Great Hammerhead Sharks, Sphyrna mokarran

Great hammerhead sharks (Sphyrna mokarran) are my favorite shark species to watch in open water. They move with a sinewy grace unmatched by other sharks I've seen in the wild. And, they have that freaky anvil/foil-shaped head. :) Don't confuse these guys with scalloped hammerheads (Sphyrna lewini), which school and are much smaller (and more common).

Two great hammerheads came in while we were at Mt. Mokarran South, and two more at El Dorado the next day. Conditions weren't ideal for hammerheads (current was slack, and lots of tiger sharks were around), but we were still able to get fairly close. To see more photos of great hammerheads, go to my Bahamas 2003 journal (a trip with the Dive Magazine guys, and a few other Brits).