BajaNomad

Hammerheads

Ken Bondy - 4-11-2007 at 07:53 AM













[Edited on 4-11-2007 by Ken Bondy]

Bajalero - 4-11-2007 at 08:08 AM

Pretty up close and personal there Ken. I especially like the second frame. Where were these taken?

Never payed much attention to the scalloping on the leading edge of their eye exstensions before . I wonder if there is a hydrodynamic advantage there somewhere.

baitcast - 4-11-2007 at 09:24 AM

Ken that brings to mind a run in with one of these guys,right in front of Alfies when there wasn,t anything there but a couple of shacks,anyway we were my small tin boat looking for corvina when we look up and here is a 8 or 9ft. hammerhead completly out of the water ROLLING around in the sand,we got very close trying to find out why,he paid no mind to us.
After a bit he just rolled back into the water and disappeared,only thing we could figure was he was knocking off parasites.
BAITCAST

Bajagypsy - 4-11-2007 at 09:25 AM

Cool pictures, you amaze me with the wildlife you photograph. Thanks for sharing.

Ken Bondy - 4-11-2007 at 09:40 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by Bajalero
Pretty up close and personal there Ken. I especially like the second frame. Where were these taken?

Never payed much attention to the scalloping on the leading edge of their eye exstensions before . I wonder if there is a hydrodynamic advantage there somewhere.


The first one was from Wolf Island in the Galapagos; all the rest were from Cocos Island in Costa Rica. I have always thought the "hammer" served two purposes, first it improves their peripheral vision and depth perception, second it provides some aerodynamic benefit, increases lift resulting in less swimming effort, like an airfoil or a "cunard" in some airplanes with forward control surfaces.

not to close

baitcast - 4-11-2007 at 09:42 AM

Ken come sept. these will look like pups to you:lol:

And I would not recommend close ups unless behind the cage:lol::lol::lol:
BAITCAST
looking forward to your trip!

Ken Bondy - 4-11-2007 at 09:50 AM

baitcast - me too!! Can't wait to see those whites :)

Pompano - 4-11-2007 at 10:05 AM

Great photos, Ken...as usual. Looking at these is ALMOST as good as being there.

I was wondering if the vast schools of hammerheads still put on a good show over their southern Cortez undersea mounts off of La Paz areas? Also, are those scalloped hammerheads of the Galapagos Islands a different species than our Cortez 15-footers? I have never noticed that scalloped feature here.

Ken Bondy - 4-11-2007 at 10:26 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by Pompano
Great photos, Ken...as usual. Looking at these is ALMOST as good as being there.

I was wondering if the vast schools of hammerheads still put on a good show over their southern Cortez undersea mounts off of La Paz areas? Also, are those scalloped hammerheads of the Galapagos Islands a different species than our Cortez 15-footers? I have never noticed that scalloped feature here.


Thanks Pompano. They are the same species, scalloped hammerhead, Sphyrna lewini. They are the only hammerhead species that is often found in large schools. Based on my personal experience over about 25 years at the southern SOC sites like El Bajo and Las Animas there has been a dramatic decrease in the numbers of hammerheads seen.

[Edited on 4-11-2007 by Ken Bondy]

great shots as always THX

baitcast - 4-11-2007 at 11:01 AM

The baja norte SOC was I found to be chucked full of sharks in the early 60,s,they were inshore,off shore everywhere,I lost track off the times I would look up and see a big sucker come flying out of the water with my yt jig in his mouth,the shark fishing camps south of BOLA I have read took out a 100,000 a year in the 70,s and 80,s,till the collapse.
BAITCAST
Sorry Ken I just happened to think of this and it just popped out,great shots as always,will shut up now.

Bajagypsy - 4-11-2007 at 06:03 PM

Mr. Bajagypsy says "I'll be your best buddy, I'll buy you candy, if you will take me along on your adventures" (if you don't like candy, he says he will buy you beer!)

Ken Bondy - 4-12-2007 at 07:35 AM

Beer works. Next big trip is to see the great white sharks at Guadalupe Island in September. Tell him to get certified (if he's not) and my favorite is Pacifico :).

++Ken++

Bajagypsy - 4-12-2007 at 07:44 AM

Actually Mr. Gypsy is working on getting his Dive Masters as we speak!!!

bajajudy - 4-12-2007 at 08:31 AM

It is certainly startling to see these guys in the water.
I used to snorkel with them in Rangiroa. They always stayed down below us but to look down and see them scared the "you know what" out of some of the tourists.



After a closer look, I dont think that the ones I saw were exactly like these. I dont remember the scalloping on the heads.

[Edited on 4-12-2007 by bajajudy]

BirdDog - 4-12-2007 at 09:28 AM

Awesome pics Ken. Please keep them coming. Makes me feel like I'm at the ocean and not in the snow of Iowa.

Don Alley - 4-12-2007 at 10:18 AM

Great pics!

Sharks have sensory organs on their heads. The shape of a hammerhead's head allows for a greater spread of these organs that detect electrical energy from potential prey. Also, the spread out nostrils increase the shark's sense of smell, perhaps much like the large noses of a bloodhound. And their is also an aerodynamic shape, like a wing.

fdt - 4-12-2007 at 11:21 AM

Beautiful, I specialy like the first one.

Cypress - 4-12-2007 at 12:38 PM

Hammerheads can be very fast when they want to.:yes:

Sharksbaja - 4-12-2007 at 01:14 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Don Alley
Sharks have sensory organs on their heads. Also, the spread out nostrils increase the shark's sense of smell, perhaps much like the large noses of a bloodhound. And their is also an aerodynamic shape, like a wing. [/quote

It's all true and I take it very personal.jeje :lol:

Awesome Ken, you're a lucky man.

I remember clearly the day last year when I stumbled upon a pile of HH heads at least 6ft in diameter. Must of been hundreds in this secluded area of the Bay of Conception.
Long-liners have reduced all shark populations in the sea. Too bad they can't enforce laws put in place years ago to save the bay. I have heard numerous stories regarding poachers and long-liners. I also found half dozen or so turtle shells not more than a 1/4 mile from the Mulege lighthouse. That makes me sick.

Capt. George - 4-12-2007 at 02:15 PM

Florida has two species, the hammerhead and Great Hammerhead and it is just that!

they'll dine on hundred pound tarpon. My brother had an eighty punder on a fly rod, seen a great coming in, and cut the tarpon free...did the tarpon no good. That hammer played with it like a cat with a mouse....a scary sight indeed.

that 80 lb tarpon looked like a bunker it that sharks face...yeehah. I've been within 30 ft of them, they are LARGE, quiet and fast!

thanks for the photos Ken, always enjoyable. cap'n g

Capt. George - 4-12-2007 at 03:53 PM

lots of them at the Bahia Honda Channel down in the Keys in June..also loaded with bull sharks, talk about bad news!!!

my buddy was boating a 80 lber in that area, as he was hauling it up to remove hook, a shark simply slid up the fish and bit it off at the gills! Needless to say, he didn't dive for lobster for a long time.......

there were great times in the Keys, still to be had, just got too crowded for me to handle...guided there for about 8 years...bonefish on the flats still my favorite all time fishing...........

stored in the memory bank with so many other incredible sights....

Ken Bondy - 4-12-2007 at 04:20 PM

Speaking of sharks, about 20 years ago, when there were lots of them in the Sea of Cortez, we were into a good school of yellowfin tuna at Punta San Francisquito. My son Dirk was fighting a good-sized fish when the line went slack, but not completely dead, and he pulled in in this large yellowfin head. Notice the surgical precision of the cut. This was probably done by a thresher, there were lots of them jumping on that day.

cpg - 4-12-2007 at 08:11 PM

That is a cool photo! What is that little shack in the back there?

Ken Bondy - 4-12-2007 at 08:19 PM

cpg, I think that's where they kept a small desalinator.