Caribbean reef shark
Carcharhinus perezi
Where to see it
On the baited shark dive off the south side, where divers kneel on the sand at around 70 feet and usually see somewhere between six and twenty. Occasional on deeper ordinary dives. Booked through a dive shop.
When
All year
Status
Endangered
The classic Caribbean shark: gray above, pale below, heavy-bodied and unhurried. On Roatan it is mostly a planned encounter. A specialist operator has run a baited reef shark dive off the south side for well over two decades, and a second baited site, Marco's Place, is run by another dive center. Divers kneel on the sand at around 70 feet while a small amount of fish brings in the sharks, often six to twenty, though nothing is guaranteed and dive shops set their own experience requirements.
Outside that dive, a reef shark is an occasional bonus on the deeper walls. It is not considered dangerous to people, and the species is listed as Endangered from fishing across its range. Honduras made all its waters a shark sanctuary in 2011.