Species of Sharks on the Great Barrier Reef First let us say this, there are no Great White Sharks on the Great Barrier Reef. The water is far too warm for them. With that sorted, these are the types of sharks you might see on the Great Barrier Reef.

It is extremely rare—nearly unheard of—to encounter a Great White Shark in the waters off Cairns. Great Whites are "temperate" water predators that prefer the cooler seas found in Southern Australia, particularly around the Neptune Islands in South Australia or the coast of New South Wales. The waters of the Great Barrier Reef near Cairns are tropical, with average temperatures usually staying above 24°C (75°F), which is generally too warm for Great Whites to inhabit comfortably. Most sharks encountered by snorkelers and divers in Cairns are harmless Reef Sharks (White-tip, Black-tip, or Grey Reef sharks) or the occasional Tiger Shark in deeper waters. While a few Great Whites have been tagged and tracked moving into the southern parts of the reef during the winter, they almost never venture as far north as Cairns. You can breathe easily knowing that while the reef is full of life, the world's most famous "apex predator" finds the northern Queensland sunshine a bit too hot for its liking.