Diving in Singapore: The Brownbanded Bamboo Shark — The Quiet Star of Our Local Waters

The Brownbanded Bamboo Shark

🌊 INTRO: Wait… Sharks? In Singapore? Yes, and They’re Adorable.

Ask any Singaporean diver what they love about Pulau Hantu, Lazarus or Jong, and you’ll hear the same thing:

“You’ll be surprised what lives here.”

Among our nudibranch celebrities and cuttlefish gangsters, one creature almost always steals the spotlight:

🦈 The Brownbanded Bamboo Shark (Chiloscyllium punctatum)A gentle nocturnal shark that looks like a sleepy cartoon character hiding between rocks.

With new scientific insights, quirky behaviours and a unique Singaporean charm, the BBBS is one of the coolest animals you can meet in our waters.

🟦 1. Meet the Brownbanded Bamboo Shark: The Chillest Shark in Asia

The Brownbanded Bamboo Shark (Chiloscyllium punctatum) is a small tropical shark commonly found in:

• Inshore coral reefs

• Sandy bottoms

• Muddy seafloors

• Depths of up to 85 metres

These sharks are perfectly adapted to Singapore’s coastal reef habitats.

✔ Why “Cat Shark”?

They have barbels — sensory organs that look like cat whiskers.This led many to nickname them “cat sharks”, even though scientifically:

❌ They are not true catsharks

✔ They are more closely related to nurse sharks

So yes, Singapore waters basically have mini nurse-sharks with whiskers.

🟩 2. Behaviour: Solitary, Shy & Beautifully Camouflaged

BBBS are mostly solitary animals.Small juveniles love:

• Hiding in crevices

• Resting under overhangs

• Blending into rubble or coral cracks

Their brown banding pattern makes them incredibly well camouflaged — especially in Singapore’s darker, siltier terrain.

✔ Night Hunters

These sharks come alive at night.

They use their sensitive barbels to locate:

• Worms

• Crabs

• Small fish

• Other tiny bottom dwellers

This makes them perfectly adapted for Singapore’s mud-sand reefscape.

🟥 3. Where Can You See Them in Singapore?

🎯 Top sighting locations:

• Pulau Hantu 

• Pulau Jong

• St John’s Island

Our patch reefs offer the exact habitat these shy sharks love — low light, rubble, mud-sand zones, and quiet hiding places.

🟧 4. Life Cycle & Cool Biology (You Will Love This)

✔ Expected lifespan: ~25 years

That’s older than many divers who first discover them.

✔ Maximum size: 41 inches (~1 metre)

Long, slender, and very elegant.

✔ Baby vs Adult

• Juveniles → Medium brown with strong dark bands

• Adults → Colours fade to solid brown or beige(Like the shark version of growing out your highlights.)

✔ Wild Reproduction Fact:

Scientists discovered that female bamboo sharks can reproduce even after being separated from males for up to 45 months — nearly 4 years!

This rare ability (parthenogenesis) makes them:

✨ One of the coolest sharks in the Indo-Pacific.

🟪 5. Why Singapore Is Perfect for Bamboo Sharks

Despite being a bustling maritime nation, Singapore has:

• 250+ coral species

• Muddy seabeds where BBBS hunt

• Reef pockets rich in small prey

• Protected marine areas

• A strong conservation movement

BBBS thrive in mixed habitats — and Singapore provides that rare blend of rubble, reef, and mud flats.

🟫 6. Are Brownbanded Bamboo Sharks Dangerous? (Short answer: No lah.)

These sharks are:

• Harmless

• Shy

• Gentle

• Non-aggressive

• Usually stationary

They have tiny mouths, prefer crustaceans, and avoid divers.

To be honest, the only thing dangerous is:

How cute they look when resting like a sleepy dumpling.

🟦 7. Tips for Spotting One on Your Dive

🔥 Check under ledges & patch reefs

🔥 Slow down — Singapore diving is all about patience

🔥 Look for elongated shapes on sand

🔥 Join night dives — they’re more active

🔥 Dive with guides who know the hotspots(Cuddlefish instructors always know.)

🐙 8. Why They Matter: Ecological Importance

BBBS play a crucial role by:

• Controlling small prey populations

• Maintaining seafloor biodiversity

• Indicating healthy micro-ecosystems

• Contributing to reef resilience

Healthy shark populations = healthy reef ecosystems.Even the small ones.

🌟 9. Cuddlefish Divers Fun Fact

When divers spot a BBBS on a Hantu trip, the reaction is always the same:

🤿 “SHARK SHARK SHARK—SO CUTE!”(Yes, all through a regulator.)

They are one of the most celebrated sightings in local waters.

🎯 10. Want to See One? Come Dive With Us!

Whether you’re:

✔ A new diver

✔ A photographer

✔ A shark lover

✔ Or just someone who likes cool marine animals

The Brownbanded Bamboo Shark is a must-see.

Cuddlefish Divers runs weekly dives at Hantu, Jong, Lazarus, and more.

📩 DM us on Instagram: @CuddlefishDivers🐙 Train Local. Dive Global.🦈 And yes, Singapore has sharks — adorable ones.

🔥 Check under ledges & patch reefs

Did you know?

These sharks are nocturnal animals and can survive out of the water for up to 12 hrs!