Hammerhead sharks
Scalloped hammerheads school at Osprey Reef, the Rowley Shoals and the outer Great Barrier Reef, and cruise the NSW coast in summer.
Sphyrna lewini and S. mokarran
Scalloped hammerheads school in the blue off the Coral Sea seamounts and the outer reef walls, with the best chances at North Horn and Around the Bend at Osprey Reef in winter, at the Rowley Shoals in spring, and at Christmas Island. Great hammerheads visit the southern Great Barrier Reef and are seen occasionally at the Yongala and Wolf Rock. On the NSW coast smooth hammerheads appear in summer, sometimes in numbers around Montague Island and the Sydney headlands.
Season heat map
When hammerhead sharks sites are in season
Share of the 24 hammerhead sharks sites with a stated best season that includes each month.
Stated season: Winter at Osprey; spring at the Rowleys; summer in NSW.
Best sites for hammerhead sharks31 sites
Ordered by how regularly the site is dived and how well it is documented. The species is listed in each site's recorded marine life; sightings are never guaranteed.
All other sites recording hammerhead sharks
- Thundercliff Cave · Max 22 m · Christmas Island
- Fish Rock – The Pinnacle · Max 35 m · South West Rocks
- Point Peron · Max 10 m · Perth
- Around the Bend (Osprey Reef) · Max 35 m · Coral Sea
- Half Way Wall (Osprey Reef) · Max 40 m · Coral Sea
- Fish Rock – Larry's Ledge & Outside Shark Gutter · Max 20 m · South West Rocks
- Monolith · Max 30 m · Ribbon Reefs & Lizard Island
- Tongue Reef · Depth not published · Port Douglas
- Turtle Bay (Tongue Reef Sister reefs) · Depth not published · Port Douglas
- Snake Pit · Max 30 m · Ribbon Reefs & Lizard Island
- Egeria Point · Max 22 m · Christmas Island
- Rapid Horn (Osprey Reef) · Max 40 m · Coral Sea
- Dolphin Point (Hayman Island) · Max 18 m · Whitsundays & Bowen
- Carnac Island · Max 14 m · Perth
- Ranger's Bommies · Max 8 m · Ningaloo – Exmouth
- Pimpernel Rock · Max 40 m · Coffs Harbour & Solitary Islands
- Sir John Young Banks · Max 50 m · Shoalhaven Coast
- Raine Island · Depth not published · Far Northern Reef & Torres Strait
- Shark Alley (Hardy Reef) · Max 20 m · Whitsundays & Bowen
- Stanvac Barges · Max 30 m · Adelaide Metro
- Stanvac Barges 1 & 2 (small barges) · Max 30 m · Adelaide Metro
- Beacon Island Dive Trail · Max 32 m · Geraldton & Abrolhos Islands
Frequently asked questions
Where is the best place to see hammerhead sharks in Australia?
Osprey Reef; the Rowley Shoals; Christmas Island; the Yongala; Montague Island in summer.
When is the best time to see hammerhead sharks?
Winter at Osprey; spring at the Rowleys; summer in NSW.
How should I approach hammerhead sharks?
Look out into the blue at the corners of walls in the early morning.