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.
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
1. Have there been shark attacks in Malta?
There have been very few shark attacks in Malta, with the most recent being a non-fatal windsurfing incident in 2010.
2. Are there great white sharks in Malta?
Yes. In fact, the largest ever great white shark was captured in Malta – it was a 23 feet long behemoth!!!
3. Can you go swimming with sharks in Malta?
Yes, there are places where you can go snorkeling with sharks.
