Diving veteran and underwater photographer John Bantin has encountered sharks in all corners of the globe – but very few of his subjects have been quite as captivating as the endangered great hammerheads of Bimini Island in the Bahamas.
The great hammerhead (Sphyrna mokarran) is a true "ghost of the sea" for many a biologist. Their elusive nature and migratory lifestyles make them difficult to study, but over the years, the tropical waters of Bimini have become known as one of their favourite hangouts.
These animals are easily stressed, making them particularly vulnerable to human activity. Overfishing has seen them all but disappear in recent years.
Bantin hopes his photographs will help educate the public and change attitudes towards hammerheads, much as his own have changed during the course of his career. "I've realised sharks are not the undiscerning predators that the media likes to make them out to be," he says.
For more of Bantin's photographs, check out his book: Shark Bytes: Tales of Diving with the Bizarre and the Beautiful. The images in this post were shared by our friends at WetPixel.
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Top header image: John Bantin
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