Sharks in S'pore waters - what you need to know

Experts advise on staying safe in event of an encounter following sighting at Sentosa

- Vihanya Rakshika

Correspondent It was not quite the 8m-long great white seen in the classic film Jaws, but a 1.5m-long blacktip reef shark sighted near the shoreline at Sentosa's Palawan Beach on Sept 1 still sparked a flurry of reactions.

Sentosa temporarily halted swimming and water activities at the beach, resuming only from 9am the next day after drone inspections confirmed that no further sharks were sighted.

In a video of the incident on Sept 1 that surfaced online, beachgoers appear in equal parts intrigued and wary. Men, women and children are seen keeping their distance from the animal, although many are armed with mobile phones, eager to capture a photo or video of it.

Online, netizens expressed both concern and curiosity about the presence of sharks in Singapore's waters. Some were worried about the safety of swimmers, while others were fascinated by the rare encounter.

Here's what you need to know about sharks in Singapore waters.

1 HOME TO MORE THAN JUST THE BLACKTIP REEF