What species are the sharks at Chumphon Pinnacle, Koh Tao?

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ayeshacantrell

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Koh Tao, Thailand
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I'm a Fish!
Happily the sharks have returned to Chumphon Pinnacle once again.

Ofcourse the old debate has started as to which species they are.

Some think they are bulls and others think they are large grey reefs.

I've put together some of my photographs and observations and I would be interested to know what you all think ! ( Beacuse I know you all have an opinion :d )

Master Divers |Koh Tao| Sharks of Chumphon Pinnacle

Im sure many of you have dived there so it would be great to see some other photos too.
 
I am pretty sure there are both species present. Both are members of the Requiem family and share a number of simularities, which can make distinguishing them difficult.

I've seen lots of Grey Reef sharks there. I've also seen, on only 3 occasions, much bigger sharks that had slightly different markings and colouration. Comparing them to confirmed Bull Sharks I have seen here in the Philippines, I would be pretty sure that they were the same. (More simular to the Bull Sharks than the Grey Reefs).

I think that the main debate stems from the fact that some people assume there is only one species of shark at Chumporn. They see a Grey Reef and conclude that everyone who has seen a Bull Shark must be in confusion.

GREY REEF SHARK
(Note the black markings on the rear of the fins.)

normal_iil_ian_jt_0494.jpg


BULL SHARK
(Absence of black markings, pale/white belly and distinct slope from the dorsal fin to the nose).
BullShark046.jpg


Any more Tiger sharks seen since the adolescent one that was accidentally caught a couple of years ago?
 
I have been told a Tiger Shark has been sighted recently at Samaesan near the Harddeep wreck??? :confused6:
I am not sure if the diver concerned had been smoking something strange earlier in the day, his buddy didn't see it.
 
Funny, I don't remember seeing sharks when I dove that site. May have to check my trip diary. We only had a whale shark and I was on a deep dive and missed it. I've heard a number of references to bull sharks being there since I dove it back in 2001.
 
The sharks come and go during the year. When they are present, they usually stay pretty close to the pinnacle and circle around out on the sand (32-40m).

On my best shark dive on Chumporn P. there were 8 big Grey Reefs all circling around at the top of pinnacle...very close to the divers... who were all snuggled down amongst the rocks snapping pics of the sharks as they swam past their noses.
 
Not being an expert but diving with the sharks at Chumphon on several occasions, it appears to me that there are two different species, Grey reef and Bull
 

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My two cents:

Grey reef sharks (in Thai waters) have a dull white tip on their dorsal fins.
Bull sharks don't.

Grey reef sharks grow to about 2.5 meters in length.
Bull sharks grow to 3 to 4 meters in length.

Grey reef sharks (even adult animals) are fairly slender.
Bull sharks are MASSIVE.

Bull sharks also have very small eyes and a LARGE triangular pointed dorsal fin.

It's NOT very difficult to see the difference between the two species, especially if you are CLOSE.

Unfortunately the average scuba diver is not very good at getting close to sharks and clumsy divers tend to scare the sharks away easily.
It's no mistake that at least some of the sharks that have been seen at Chumpon Pinnacle are indeed bull sharks. There are some good, close up pictures of them available on the web.

If I were working in a dive shop in Koh Tao, I would organize a special trip with some other experienced dive instructor friends (at least one good camera guy) and do a couple of early morning "shark-attraction" dives with fresh bait and get to meet the animals up close and personal. Such dives are exciting and a lot of fun (I think) and often the only way to get a really CLOSE look at the animals and take decent pictures.
 
shark.JPG
This is a shot I took of a shark at Chumphon Pinnacle in September 2007. It looks like the Bull Shark in DevonDiver's picture except the bottom/back of the dorsal fin looks slightly different (that could just be the angle)
 
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