Grey Nurse Sharks

The Grey Nurse Shark (Carcharias taurus) - also known as the sand tiger shark or spotted ragged-tooth shark - is one of four species belonging to the family Odontaspididae.

The species has a large, rather stout body and is grey to grey-brown dorsally, with a paler off white underbelly. Reddish or brownish spots may occur on the caudal fin and posterior half of the body, particularly in juveniles. The species has a conical snout, long awl-like teeth in both jaws (with single lateral cusplets), similarly sized first and second dorsal fin and an asymmetrical caudal fin. Grey nurse sharks grow to 360cm total length. The grey nurse shark is a slow but strong swimmer and is generally more active at night.

Grey nurse sharks are often observed just above the sea bed in or near deep sandy-bottomed gutters or rocky caves, in the vicinity of inshore rocky reefs and islands. The diet of the adult grey nurse shark consists of a wide range of fish, other sharks, squids, crabs and lobsters.

Grey nurse sharks have a broad inshore distribution, primarily in subtropical to cool temperate waters around the main continental landmasses. In Australia, grey nurse sharks have been regularly reported from Mooloolaba in southern Queensland, around most of the southern half of the continent (excluding the Great Australian Bight), and northward to Shark Bay in Western Australia. The grey nurse shark has been recorded as far north as Cairns in the east, the North West Shelf in the west and also in the Arafura Sea.

Until recently, the grey nurse shark had an undeserved reputation in Australia as a man-eater. Harding (1990) found that it is not a threat to divers or swimmers unless provoked. Many shark attacks in Australia have been attributed incorrectly to the grey nurse shark (Whitley, 1983) often due to its fierce appearance. The grey nurse shark's reputation led to indiscriminate killing of the species by a spear and line fishers. Current threats to the species are believed to be an incidental catch in other shark fisheries, recreational fishing and to a much lesser extent beach meshing.

Check the Grey Nurse Dives

Note: If conditions make the planned site unsuitable, then another site will be selected for the dive.

    Dive Start Date  
Magic Point - Boat Saturday 30 Mar 2024

  • Start Date: Sat 30 Mar 2024 at 12:00

The Magic Point shark dive is a double boat dive. The boat will Depart at the scheduled time from the Sans Souci public Fishing wharf off Riverside drive. This location is easy to get to by public transport or drive yourself. Please be at Abyss Scuba Diving one hour before departure to collect any rental dive gear.

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Magic Point - Boat Saturday 06 Apr 2024

  • Start Date: Sat 06 Apr 2024 at 12:00

The Magic Point shark dive is a double boat dive. The boat will Depart at the scheduled time from the Sans Souci public Fishing wharf off Riverside drive. This location is easy to get to by public transport or drive yourself. Please be at Abyss Scuba Diving one hour before departure to collect any rental dive gear.

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Magic Point - Boat Sunday 07 Apr 2024

  • Start Date: Sun 07 Apr 2024 at 08:00

The Magic Point shark dive is a double boat dive. The boat will Depart at the scheduled time from the Sans Souci public Fishing wharf off Riverside drive. This location is easy to get to by public transport or drive yourself. Please be at Abyss Scuba Diving one hour before departure to collect any rental dive gear.

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Shell Harbour - Shore Dive Sunday 07 Apr 2024

  • Start Date: Sun 07 Apr 2024 at 09:00

This will be a great dive with a heap of marine life, schools of fish and maybe even the odd grey nurse shark. Shell harbour is an hour drive south of the dive centre. So for this dive we leave Abyss at early do the 2 dives and generally get back around 4pm. If conditions make the planned site unsuitable, then another site will be selected for the dive.Transport is not included for this dive. Join us for a phenomenal dive at Shell Harbour, located just an hour's drive away from our Dive Centre! We'll have abundant marine life and schools of fish to explore as well as the possibility of spotting some gray nurse sharks. Our journey begins at 7:30am when you collect your gear, after which we will leave Abyss promptly at 8am and return around 5pm. Please note that if the weather conditions are unfavorable, then another site may be chosen instead. Lastly, please keep in mind that transport is not included with this experience.

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Magic Point - Boat Sunday 21 Apr 2024

  • Start Date: Sun 21 Apr 2024 at 08:00

The Magic Point shark dive is a double boat dive. The boat will Depart at the scheduled time from the Sans Souci public Fishing wharf off Riverside drive. This location is easy to get to by public transport or drive yourself. Please be at Abyss Scuba Diving one hour before departure to collect any rental dive gear.

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Magic Point - Boat Saturday 27 Apr 2024

  • Start Date: Sat 27 Apr 2024 at 12:00

The Magic Point shark dive is a double boat dive. The boat will Depart at the scheduled time from the Sans Souci public Fishing wharf off Riverside drive. This location is easy to get to by public transport or drive yourself. Please be at Abyss Scuba Diving one hour before departure to collect any rental dive gear.

Request More Info

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