The word around the community is that Martythehammer is out of town
so we're fixing up a little surprise to welcome him back to Dive
Area....

Funny thing about Marty's nick--in my language (Portuguese) the word
for hammer is martelo. So I actually get quite a giggle out of the
idea of a Marty-martelo-head.

They say hammerheads are shy, and I believe it given the long journeys
I've taken to places where they are known to appear, and the distant
glimpses I've had of them. Is Marty shy, too? Do we have to go to great
expense and travel endless hours for him to show us just his shadow?

So anyway, in honor of Martythehammer's homecoming, here are my own
martelo experiences:

The first time I (supposedly) saw a hammerhead shark was at a tiny,

filled-in atoll-cum-island called Layang Layang in the middle of nowhere
but the South China Sea. The hammerhead dives, to be honest, were not
thrilling. We had to swim far away from the wall of the atoll, hang
around in blue water, and wait. If we were lucky (it happened once) we
would see a shadow off in the distance and the DM would excitedly point.
I had to take his word for it.

Then I traveled to the Galapagos with great expectations of seeing
hammerheads (among other things). I saw one cruising around inside the
submerged caldera of a sunken island, but it, too, was quite far away.
I could see it well enough to identify it by the shape, though. It
certainly whetted my appetite (so to speak, since I'm veggie).

After some days we hied off to Wolf Island and nearby Darwin Arch. YES!
The hammers were there, in masses! They were near enough for me to see
their eyes, but not near enough to get a decent photo since the water
was just full of plankton and all I knew how to do with a camera was
press the button. I do have a shot of the shadows of a school of them,
and I guess I could post it, if somebody begs....

So no "close encounters," no thrilling ballet, but it was still a great
rush to see them sweeping by like a huge squadron of raw,
predatory power. (Maybe that describes Marty better than shy does!)

Welcome back, Marty!