Located just 8 minutes boat ride from Kuramathi is an amazing dive site, home to one of world’s most extraordinary marine animals – the Hammerhead shark. Hammerhead sharks are found in many tropical and temperate coastal habitats, with several species occurring on or near reefs where they take refuge, hunt and are cleaned by resident cleaner fishes.
These aggressive looking, yet harmless sharks are found all year round swimming in schools close to our nearby desert island of Madivaru. This site is one of the few places in the world where Hammerheads can be seen and we are very fortunate to have it so close. Scalloped Hammerhead sharks are plentiful in this area and can range from 1m to 3m or even 4m in length. A mature Hammerhead usually grows up to 3m while baby Hammerheads of just 1m can also be seen in the school. There have also been occasional sightings of the Great Hammerhead on this spectacular dive site. The sharks may ascend to depths as shallow as 5m, but will descend far beyond our maximum recreational diving depth of 30m.
There were a high percentage of close encounters with Hammerheads last year, Rasdhoo Divers reports, a PADI/SSI/Barakuda Certified Diving school that has been in operation for more than 16 years on Kuramathi and who dive this site at least four times weekly. Rasdhoo Divers uses the Hammerhead shark as their logo, having been inspired by this fascinating shark. For a diver to join this spectacular dive, completion of the advanced course or at least deep dive training is required. Divers wake at dawn and descend 30m into a blue ocean, the path lit by sparkling plankton and hover in the deep awaiting the Hammerheads. Even if you happen to be unlucky and the Hammerheads fail to show, it is still an amazing blue water dive. When they do appear, close encounters are common and the image of full grown Hammerhead approaching you, will remain with you long after your holiday is over! Other places where Hammerheads are found include the Galapagos Islands in Ecuador, Cocos Islands in Costa Rica and Layang Layang in Malaysia.
Fun Facts about Hammerhead Sharks
- Feeds on rays, bony fishes, squid and crustaceans. Uses its hammer to pin the ray and attack
- Typically sighted early morning at around 0600-0700HRS
- Motion is similar to the linear forward intensity of an onrushing truck
- Regularly engages in schooling behaviour of up to 20 or 30 individuals and make long seasonal, north-south migrations.
- Originates from the Sphyrnidae family of sharks
