A species of shark that we see frequently on our tours is the Galapagos Shark! This curious and energetic species is one that calls Hawaii home for part of the year.  These sharks are found worldwide and are part of the Requiem shark species. They tend to live around clear reef types of environments. Sometimes a school of these sharks can number in the hundreds. Some of the places they live at are the Atlantic Ocean, Bermuda, the Virgin Islands, Lord Howe Island, the Marianas Islands, the Hawaiian Islands, Baja California, Guatemala, eastern Australia and more.

Identifying Galapagos Sharks 

They are fair big, usually somewhere around 9.8 feet. Although they have been known to be as larger as 11 feet. At that size, they will tip the scales at a weight nearing 430 pounds. One of the features that you can use to identify these sharks is the dual dorsal fins. This first is a rather tall and sickle shaped. It is located over the pectoral fins rear edge. The second fin is much smaller and resides over the anal fin. Both fins are brownish in color with white towards the base. 

Galapagos sharks are curious creatures. When something piques their interest, they will often gather around and bump into it with their noses. They will not hesitate to bump into boats, divers, floating objects and anything else that they find interesting.  Due to this curiousity, the Galapagos sharks have sadly found themselves on the near-threatened species list due to their slow reproductive rate and overfishing.