So who are these incredibly fast sharks? How Fast Can a Shark Swim? Sharks typically cruise around the ocean looking for prey at a leisurely 1.5 mph (2.4 kph). Usually sharks swim quite slowly, at a speed of about 8 km / h. but during an attack they can briefly accelerate for a short time, up to 45 km / h. The unconditional leaders in high-speed swimming include the Mako shark, capable of developing a speed of over 60 km / h (according to unconfirmed data – up to 80 km / h). Shark Swimming Speed: The Major Determining Factors. Sharks can swim much faster over short bursts when they are attacking prey. The type of shark they are asking for is clearly a Great White Shark. HOW FAST CAN SHARKS SWIM? Actually, sharks are built for sudden bursts of speed usually when they attack prey. Keep in mind that sharks are predators, just like lion and tigers are predators on the land. At these times, they can reach about 12 mph (20 kph), the speed of a running human on land. Some of these sharks have record breaking speeds and clock in as fast as cars. However, sharks can also be surprisingly fast, with some species being capable of attaining speeds of 42 miles per hour. A person in the water facing a shark in serious attack mode has little chance of swimming fast enough to escape. It's alot faster than 1 mph, a human swims 2-5 mph average. But yet you may wonder – how fast can sharks truly swim? Everybody must wonder how fast can sharks swim. The whale shark swims at a speed of 3 miles per hour. Sharks spend most of their time slowly cruising around the seas, usually at a speed of 1.5 miles per hour to conserve energy. How fast can they swim? They help them to swim fast for when a shark tries to eat it they use there fins to swim fast. However there are some sharks that are built for speed. Their speed is the key to their deal meal. Asked in Sharks , Great White Sharks , Corals and Coral Reefs How fast can a white tip reef shark swim ? Because most species fare poorly in captivity, the maximum swimming speed of a shark has seldom been measured. Sharks typically swim with the even, liquid grace of a creature completely at home with its place in the Universe. Large sharks generally cruise at a leisurely 1.5 miles (2.4 kilometres) per hour. The sharks have to swim faster to catch their prey. Below we are going to look at the shark swimming speed of various species then compare them with some things we can relate with.