Shark Watch Tours from Phi Phi Cocos

Tours booked at Coco’s Guesthouse reception. 

If you are looking for a unique and thrilling adventure on your next vacation? Consider taking part in the Shark Watch tour on Phi Phi Island! This tour offers the opportunity to observe blacktip reef sharks in their natural habitat, but also prioritizes responsible and sustainable tourism that does not harm the local ecosystem. In this article, we will take a closer look at what this tour entails and what to expect when you book it.

One of the primary objectives of the Shark Watch tour is to create a low-impact tour that does not negatively impact the shark-watching area or the local reef. To achieve this goal, the tour operator emphasizes the importance of responsible and sustainable tourism practices.

Another objective is to provide a safe, well-structured, and informative shark watch tour by giving detailed and interesting briefings for customers. These briefings are essential for ensuring that customers have the necessary knowledge and skills to have a successful and enjoyable experience.

Before embarking on the Shark Watch tour, customers must meet certain criteria. Participants must be over 12 years old, know how to swim, and be able to snorkel. Additionally, they must understand that this is a group tour that requires some listening skills and that they will be asked to follow the instructions of the guide.

One of the most critical components of the Shark Watch tour is the briefings that customers receive. These briefings are divided into three sections and are spaced in a way that allows customers to digest the information and remember the most important messages.

Repetition is key during these briefings to help customers remember to stay close to the group, remain quiet, and move smoothly. The briefings cover the necessary gear, shark information, and the tour itself.

The gear briefing is crucial for ensuring that customers feel confident about using the necessary equipment to observe the blacktip sharks. The briefing covers how to use the mask, fins, and wetsuit correctly. For example, the guide shows customers how to put on and adjust the mask to ensure that it is not too tight and is suctioned to their face. They also explain that toothpaste can be used to clean the mask and prevent it from misting up.

Fins should not be too tight or slipping off the heel of the foot, and the guide emphasizes the importance of not making too much noise while using them. 

Sharks have long been associated with danger, and emotionally, customers may be afraid of them. To reduce fear and negative emotions, the shark information briefing provides uncontroversial facts and figures. Customers feel more confident when they know something about the shark.

The blacktip shark is found all over the world, and there are ten subspecies with varying traits. In the Andaman Sea, blacktip sharks are timid and shy away from human contact. They are inquisitive if they think they are in no danger and skim the broken reef looking for parrotfish, mullet, and squid at sunrise and sunset. Females are generally fatter than males and give birth from two to eight pups from September to November.

Blacktip sharks will not swim under snorkellers, and it is important for all customers to stay in a small group no more than two to three meters apart from two other people at one time.

 The tour briefing is the most critical part of the Shark Watch tour. The guide explains the place, technique, and route. Each guide will explain the most recent location for watching the Black Tip Reef Shark, whether it is at Shark Point off Phi Phi Don or Finger Rock off Phi Phi Ley.  

 Shark Point often gets currents, and tides can be as much as three meters, exposing rock and coral at low tide. The trick to seeing the Black Tip reef shark is to go with the tide to the east without doing too much swimming whose action and splashing, can scare the shark away. After about 100 meters head off shore behind the main shark point rock where there is no tide and swim back to the shark point and repeat.  The tour briefing is the most critical part of the Shark Watch tour. The guide explains the place, technique, and route. Each guide will explain the most recent location for watching the Black Tip Reef Shark, whether it is at Shark Point off Phi Phi Don or Finger Rock off Phi Phi Ley.  

 Finger Rock is less tidal in water flow. The smaller pups can be in the shallows buy the sands and the larger adults are around the large coral boulders which are 50 meters off shore. 

Have a wonderful time watching the shark but be especially careful not to tread on the coral and break it so that all future generations can enjoy this most memorable adventure.