Cocos Island changed my life. In 2004, as an undergraduate student in marine biology I visited to contribute to a pilot study assessing the impact of diving activities on the island. I had the opportunity to do several dives and I saw hammerhead sharks on numerous occasions. I felt so much energy being surrounded by these beautiful creatures, but I also felt commitment towards them. I knew I had to do something to protect them. From that moment, when that first female retreated from our bubbles, I decided to dedicate myself to the conservation of the hammerhead shark.

The hammerhead shark, Sphyrna lewini, is a migratory species, threatened by human activities, including targeted fishing and as bycatch in fisheries. In 2008, the International Union for Conservation of Nature classified Sphyrna lewini as Endangered. As a result of this, I realised that we urgently needed to better understand the fisheries, which have a devastating impact on hammerheads, as well as the varying interactions and impacts they have with hammerhead sharks at different life stages.

If we want to protect a migratory species, it is necessary to integrate the conservation efforts into every phase of their life cycle. Adults hammerheads congregate in the cleaning stations around the oceanic islands of the Eastern Tropical Pacific, such as Cocos Island (Costa Rica), Malpelo (Colombia) and Galapagos (Ecuador). However, neonates and juveniles live in nursery areas located in coastal waters of estuaries, bays and mangroves, where nutrient rich waters provide food and protection from predators.

After that pilot study, I went back to the university, determined to study the conservation of hammerhead sharks. While writing my masters degree thesis I analysed the artisanal shark fisheries that were affecting the scalloped hammerhead shark in Costa Rica and visited several fishing communities. I discovered that the fishing of juvenile hammerhead sharks was taking place all along the coast, without any restriction.

This alarmed me greatly – you do not need to be an expert scientist to understand that if we do not protect juveniles today, we will not have any adults tomorrow. I started to work on the identification and protection of hammerhead nursery areas. In 2009, together with Andrés López, my life and work partner, I founded the NGO Misión Tiburón, dedicated to identifying critical areas for endangered shark species.