Best places to dive with Scalloped hammerhead shark

The Banda Islands were designated an Important Shark and Ray Area in 2024 specifically for these aggregations. Groups of 80-200 are reported at Hatta and Suanggi, and 10-35 at Run and Ai; aggregations of 10-35 were recorded on each of 13 dives around Hatta between October 2022 and October 2023. Smaller groups are seen year-round, but the larger aggregations operators target are reported only from mid-September to early December. The IUCN factsheet classes them as 'undefined aggregations' — nobody yet knows what drives them — and warm water in the supposed season can mean no sharks at all. Operator claims of 70-90% encounter rates are marketing, not data. When they show, they are usually deep and at the edge of visibility rather than close in.

The marquee species. Schools are seen over seamounts and at cleaning stations across the year; sources agree the largest aggregations, sometimes 100 to 500+ individuals, form in the late rainy season, roughly August to October. IUCN lists the species as Critically Endangered.

Schools at Protea Banks in the warmer months (roughly spring and summer); source windows vary.

The reason anyone flew out here. The IUCN Shark Specialist Group's Important Shark and Ray Area assessment for Layang-Layang describes predictable aggregations from March to September, peaking March to May, of up to about 40 animals with an average of around 20 — sizeable, but not the hundred-strong walls of sharks the marketing implies. Sightings are off the drop-offs at Gorgonian Forest, Navigator's Lane and D'Wall, usually deep and in blue water, and plenty of divers logged a full week without one. Sightings are commonly reported in April and May specifically; the resort added a 10% surcharge to April departures. October to February ratings reflect an absence of observation, not an absence of sharks — nobody dives the atoll then.

Schools concentrate at Jackson Reef in the Straits of Tiran and around Ras Mohammed in summer, roughly July to September. Sightings mean handling current in the blue and are never guaranteed.

Schools are present year-round at Wolf, Darwin, Gordon Rocks and Kicker Rock. Sources genuinely conflict on the densest months — warm-season (calmer, clearer) versus cool-season upwelling — so this is coded reliable year-round rather than a single peak.

A pelagic-season chance (roughly September-November) when cold upwelling is strongest; sightings are uncommon and depend on conditions and depth.

A seasonal bonus at Kimud Shoal, December–April and peaking March–April, when schools may appear at dawn — but sightings have become rare and unreliable in recent years.

Occasional on the deep sites (Peleliu, deep Blue Corner) early in the morning, a little more likely March–April.

Possible in suitable habitat; no unsupported monthly peak is applied.

Occasional at South Point, more likely with cooler mid-year upwelling; never reliable (Sipadan closed in November).

Schools pass by at the edge of visibility, most consistently around Roca Partida and Cabo Pearce, throughout the operating season.

Reported mainly April–June, often on deeper walls and at the South Atoll, but sightings are unpredictable and never guaranteed.

Listed by park management among species present and reported occasionally from Apo 29 and the northern wall, but there is no sighting-rate data behind it. Several dive-guide sites advertise a November-March window; that claim is not corroborated by any survey source, so hammerheads are coded rare year-round here. Do not book a trip on them.

Possible in suitable habitat; no unsupported monthly peak is applied.

Hammerheads are reported occasionally at Manta Bowl and in Ticao Pass but are far from reliable — treat as a rare bonus, not a target. Requires the offshore dive.

Schools of 30–60 have been documented, mainly February–May and October–December, but sightings are opportunistic and often require exposed blue-water conditions.

Possible in suitable habitat; no unsupported peak is applied.

A sought target at Gordo Banks, but many dives see none.

Cabilao's Shark Point built its name on winter schools of scalloped hammerheads at 40–45m between roughly December and April, historically reported at dozens to a hundred animals. That is now largely a historical claim: diver reports on ScubaBoard from 2017 onwards state the sharks were fished out and advise visitors not to expect them, while some operator pages still advertise the season. Coded rare in the old December–March window and effectively absent otherwise. Do not plan a trip around them.