Hannes Klostermann Underwater Photography

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  • Hammerhead Sharks are known to travel long distances between the sea mounts in the Eastern Pacific Ocean. Indivuals move between the likes of Cocos, Galapagos, Malpelo or the Revillagigedo Islands (Socorro) on a fairly regular basis. During those long journeys, they often get infested by fungi that grow on their bodies (the blotches on the side of the shark in this picture). Luckily, certain reef fish at those sea mounts provide a cleaning service to the sharks. In fact, most reef fish are cleaners at some point in their lives! They simply eat the fungi off the shark's body and in return, the sharks don't feed on them. This symbiotic relationship is just one of many examples of how these supposedly mindless killing machines interact with their environment in an intelligent and sustainable way. A balance that was intact for millions of years - before human intervention. Today, hundrets of millions of sharks are killed every year, mostly for their fins, but also for cosmetics, leather, hydraulic oils and other things. This will undoubtedly have a severe effect on the entire marine ecosystem - an ecosystem that billions of people around the world rely on for food and oxygen. If we keep disturbing this balance, this will ultimately be our own downfall.
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  • This beautiful great hammerhead was one of the stars of my recent trip to Bimini! Despite their enormous size and power, they are incredibly cautious and can even be regarded as shy. Unlike the tiger sharks at Tiger Beach, these sharks are easily spooked by people not being calm, or even the ever-present, far smaller nurse sharks!
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  • Schools of Hammerhead Sharks are known to send a spotter ahead of the group, to check the area for potential dangers. The spotter will then return to the school and communicate with them in a way we don't yet understand. If the spotter is scared away, for example by overly keen photographers, the school will never come close to the reef or cleaning station. Large schools of Hammerheads can often be seen at the remote sea mounts of Darwin and Wolf Island in the Galapagos. PS: Notice the huge school of big eye jacks in the edge of the frame?
    hk_galapagos_2017_023.jpg
  • Shark feeder Vincent Canabal offering up a snack to this beauty! Despite their enormous size, great hammerheads share their smaller cousins' shyness. Seeing them in direct comparison with the notoriously curious tiger sharks is a real eye-opener.
    hk_bahamas_2018_012.jpg
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  • A school of Scalloped Hammerheads hiding behind some Pacific Creolefish (that did a fantastic job at ruining most pictures! ;)) at Wolf Island, Galapagos.
    hk_galapagos_2017_028.jpg
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  • Conditions were challenging when I went to Bimini in March. The sand there is like powder and countless pesky nurse sharks can stir it up a lot. Without a current to carry away the particles, divers quickly find themselves surrounded by a giant cloud, which makes photographing these beautiful, but shy creatures very tricky.
    hk_bahamas_2018_008.jpg
  • Isla Darwin, Galapagos.
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