A low-cost and non-invasive survey technique focused on pelagic sharks was evaluated during an ecotourism cruise on two Sudanese reefs, Angarosh and Sha'ab Rumi, in the Southern Red Sea. The research technology was based on a set of small, underwater video recording cameras and a pair of laser pointers. Video footage provided insight into shark biodiversity on the two reefs, detecting five species, Alopias vulpinus, Sphyrna lewini, Triaenodon obesus, Carcharhinus amblyrhynchos and Galeocerdo cuvier, during 15.8 h of video recording. These recordings also provided preliminary information on aggregations of S. lewini. The laser pointers were used to measure the size of sharks, providing seven total length (TL) measurements for S. lewini (N = 2) and C. amblyrhynchos (N = 5), confirming the possibility of easily obtaining size parameters using this tool. These low-cost and user-friendly instruments provide ecotourism divers with an opportunity to become involved in marine research projects.

During a routine survey, the scalloped hammerhead shark, Sphyrna lewini was caught from Nagapattinam coastal waters, south-east coast of India. It is the second time this species has occurred after a long period along the Indian coast, and this substantiates the possibility of its entry from another place.