GTA 6 Sharks: Species, Scuba Diving and Danger

Several shark species swim in Leonida's sea, each with its own way of moving, Rockstar told Game Informer. You can meet them scuba diving.

What we know

Sharks are confirmed in words, not yet on screen. Rockstar told Game Informer that Leonida's sea holds several different shark species, alongside jellyfish, whales, turtles and rays, with "distinct movement behavior" for each, and that you can meet them while scuba diving (IGN, VICE). GamingBolt adds that marine life is one of the areas Rockstar talked up most.

Rockstar's own copy leans on sharks too. Its bio for Brian Heder quotes the line "Looks like a Leonida beach bum, moves like a great white shark", and its Leonida Keys page promises some of "the most beautiful and dangerous waters in all of America" (as IGN quotes it).

How GTA 5's sharks behaved

Sharks are not new to the series. In GTA 5, tiger sharks live in the deep parts of the ocean, and being killed by one unlocks the "Out of Your Depth" trophy and achievement, according to GTABase's GTA 5 animal database. Rockstar has not said whether GTA 6's sharks are as aggressive.

The real Florida numbers

Florida leads the United States in shark bites, but the odds are still tiny. The Florida Museum's International Shark Attack File counted 11 unprovoked bites in Florida in 2025, more than any other U.S. state as usual, with Volusia County ("the shark bite capital of the world") accounting for six. That was below Florida's five-year average of 18.

Our take: plan your first dives as if sharks can hurt you, because GTA 5's could, and nothing Rockstar has said rules it out. Stay near the shallows and reefs until you know how they behave, and keep an eye on your oxygen meter so you're not stuck deep with one circling. "Several species" also suggests not every shark will be a threat. In real life the chance of being bitten is extremely low, the Florida Museum stresses, and Rockstar's promise of "accurately researched" animals points the same way. If one species is Legendary, a great white is the obvious candidate given Rockstar's own Brian Heder line, but that is our guess.

What to watch for at launch

Which shark species are in the game, and which ones attack.
Whether GTA 6 has a shark-death trophy like GTA 5's "Out of Your Depth".
Whether sharks come into shallow water near beaches, or stay offshore.

Sharks