Scalloped Hammerhead Shark

Photo: Kris Mikael Krister · CC BY

Small schools of scalloped hammerhead sharks appear along the deeper sections of Matemo Wall between June and October, aggregating in the thermocline layer where cooler water from depth meets the warm surface layer. These hammerheads are typically in the 1.5 to 2.5 metre range and are skittish in the presence of bubbles, making close encounters easier for snorkellers than scuba divers, though patient divers who remain still at depth occasionally achieve excellent views. The presence of hammerheads at Matemo is an indicator of the channel's intact deep-water ecology — these sharks require access to deep-water resting grounds and productive mid-water feeding zones that remain unimpacted in this remote stretch of the Mozambique Channel.