Top Ten Places to See Hammerheads

1. See Hammerheads in the Bahamas

Chances are you've seen a photo of a whopping great hammerhead gliding casually past a diver on a shallow seabed. Bimini in the Bahamas is one of the most iconic places for close encounters with great hammerheads, which gather around the island between December and April. On the dive itself, divers sit stationary at eight metres on the seabed while divemaster's chum the water, attracting great hammerheads.

Best Time to See Hammerheads in the Bahamas: December - April

2. See Hammerheads in the Galapagos

The Galapagos is one of the few places on earth where hundreds of scalloped hammerheads can be seen gathering around the northernly Darwin and Wolf Islands. While you can spot them year-round, the best time to see huge schools is between December and May. Not to mention Galapagos sharks, whitetips, tiger sharks and even whale sharks.

Best Time to See Hammerheads in the Galapagos: December - May

3. See Hammerheads in Costa Rica

Cocos Island is hand's down the best place in the world to see huge schools of scalloped hammerheads. While you can see these odd-headed beauties across regions dive sites, the best place to see hammerheads lies around Bajo Alcyone, where divers descend to the seamount at 25 metres, find nook to hook into and wait for the silhouettes of hundreds of hammerheads to glide past.

Best Time to See Hammerheads in Costa Rica: May - September

4. See Hammerheads in French Polynesia

French Polynesia is renowned for its epic shark diving opportunities, so it comes as no surprise that hammerheads can be ticked off here. Tiputa Pass in Rangiora is the best place to dive with hammerheads, as this atoll channel funnels strong currents during the incoming tide attracting huge schools of grey reef sharks, mantas, rays and, of course, hammerheads.

Best Time to See Hammerheads in French Polynesia: January - February

5. See Hammerheads in Mexico

Located in the Eastern Tropical Pacific ocean, the islands of the Revillagigedo Archipelago share the same characteristics as Cocos Island and the Wolf and Darwin islands, therefore hammerheads are a given. The islands are terrestrial outcrops of towering underwater mountains, deflecting a multitude of underwater currents that attract huge schools of scalloped hammerheads, whale sharks, manta rays, bottlenose dolphins, bait balls and sharks galore.

Best Time to See Hammerheads in Mexico: April - June

6. See Hammerheads in the Seychelles

The Aldabra Group in the Seychelles lies wonderfully under the radar, despite attracting a huge variety of marine life, including hammerheads and other species of shark, dolphins, manta rays, barracuda, sailfish, tuna, green and hawksbill turtles, bigeye trevally, batfish...the list goes on.

Best Time to See Hammerheads in the Seychelles: March to May and October to December

7. See Hammerheads in the Maldives

The Maldives is known for its big fish action, so it should come as no surprise that hammerheads have also been spotted cruising the deep south waters of the archipelago. The remote southern atolls are rarely visited by divers, enabling marine life to thrive and flourish. The Fuvahmulah Atoll, in particular, attracts all of the bucket-list topping sharks, including threshers, tiger sharks and hammerheads.

Best Time to See Hammerheads in the Maldives: January - March

8. See Hammerheads in Papua New Guinea

Ever seen a white hammerhead? In the waters surrounding Tufi in Papua New Guinea, there is said to be a resident albino hammerhead - although very few people have managed to spot this elusive predator. There's plenty more hammerhead action on the outer reefs, as well as reef sharks, schooling barracuda, eagle rays, mantas and more.

Best Time to See Hammerheads in Papua New Guinea: April - November

9. See Hammerheads in Indonesia

Ever heard of Serua Island? Located in the remote waters of the Banda Sea and only reached by liveaboard, this tiny volcanic island attracts hundreds of schooling hammerheads. The island is surrounded by a sloping reef that drops into the deep blue, meaning currents can be strong and therefore providing plenty of hammerhead action. Descend early in the morning or just before sunset for the best chance of seeing huge schools of them cruise by in the current, while on the reef, banded sea snakes can be seen hunting in the nooks and crannies.

Best Time to See Hammerheads in the Banda Sea: March - April and September - November

10. Dive with Hammerheads in Tanzania

When the tides are just right, schooling scalloped hammerheads can be spotted in the deep ocean blue at Mapanduzi, off Pemba Island. The currents are stronger here, attracting huge schools of these odd-headed sharks and barracuda in the deep ocean blue, which divers can view while drifting along a plunging wall.

Best Time to See Hammerheads in Tanzania: October - March