Oceanic whitetip shark (Carcharhinus longimanus) •Conservation status: IUCN Red Listed as ‘Vulnerable’ and recently listed on CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species) Appendix II, restricting the international trade of this species. •These sharks are often referred to as ‘oceanics’ or OWTs by researchers and photographers.

Nurse shark (Ginglymostoma cirratum) •Conservation status: IUCN Red Listed as ‘Data Deficient’ •The nurse shark got its name from the squeaky sucking noise it can make when out of the water; not to be confused with Australia’s grey nurse shark, also known as a Raggie in South Africa or a Sand Tiger shark in the United States; or with the Tawny nurse shark of the Indo-Pacific region.

Facts and information about lemon sharks: habitat, conservation status, diet, where to see them and more.

Grey reef shark (Carcharhinus amblyrhynchos) •Conservation status: IUCN Red Listed as ‘Near Threatened’ •Grey reef sharks have a typical reef shark appearance, greyish coloring on the topside fading to white underneath, reaching sizes of about 2.5 meters (~ 7 ft.) in length, but they can be identified by a distinct black edge of the tail.

Great white shark (Carcharodon carcharias) •Conservation status: IUCN Red Listed as ‘Vulnerable’; listed on CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species) Appendix II, restricting the international trade of this species. •In Australia and New Zealand they are often referred to as “white pointers.”

Everything you want to know about hammerhead sharks: Behavior, size, where to dive with hammerheads, and more!

**__**Caribbean reef shark **_([Carcharhinus perezi](http://www.scubadiving.com/photos/marine-life-guide-sharks))_** **_ _** •Conservation status: IUCN Red Listed as ‘Near Threatened’ •Sometimes known in Spanish as ‘cabeza dura’ meaning thick skull.

**_Bull shark (Carcharhinus leucas)_** •Conservation status: IUCN Red Listed as ‘Near Threatened’ •Common names include Zambezi shark, Swan River shark, and Lake Nicaragua shark.

Broadnose sevengill shark (Notorynchus cepedianus) •Conservation status: IUCN Red Listed as ‘Data Deficient’ •These unique sharks get their name from having seven paired gill slits compared to more ‘modern’ sharks having five pairs; they have only one dorsal fin.

**_Blue shark (Prionace glauca)_** •Conservation status: IUCN Red Listed as ‘Near Threatened’ •In some countries and fisheries they are called ‘blue dogs’.

Blacktip reef shark (Carcharhinus melanopterus) **·**Conservation status: IUCN\* listed as ‘Near Threatened’ **·**Their common name comes from their distinct dorsal fins with black or dark brown tips.

Located between the islands of Sumbubwa and Flores, Komodo National Park consists of Komodo, Rinca & Padar islands and many smaller islands in between.

Test your knowledge of dive geography using three clues to determine the name of a mystery dive spot.

Peter Hughes knows a thing or two about live-aboards, and he has a spot in the DEMA Hall of Fame to prove it. In 2011, Hughes received the DEMA Reaching Out Award for helping to evolve the live-aboard diving industry over the past three decades. That same year, after spending more than 25 years building his former live-aboard company, Peter Hughes Diving, Inc., the 40-year scuba diving veteran threw all of his expertise and energy into a new live-aboard venture, the DivEncounters Alliance

For centuries, the waters off the Outer Banks of North Carolina have claimed hundreds of vessels. Here are the best shipwrecks for divers in the Tarheel State.