Sharks, regardless of species, typically swim with the graceful movements of an animal wholly at ease in its natural environment. It is aware that it is the top predator and that few other marine animals can seriously harm it.
They can move slowly, pick up speed quickly, or suddenly slow down. When pursuing prey, some species, such as thresher sharks, have the quickness to slow down and change course.
How quickly can sharks really swim, you might still be curious.
Below, we’ll examine the swimming speeds of different species of sharks and compare them to some relatable concepts.
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Shark Swimming Speed: the Major Determining Factors
Sharks are designed to move quickly in sudden bursts, which they typically do when they attack prey. That’s similar to how some land animals hunt, like cheetahs, tigers, lions, and some snakes. Because of their structure, they can swim quickly enough to pursue and catch up with fleeing prey or wait and ambush, like wobbegongs.
Their adaptation to the environment is another factor. Sharks living in icy waters appear to swim more slowly than sharks living in warmer or more temperate waters.
Of course, the species in question’s size and shape also matter in this situation. The larger, bulkier sharks move much more slowly than the smaller, more streamlined species.
Swimming Speed of the Average Shark
Sharks can cruise at a speed of about 5 mph (8 kph), which is roughly equal to the Olympic swimmer with the fastest time. They have you beat if you’re just a good swimmer. However, a lot of the time they move along at a 1.5 mph (2.4 kph) or slower pace.
These fish are predators. Sharks can swim much more quickly during brief bursts when they are pursuing prey. At these times, they can travel at a speed equivalent to a person running on land—roughly 12 mph (20 kph). There is little chance for someone in the water facing a shark in serious attack mode to swim away.
Despite the widespread media attention given to human shark attacks, humans are not sharks’ preferred source of food. Most attacks happen when a swimmer resembles a common prey species in terms of appearance or scent. Swimmers wearing black wetsuits in seal-infested waters as well as spearfish divers hauling fish from the water may be at some risk. Shark attacks on swimming humans are relatively uncommon, and even in cases of significant shipwrecks, subsequent analysis typically reveals that when sharks feed on humans, it is typically after the humans have passed away.
Why Do They Move So Fast?
Scientists have observed some shark species move at incredible speeds, and in addition to their streamlined bodies, this is due to their endothermic systems, which enable them to maintain a higher metabolic heat than the surrounding environment and then expend this heat during high-speed hunts.
Sharks can also stiffen their back tails mid-swing, which helps them produce twice as many water jets as fish with symmetrical tails and smooth out their forward thrust and make swimming 100% more efficient than other fish.
The fastest sharks are also obligate ram ventilators, which means they have to keep moving in order to breathe and avoid sinking and cannot even stop to rest. The fins they require to float through the water with little effort and resistance have therefore been adapted for them by evolution.
Fastest Shark Species
Shortfin Mako
The cheetah of the seas is a large, torpedo-shaped, streamlined, endothermic shark with strong tail keels that enable it to regularly reach bursts of speed of at least 46 mph, travel 36 miles per day, and leap 20 feet over the surface.
Salmon Shark
Another mackerel shark with a streamlined tapered body for minimal drag comes in a close second with burst speeds of about 40 mph, which is much more impressive as it inhabits the colder waters of the North Pacific.
Great White Shark
The great white is the largest endothermic mackerel shark on our list, with a cruising speed of 25 mph and bursts of 35 mph. Despite its massive body, it is able to reach these speeds thanks to its large, powerful fins and powerful lunate tail.
Blue Shark
The great blue shark is a requiem shark and a vicious, quick, and agile predator with an elongated torpedo-shaped body that helps it achieve cruising speeds of up to 24.5 mph and bursts of up to 35 mph even though it lacks endothermic abilities.
Bull Shark
This aggressive requiem shark is just as swift as the blue shark, despite being heavier, bigger, and having a flatter snout. This is because it has a longer caudal fin, which allows it to cruise at 25 mph on average and reach burst speeds of over 30 mph.
Tiger Shark
The tiger shark is a large apex predator that uses its long fins and upper tail to look for prey at a standard 20 mph speed with occasional speed bursts of up to 30 mph. However, despite appearing to swim slowly because of its small body movements, the tiger shark is a large predator.
The Bottom Line
You should know better than to challenge a shark to a swimming race now that you are aware of how quickly they can move. This is especially true if the shark is one of the species mentioned above. Just for the sake of comparison, Michael Phelps swims at about 5 mph, which is nine times slower than the shortfin mako’s typical hunting speed and six times slower than the tiger shark.