Ocean News

Our Last Hammerheads

15th March 2009

So we’re nearing the end of our time here on the MV Shearwater, we’re currently heading back to towards land after our final day with the hammerheads. Conditions have turned pretty nasty now, there’s a mean looking weather system heading our way, so we’re lucky to get the conditions we did.

Our last hammerhead gave us a parting gift of a very close and long swim-by. There were four divers in the water at the time, and the shark swam up to each of us in turn, checking us out intently, just a couple of feet away.  She ended with me and then turned off  and disappeared into the blue.  The moment seemed to last forever at the time, but looking back at the footage it all happened in less than twenty seconds.

Thanks to that glorious moment, the great hammerhead has now been bumped back up to the number one spot on my list of favourite species shark (the whale shark took its place for a while after our incredible encounters in Djibouti).

‘Edge of the map’ has certainly lived up to expectations. Long may this secret dive spot remain a secret, a haven for bull sharks and the enigmatic great hammerhead