The verdict
Best places to dive with silky sharks
Carcharhinus falciformis
Your best chance with silky sharks is Malpelo, from January to March, though no site we score is a certainty.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January: 4 of 10 at peak | February: 3 of 10 at peak | March: 2 of 10 at peak | April: 3 of 10 at peak | May: 0 of 10 at peak | June: 1 of 10 at peak | July: 1 of 10 at peak | August: 1 of 10 at peak | September: 0 of 10 at peak | October: 0 of 10 at peak | November: 0 of 10 at peak | December: 2 of 10 at peak |
Most sites at peak Some at peak Possible only
Based on 584 OBIS records of silky shark (Carcharhinus falciformis) within 60 km of 17 dive destinations.
Top destinations to dive with silky sharks
Ranked on how reliably they turn up, then on how long the record runs.
| # | Destination | Country / area | Season | Reliability | Evidence | Dive type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Malpelo | Colombia | Jan–Mar | Likely | 7 of 22 years | Liveaboard |
| 2 | Darwin & Wolf, Galapagos | Ecuador | Jul–Aug | Likely | 12 of 32 yearsfew records | Liveaboard |
| 3 | Roca Partida, Socorro / Revillagigedo | Mexico Pacific | Apr, Jun | Hit-or-miss | 5 of 21 years | Liveaboard |
| 4 | Socorro / Revillagigedo | Mexico Pacific | Dec–Jan | Hit-or-miss | 5 of 23 yearsfew records | Liveaboard |
| 5 | Key West, Florida Keys | USA | Jan, Mar | Hit-or-miss | 4 of 32 years | Day boat |
| 6 | Outer Banks | USA | Apr | Hit-or-miss | 2 of 32 years | Day boat |
| 7 | Cocos Island | Costa Rica | Dec–Jan | Hit-or-miss | 2 of 16 yearsfew records | Liveaboard |
| 8 | Dry Tortugas, Florida Keys | USA | Feb | Hit-or-miss | 1 of 32 years | Liveaboard |
| 9 | Key Largo, Florida Keys | USA | Feb | Hit-or-miss | 1 of 32 yearsfew records | Day boat, Shore |
| 10 | Daedalus Reef | Red Sea | Apr | Hit-or-miss | 3 of 20 yearsfew records | Liveaboard |
Also on record at Flower Garden Banks, Bimini, Bahamas, Cabo Pulmo, Tiger Beach, Bahamas, Statia (St. Eustatius), Cancun / Riviera Maya and Isla Mujeres.
When to dive with silky sharks
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Malpelo | Jan: Peak season | Feb: Peak season | Mar: Peak season | Apr: Not common | May: Not common | Jun: Not common | Jul: Not common | Aug: Possible | Sep: Not common | Oct: Possible | Nov: Possible | Dec: Not common |
| Darwin & Wolf, Galapagos | Jan: Not common | Feb: Not common | Mar: Not common | Apr: Not common | May: Not common | Jun: Possible | Jul: Peak season | Aug: Peak season | Sep: Possible | Oct: Possible | Nov: Possible | Dec: Not common |
| Roca Partida, Socorro / Revillagigedo | Jan: Not common | Feb: Not common | Mar: Not common | Apr: Peak season | May: Not common | Jun: Peak season | Jul: Not common | Aug: Not common | Sep: Not common | Oct: Not common | Nov: Possible | Dec: Not common |
| Socorro / Revillagigedo | Jan: Peak season | Feb: Possible | Mar: Possible | Apr: Possible | May: Not common | Jun: Possible | Jul: No survey data | Aug: Not common | Sep: Not common | Oct: No survey data | Nov: Possible | Dec: Peak season |
| Key West, Florida Keys | Jan: Peak season | Feb: Possible | Mar: Peak season | Apr: Not common | May: Possible | Jun: Not common | Jul: Not common | Aug: Not common | Sep: Not common | Oct: Not common | Nov: Not common | Dec: Not common |
| Outer Banks | Jan: Not common | Feb: Not common | Mar: Not common | Apr: Peak season | May: Possible | Jun: Not common | Jul: Not common | Aug: Not common | Sep: Not common | Oct: Not common | Nov: Not common | Dec: Not common |
| Cocos Island | Jan: Peak season | Feb: Not common | Mar: Not common | Apr: Not common | May: Not common | Jun: Not common | Jul: Not common | Aug: Not common | Sep: Not common | Oct: Not common | Nov: Not common | Dec: Peak season |
| Dry Tortugas, Florida Keys | Jan: Not common | Feb: Peak season | Mar: Not common | Apr: Not common | May: Not common | Jun: Not common | Jul: Not common | Aug: Not common | Sep: Not common | Oct: Not common | Nov: Not common | Dec: Not common |
| Key Largo, Florida Keys | Jan: No survey data | Feb: Peak season | Mar: Possible | Apr: Not common | May: Not common | Jun: Not common | Jul: Not common | Aug: Not common | Sep: Not common | Oct: Not common | Nov: Not common | Dec: Possible |
| Daedalus Reef | Jan: No survey data | Feb: Not common | Mar: Not common | Apr: Peak season | May: Not common | Jun: Not common | Jul: Possible | Aug: Not common | Sep: Not common | Oct: Not common | Nov: Possible | Dec: Possible |
Peak season Possible Not common No survey data
Silky shark month by month
- January
- Season starts at Malpelo. Also good at Socorro / Revillagigedo, Key West, Florida Keys and 1 more.
- February
- The one peak month at Dry Tortugas, Florida Keys. Also good at Malpelo and Key Largo, Florida Keys.
- March
- The one peak month at Key West, Florida Keys. Also good at Malpelo.
- April
- The one peak month at Roca Partida, Socorro / Revillagigedo. Also good at Outer Banks and Daedalus Reef.
- May
- Off-peak everywhere. Your best chance is Key West, Florida Keys.
- June
- The one peak month at Roca Partida, Socorro / Revillagigedo.
- July
- Season starts at Darwin & Wolf, Galapagos.
- August
- Last peak month at Darwin & Wolf, Galapagos.
- September
- Off-peak everywhere. Your best chance is Darwin & Wolf, Galapagos.
- October
- Off-peak everywhere. Your best chance is Malpelo.
- November
- Off-peak everywhere. Your best chance is Malpelo.
- December
- Season starts at Socorro / Revillagigedo. Also good at Cocos Island.
What to expect in the water
Water temperature and the suit to pack at the top sites, in the months silky sharks are there.
| Destination | Season | Water | Suit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Malpelo | Jan–Mar | 26–28 °C | 3 mm full suit |
| Darwin & Wolf, Galapagos | Jul–Aug | 25 °C | 5 mm full suit |
| Roca Partida, Socorro / Revillagigedo | Apr, Jun | 24–25 °C | 5 mm full suit |
| Socorro / Revillagigedo | Dec–Jan | 25–26 °C | 5 mm full suit |
| Key West, Florida Keys | Jan, Mar | 24–25 °C | 5 mm full suit |
What else you'll see with silky sharks
Animals at their peak in the same places and months.
Scalloped hammerhead
At Malpelo, Darwin & Wolf, Galapagos and 3 more
Bottlenose dolphin
At Malpelo, Key West, Florida Keys and 2 more
Whitetip reef shark
At Roca Partida, Socorro / Revillagigedo, Socorro / Revillagigedo and Cocos Island
Yellowfin tuna
At Darwin & Wolf, Galapagos and Outer Banks
Goliath grouper
At Key West, Florida Keys and Key Largo, Florida Keys
Manatee
At Key West, Florida Keys and Key Largo, Florida Keys
Diving with silky sharks: common questions
- Where is the best place to dive with silky sharks?
- Your best chance with silky sharks is Malpelo, from January to March, though no site we score is a certainty.
- When is the best time to dive with silky sharks?
- January, when 4 of the 10 best-evidenced destinations are at their peak. It varies by place: Malpelo peaks January to March; Darwin & Wolf, Galapagos peaks July to August; Roca Partida, Socorro / Revillagigedo peaks April, June.
- What wetsuit do you need to dive with silky sharks?
- At Malpelo from January to March, the water is 26 °C to 28 °C, so bring a 3 mm full suit.
- How many places can you dive with silky sharks?
- besttimetodive.com has silky sharks on record at 17 of the destinations it scores. Not an exhaustive list — these are the sites we hold verified data for.