Hammerhead Shark Video – Click Here

Yesterday at the Spawning Aggregation Site (SPAG) the team saw a hammerhead shark! This is the first documented sighting of a hammerhead at the SPAG in the 20 years that the Grouper Moon Project Team has been researching the site.

In the Cayman Islands, long term surveying of shark populations to monitor shark populations in underway. Education about the critical role that sharks play in maintaining a healthy marine environment and the need for a healthy respect for sharks is key in changing public perception to a positive attitude.

With the help of acoustic tags, baited remote underwater video (BRUV) surveys, diving surveys and satellite tags, the Department of Environment together with Marine Conservation International, supported by the Cayman Islands Brewery’s White Tip Shark Conservation Fund, have been studying, monitoring and working to protect local shark populations in the Cayman Islands since 2009.

All sharks are protected species in the Cayman Islands. Their population is fragile and small, making their protection and research key elements for conservation.

On the afternoon and evening dives each day, the Grouper Moon team has been treated to several Caribbean reef shark sightings in addition to the hammerhead sighting when they swam through the Nassau grouper aggregation site, which was an exciting way to watch the food web in action with the incredible apex predators amongst the groupers.

As an added treat, this morning while walking down the dock to the boat, we saw 4 blacktip sharks, 2 lemon sharks, and a juvenile Caribbean reef shark swimming around the dock as a divemaster was cleaning lionfish.

It’s always a highlight of the dive to see a shark and we have been very lucky so far this trip with 20 shark sightings total!

“Sharks are beautiful animals, and if you’re lucky enough to see lots of them, that means that you’re in a healthy ocean. You should be afraid if you are in the ocean and don’t see sharks.” – Dr. Sylvia Earle