I was out last week up north and was going along when just in front of me I see this fin pop up my first thought was it is a dolphin but then the tail broke the surface I was that close to it I could have used it as a slider, it was an estamated length of about 7 foot not very big but big enough to make you swallow your shorts, Any way I kept on kiting and just made me more determined not to fall off.
That was about a week ago then this arvo I went out after work wind was perfect about a nice steady 18 to 20 knots. I walked down to the water to take off and there it was ( not sure if the same one) in about 1 metre of water was this 7 foot hammerhead I was standing ankle deep in water and it just kept hanging around the shore line. I made splashes in the water through rocks at it tried everyway possible to get it to **** off, but it wouldnt go so in the end I had to walk about 20 metres down wind to get in the water, there was only about one hour of light left so I didnt want to miss the good wind, It turned out to be one of my best arvo sessions I hardly ever stacked and nailed some big airs, I think I might have had a good enough reason to try a bit harder.

Arent most types of Hammerheads bottom feeders, hence thier shovel like head and mouth on the bottom?

Pretty sure you're right... and the dimentions and position of the mouth is the reason it is unable to take a more than sizable chunk out of anything.

I'm still pretty sure I would go out of my way to avoid proving this theory one way or the other.

Does anybody have any reliable source which disproves the notion that all hammerhead sharks are skirt wearing guppies just out showboating their dorsal fin?

Hey Chop, I'm more worried about he FN bees at the River. Got stung the other day....and it was scarry, whole body itch, swollen lips a little anaphalctic reaction...scared the piss out or me. Anyhow, seeing about getting a injector....never had problems with bee stings until last few years. They say each sting now incites a more violent reaction

I'de rather be in the water with the fishes than on the shore with the bees.

here's the marine biologist opinion:

7 foot hammer is not going to bother you too much. Even the bigger ones don't usually hassel people unless there is blood in the water. People dive with big aggregations of them at spawning time, no problems.

I have personally been buzzed at close range by a 15footer while diving solo on scuba on the outer GBR, doing research.....the thing snuck right up behind me and passed by at about 3m range. Huge!! Like a brahman bull around the middle. Increased the heart rate, for sure! But it did a few passes and then disappeared, I kept collecting data, and am still here to tell the story. I figure if it was going to eat me, it would have grabbed me on that first pass.

The theory is that hammerheads use a very sensitive electro-receptor system along the leading edge of the hammer to locate bottom dwelling fish and stingrays, which is their preferred food. If you get a chance to have a look at the jaws of one (ideally while diving, not while body dragging back to your board...), you can usually see lots of stingray barbs embedded around the oral area.

Pezza, where was your sighting "up north"??

Dr Andy Lewis, Magnetic Island, GBR.

yeah, I know it, I lived in Karratha from 1980 to 1984, and learnt to windsurf right there in dampier harbour. We did hook some big hammerheads on set lines close by.

Gets a good seabreeze, but from what I remember, it is nearly straight onshore at that main beach - is that still the case?

Have you kited around the offshore islands at all?