White or Tiger Shark, please ID help

[babypufferfish]

Hello everyone,

This is my first post so sry if I am not doing it right. Here the task/challenge/request: Five divers spotted a huge shark on 29.12.24 around 9:40 a.m in north atoll Maldives (Gasfinolhu Beru dive site).

The specs: 3-4 meters, distance ~20 meters, visibility > 30m, no current, depth 25-30m, usual temperature, spotted 2 m passing by above sand ground. All divers agree on bulky shape, not elongated, distinct transition from clearly white belly to dark grey top, observed from slightly above, no white tip. We did not detect stripes on the back and one diver (some shark experience ~270 dives) is very sure no stripes were visible on its side and back. The other divers did not see any either but Lack experience. No info on eyes, nose and teeth. Back fin as in footage (very bad footage, wide-angle, tried best with editing). Statistically it’s probably a tiger shark but 1) due to lack on stripes (even though a shadow on ground is apparent ergo enough light?) and 2) around 3.5 m would be small for adult tiger with no stripes, probably … , 3) maybe also fin doesn’t seem curved therefore no tiger?

It’s really hard to say so our last straw is now the community :) maybe somebody can help on this? Thank you in advance.

Original footage is the video (very very bad video, i know), the fotos are edited.

 

[Maritimer]

G'day, and welcome to Reef2Reef!

If I had to choose between the two, this is very much more tiger shark-like than white shark. Proportions - especially the very unequal length of the tail lobes - are really the only thing nudging me in that direction. For what it's worth, tiger shark stripes tend to fade as they age.

~B.

 

[babypufferfish]

G'day, and welcome to Reef2Reef!

If I had to choose between the two, this is very much more tiger shark-like than white shark. Proportions - especially the very unequal length of the tail lobes - are really the only thing nudging me in that direction. For what it's worth, tiger shark stripes tend to fade as they age.

~B.

Hi Maritimer,

First of all thanks for the quick response! :)

So you are referring to the bigger upper fin compared to the rest of the body. Does the fin also seem curved to you or more straight (hard to say, due to bad footage I know)?

We thought about the stripes fading out in an older adult, but assuming 3.5-3.7m wouldn’t that be a quite small adult one? I heard they fade out especially with size as the stripes get kind of stretched?

Have a nice day!

 

[Adolfo]

No a white one and no sure it's a tiger for the head shape looks different

 

[Maritimer]

Hi Maritimer,

First of all thanks for the quick response! :)

So you are referring to the bigger upper fin compared to the rest of the body. Does the fin also seem curved to you or more straight (hard to say, due to bad footage I know)?

We thought about the stripes fading out in an older adult, but assuming 3.5-3.7m wouldn’t that be a quite small adult one? I heard they fade out especially with size as the stripes get kind of stretched?

Have a nice day!

Hey, Babypufferfish!

In the white shark posted by Adolfo, you can see that the tail is very upright and the upper and lower lobes of the tail are nearly equal in size. Additionally, this is a rather chunkier / cobbier shark overall than the one in your images, though the one in your images does appear to have a rather beefy / powerful front end.

Those are the clues pointing me to a tiger.

~B.

 

[babypufferfish]

No a white one and no sure it's a tiger for the head shape looks different

Hi there Adolfo, thank you for the reply and welcome :) Taking all the information we gathered by now we tend towards tiger and ruled out the white shark. It really makes little sense. We thought about bull and silvertip as well, but ruled it out (there was 100% sure no white tip,...). Is there another suggestion you have?

Thank you in advance!

 

[babypufferfish]

Hey, Babypufferfish!

In the white shark posted by Adolfo, you can see that the tail is very upright and the upper and lower lobes of the tail are nearly equal in size. Additionally, this is a rather chunkier / cobbier shark overall than the one in your images, though the one in your images does appear to have a rather beefy / powerful front end.

Those are the clues pointing me to a tiger.

~B.

Thanks again! Taking all information into account, by now all of us finally came to terms and tend towards tiger shark as well :D you are right with the fin, i guess it really surprised us how bulky that one was, especially in real life where he was also closer, additional to no stripes (well it is christmas, so the cookies are rolling ^^ ).

Thanks for the support, and happy new year!