Cocos Hammer Teaser

Wanted to share a couple of frame captures from my cocos/malpelo footage. When the video is done, I post some snipets.

-shawn

Very nice, the Cocos are my favorite place to dive. I never tire of the place.

Steve B)

WOW, that are a "few" hamers!

I am going to Galapagos in 5 weeks, i hope to see so menny also!

Wow!

that is a lot of sharks.

I just got back from the Galapagos, the action was really good, but no where near the numbers I see on your pixs.

i saw a lot of whale sharks thou.

Nice grabs there Mark.

What a great experience to be in with that many...

Looking forward to a video clip...

Anyone know why so many congregate....mating, eating??

Hey shawn, this is a video forum... teasers have to be moving.

Anthony, it's a migration they do to move to cooler water in the summer. Cleaning stations are on Alceyon. The mating theory was thrown out of El Bajo in Baja because most of the circling hammers were female. Then someone fished them out and now you get 20 instead of 200!

Thanks Doc Watson

Drew is correct but there is a mating aspect to the gathering. The females establish a pecking order with largest and strongest females toward the center of the school and small/weaker on the outskirts. To establish this pecking order they actaully bite eachother and engage in displays or aggression (shaking, darting, etc). As a result, many of the injurys inflicted are in fact from other females. The sharks then must make there way to cleaning stations to have parasites removed by cleaner fish.

Ok Drew...fair enough...a video forum deserves video not stills. here is a random grab of footage from one of the clips...this is not edited stuff but raw.

HammerTime.mov

Been to the Cocos about 10 times and I always go at the same time of year, the rainy season. The rains bring the nutrients into the water and thus more fish and more sharks and the afore mentioned cleaning stations, which are everywhere, tho Alcyone is the best, I suppose. In 98, because of the El Nino the hammers went much too deep and everyone got bit skunked including Howard and Michelle Hall when they were filming Island of the Sharks. Of course, they also went, I believe, in April which was not the best time for hammers tho lots of other sharks are there year round. I generally lead trips there every other year and I never tire of the place. Its costly tho because of the demand to go I guess. In all my times there I have only seen the white tips mating and never a hammer. Would love to get shots of that. If they are mating it is not up by the seamounts where the cleaning stations are, it would be considerably deeper...160ft and below. B)

Steve B)

Drew is correct but there is a mating aspect to the gathering. The females establish a pecking order with largest and strongest females toward the center of the school and small/weaker on the outskirts. To establish this pecking order they actaully bite eachother and engage in displays or aggression (shaking, darting, etc). As a result, many of the injurys inflicted are in fact from other females. The sharks then must make there way to cleaning stations to have parasites removed by cleaner fish.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

AKA Bitch fight!

Ok Drew...fair enough...a video forum deserves video not stills. here is a random grab of footage from one of the clips...this is not edited stuff but raw.

Hehehe you're more sensitive than Kate.

If they are mating it is not up by the seamounts where the cleaning stations are, it would be considerably deeper...160ft and below. B)

Steve B)

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Steve, the new sub on the sea hunter is your answer... you don't even need to get wet.

Steve, dry season is much better. There are no sharks during rainy season ever;) Everyone should try to book during dry season!...what are you trying to do...fill up all the spots on the good time of year...mumms the word!

Really you guys should stop posting shark pics... Longliners can afford internet too and they do search the net.

Seriously...that is a good point. Just as divers have long used fishermen to discover dive spots, I wonder how many longliners are using divers to identify shark fishing spots.

Nice shot there Shawn, yes that is a very good point Drew about the longliners.

We use to have them here but I think they are kicking them out now.

Sometimes when we are out in our RIB diving on the back of the reef, we leave our RIB alone with two anchors, you can hear the Rec fishheads slowing down and comming right in close to us and marking our spot...sure as eggs next time we go out they are fishing it...so we try to anchor off the exact spots quite abit.

But there is good news as the powers to be are starting to put pressure on these people who think it's their God given right to catach and harras whatever they want be cause they have been doing it for 30 years. These are the same people who think that if they fell in the water, they would either drown or get eaten by a SHARK.

Bloody awesome Shawn!

Thanks for sharing and I'm really looking forward to more.