Oceanic whitetip shark

Photo: Lesley Clements · © all rights reserved

Oceanic whitetips are open-ocean apex predators historically among the most abundant large sharks on Earth — Jacques Cousteau called them 'the most dangerous of all sharks' due to their tendency to investigate anything in their territory persistently. Once enormously abundant, their populations have crashed by over 95% globally due to fin trade, earning them Critically Endangered status. At Nag's Head they are occasional visitors from the open channel, most frequently sighted December through April. Their appearance at the wall tip is a remarkable and globally rare encounter that reflects the site's position on a deep-water channel.