Sharks in Vanuatu

Sharks generally do not venture close to the beaches of Vanuatu. Still, quite a few species live in the ocean surrounding the country. Most shark sightings occur off the islands of Malekula and Santo, with common species including whitetip reef sharks, leopard sharks, silvertip sharks, and common thresher sharks.

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List of the Different Types of Sharks in Vanuatu

FAQs

1. Have there been shark attacks in Vanuatu?

2. Can you go cage diving with sharks in Vanuatu?

3. Are there great white sharks in Vanuatu?

List of the Different Types of Sharks in Vanuatu

Species	Maximum Size	Aggressiveness
Bigeye Thresher Shark	11-16 feet	Not aggressive
Blackbelly Lantern Shark	1-1.5 feet	Not aggressive
Blue Shark	6-11 feet	Not aggressive
Bramble Shark	9.2-10 feet	Not aggressive
Cookiecutter Shark	1.5-3.5 feet	Not aggressive
Common Thresher Shark	12-18 feet	Not aggressive
Galapagos Shark	9.8-12 ft	Highly aggressive
Great White Shark	11-16 feet	Highly aggressive
Leopard Shark	6-7 feet	Not aggressive
Longsnout Dogfish	2.9-3.6 feet	Not aggressive
Mandarin Dogfish	2.8-3.5 feet	Not aggressive
Oceanic Whitetip Shark	10-13 feet	Highly aggressive
Porbeagle Shark	6-12 feet	Not aggressive
Shortfin Mako Shark	6.5-9.5 feet	Highly aggressive
Sicklefin Lemon Shark	10-12 feet	Moderately aggressive
Silky Shark	7-10 feet	Highly aggressive
Silvertip Shark	6.6-9.8 feet	Moderately aggressive
Whale Shark	18-32 feet	Not aggressive
Whitetip Reef Shark	3-5.5 feet	Moderately aggressive (only when provoked)

Recent Cases of Shark Attacks in Vanuatu >>

FAQs

1. Have there been shark attacks in Vanuatu?

The last fatal shark attack in Vanuatu was in 2005. A nine-foot-long shark of an unidentified species attacked 7-year-old Alysha Margaret Webster. After this incident, there have not been any recorded instances of a shark attack in Vanuatu.

2. Can you go cage diving with sharks in Vanuatu?

There are certain places in Vanuatu where one can go diving with sharks, but it is best to do so under supervision.

3. Are there great white sharks in Vanuatu?

Great white sharks have been occasionally spotted close to Vanuatu; however, these sharks remain uncommon.

SharkSider Editorial Team

We write about sharks because we genuinely love the subject and spend a lot of time following new research and discoveries in marine biology. Our goal is to make shark information easy to understand and keep it as accurate and updated as possible. Each page on SharkSider is reviewed by our team so readers get clear, reliable explanations without the noise.