Funny-looking and yet absolutely captivating, are hammerhead sharks. Scroll down to learn about these unique sharks, what makes them special, and where in the world to find and scuba dive with them!

Fun and fantastic facts!

Hammerhead sharks get their name from the shape of their faces. This type of facial structure is called a cephalofoil, and though it is unsure why this has occurred in evolution, there are a number of benefits that it provides.

• The wide set positioning of their eyes gives them a 360-degree vision, which is much better than what other shark species have, however, they do have a tiny blind spot right in front of their noses.
• All sharks have sensors in their noses that help them detect electric pulses in the water. A popular use for these senses (called ampullae of Lorenzini) is to help sharks hunt for prey. In the case of hammerheads, these senses are much stronger as they are spread out over their wide noses. This gives them the ability to not only sense prey in the water column extremely well but also to sense them when they are hiding. This skill comes in handy when hunting their favourite meal which often hides under the sand - sting rays.
• Their flat snout is also suggested to help them trap their prey, such as sting rays, against the sea floor.
• And of course, hammerhead sharks are immune to the stingers of sting rays!

Unlike other species of sharks, hammerheads exhibit social behaviour and even seem to enjoy it. Specifically with scalloped hammerheads, they have been seen to school in groups of 5 to 500 other hammerheads. This tends to occur during long periods of travel, or when converging at sea mounts for feeding, mating, cleaning, and socialising.

These meeting spots are high in volcanic activity and thus emit a strong magnetic field which is what hammerheads use to follow when migrating - another benefit of their funny-shaped heads.

A hammerhead shark can live for 20 to 30 years in the wild. Some species such as the great and scalloped hammerheads are thought to spend their lives in Indonesian waters before returning to Australia to give birth, often in the place where they themselves were born, similarly to turtles. 8 to 10 months after mating, a mother hammerhead will give birth to her live young (which can range from 6 to 50 pups) in safe nursery sites such as mangrove forests or estuaries. Here, her babies are left alone as they are born with the instinct to hunt, and will safely grow until they are big and strong enough to venture out into the open ocean.

A not-so-fun fact

Out of the 9 species of hammerheads, all face the threat of extinction. All populations are declining with a status of vulnerable, endangered or critically endangered, given by the IUCN Red List of Endangered Species. This is due to the illegal shark finning industry, legal commercial fishing industries, and being an unfortunate victim of bycatch.

There are various initiatives worldwide to protect sharks and recover their populations, however, more needs to be done to spread awareness of the importance of these apex predators in our marine ecosystem. Supporting eco-dive operators, doing your research, sharing knowledge, and travelling responsibly are some small ways of contributing to their conservation.

Where can we see them?

This is a list of the best places in the world to scuba dive with hammerhead sharks - the most consistent convergence and migration sites of different species of hammerheads worldwide.

1. Socorro Islands, Mexico
2. Darwin Island, Galapagos Islands
3. Cocos Island, Costa Rica
4. Banda Sea, Indonesia
5. Bimimi, Bahamas
6. Malpelo Island, Colombia
7. North Male Atoll, Maldives

Whether they are schooling or cruising alone, hammerhead sharks are some of the ocean’s most fascinating creatures. Take a chance and book your next scuba diving adventure to visit these majestic marine beings!

Written by Kayli Wouters

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