Flowergarden Banks Hammerhead Trips

It's that time of year again folks....mass spawning congregations of hammerhead sharks at the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary.

It's sure nice not to have to fly to Costa Rica or Ecuador to try to see these magnificent fish.

Here's a link to NOAA's webpage about the gardens:

http://www.flowergarden.nos.noaa.gov/

These trips TOTALLY depend on the weather. If its "calm" this weekend, I'm going!

Now the question...digital or Nikonos 15mm?

Cheers

James Wiseman

I think you know the answer -- BOTH!

Mike

Hi James,

Since your post dates from a while ago: I was wondering if you know if there are still regular sightings of Hammerheads on the Flowergarden Banks during the spawning congregation period?

Ever been on this trip? I wanted to write an article on shrimp trawling (wich has a bycatch ratio of 10:1) and take some shark pics, so booked my trip for this month. Unfortunately they cancelled the trip

Greetings,

Vincent

Hi Vincent,

Typically, the Gulf of Mexico is a rough place to go between the months of November-March. If you want to go out and see hammerheads, your best bet is to start booking trips in January and expect almost every one of them to be canceled. You just keep bumping your trip each weekend as they get canceled. This doesn't work too well if you live in Holland :-) Typically the first trip of the year (on a big 110' boat) goes out in Feb or March.

If you want to snorkel under a shrimp boat, that will be even harder. I'm sure that they use small boats for that, which means you're limited to going out when seas are <3' or so. If you just want to see a shrimp boat, then you should go out in the summer on a small boat and you will see millions. When they are anchored and culling their catch (aka dumping the bycatch overboard) is when they are "chumming by default" and when you'll see the shark showing up.

Wish I could have caught you last week. I was in the Netherlands. Where do you live?

HTH

James

Hi James,

Thanks for your message. I already tought it wouldn't be that easy, since I was not able to find much info about it. Just out of curiosity; do you know if they are still sighting large schools of hammerhead sharks?

I am planning on getting my PPL in San Antonio at some point, so when conditions are good and I have time available I will definitely try to go out to Flowergarden Banks (and if you could join that would be awesome).

I saw the pictures of your July visit on your website, you liked it that much that you already came back for a second time

I life right next to the Erasmusbridge in Rotterdam, in the 3rd appartment building on the left: .

Rotterdam looks a little bit depressing on the picture (because of the weather), but when the sun shines it is a great place (unfortunately it rains 80% of the year, which makes it a pretty depressing place to life most of the year <_< )

Next time you are visiting the NLs let me know and we'll have a 'bier'. Also if you're interested in diving the(cold and murky, but very) diverse waters of Zeeland it would be my pleasure to show you around.

I am currently in Mexico. For the next 5 months I will be in Costa Rica, followed by another 3 months on the Galapagos. After that home sweet home again

Gr.

Vincent