Reefie Cleaning Station!

Cleaning station at Shark Reef - click for detail!

Check this out.

The Shark?

According to Will White, not a Grey Reefie, Carcharhinus amblyrhynchos but a Shortnose Blacktail Shark or Blacktail Reef Shark, C. wheeleri from the Western Indian Ocean and the Red Sea.

Still not convinced!

But wheeleri or not, talk about angelic patience in view of all those paparazzi!

We got two of those cleaning stations on Shark Reef but the Sharks will only play when the right current is running, and only rarely tolerate spectators. Still hoping to see a Bull joining the queue but so far, no such luck.

Anyway, cool footage!

wheeleri!

Source.

Remember that redescription of Sharks and Rays?

Watch.
Try not to be deterred by the pathos - just keep an eye on those Grey Reefies that are recognizable by the black trailing edge of their tails.

Notice those big white tips on the first dorsals?

Those would be those infamous Carcharhinus wheeleri, the (Short Nosed) Blacktail Reef Shark, one of JSD's favorite photographic subjects - compare to the Reef Whitetip and the Silvertip that are equally featured, and then compare to these "normal" Grey Reefies.

Convinced? Me, not so much!

And those Sharksuckers at 0:46?

Go wonder - must be some Maldivian thing as Lill saw the exact same mobbing on a trip to the Maldives in November of last year!

Opinions?

Anyway.

Good to see so many Sharks in the Maldives!

Enjoy!