places where you can go snorkeling with sharks.

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