Scalloped hammerhead shark

Photo: Kris Mikael Krister · CC BY

One of the ocean's most visually striking apex predators, scalloped hammerheads aggregate in the currents off Tubbataha's northern wall during the liveaboard season. Their uniquely shaped cephalofoil gives them exceptional electroreception, allowing them to detect prey buried in sand at depth. Schools of hammerheads — from a handful to dozens — are a defining pelagic encounter at this site and represent one of the best chances in Southeast Asia to see them reliably at recreational depths. Critically endangered globally due to the fin trade.