snorkelers/scubadivers

steve-o · #1 (**permalink**) 10-10-2006, 08:28 PM

Well I just got back from snorkeling/spearfishing again... I was about 200-250 feet out and I dove down to the bottom(about 12-15 feet or so)... blinked and out of nowhere im guessing a good 7-8 foot manatee came out of nowhere... I came up choking on water and nearly crapped myself.. lol... -.- the water was pretty murky and im pretty paranoid about anything bigger than me under water... sometimes i get scared by large schools of fish.. anybody else snorkel/scubadive? any cool stories?

RevMojo · #2 (**permalink**) 10-11-2006, 01:45 AM

My father lives in Key Largo. I've seen all sorts of everything, but the best were sharks and sea turtles. I've never seen manatees while snorkeling, but have seen them a number of times under other circumstances.

What always bugs me is when you find a shark, come up to tell your buddy about it, then can't find it when you look back down.

MAG_Pythons · #3 (**permalink**) 10-11-2006, 02:02 AM

i've gone swimming with manatees before, it was in florida, it was merky water, but they would come up too you and i have to say that is was the most amazing animal encounter. we saw a cow and her calf and WOW they were so awesome, it's amazing how big they are

very amazing animals

CraigC · #4 (**permalink**) 10-18-2006, 10:31 AM

Been Diving for over 30 years, mostly in so Florida. Actually spent a good part of my early career teaching scuba. I have lot's of stories. What are you interested in?

Craig

Sleepy_FF · #5 (**permalink**) 10-18-2006, 10:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CraigC

Been Diving for over 30 years, mostly in so Florida. Actually spent a good part of my early career teaching scuba. I have lot's of stories. What are you interested in?
Craig

SHARKS!!!!!!!!! my dad used to scuba and snorkel in guam, i loved listening to his stories, but the best of all were the shark stories....
and the stories when he went diving for lobsters n stuff.

steve-o · #6 (**permalink**) 10-18-2006, 02:43 PM

Just anything neat youve seen in the water.. So far I've seen a couple manatees, lots of wierd crabs, sea horses and jelly fish, oh and lots of fish. I still havn't seen a shark and I know when I do see one im going to be the next jesus.

CraigC · #7 (**permalink**) 10-18-2006, 03:22 PM

Well my most memorable spearfishing/lobstering trips were to the Dry Tortugas, back in the late '80s and early '90s. The boat we went on left from Naples, FL and on the return trip we would make a dive on a wreck called the "California" which lies in around 100' of water. I remember swimming down the decent line, the visibility until you hit 60-70' was around 15', and seeing these 3 massive balls of bait fish once we hit clear water. In each ball there was this massive black shape. Upon hitting the bottom we realized the "balls" were moving toward us. Like a curtin parting, the bait fish moved around us as they got closer and the black shapes revealed themselves as goliath grouper (jewfish) each the size of a volkswagon beetle. What a rush! They hung with us for a while and when they finally moved off, the baitfish closed back around them like an engulfing halo.
Craig

steve-o · #8 (**permalink**) 10-18-2006, 05:11 PM

pretty sweet I cannot wait until I see a GG... I live kind of near naples im in Venice, FL which is like central florida on the west coast south of sarasota about 75 miles. Most recently I took a trip to Boca Grande to see if I could catch my self a pet Iguana(lol) and we went spearfishing off some docks at the very southern tip of Boca Grande. For anybody who doesn't know Boca Grande is SWARMING literally with large igy's, the largest one ive seen was about 4 foot, you drive down the road and you have to stop because they sit in the road.. of course stopping is optional but I always stop

basslogic4003 · #9 (**permalink**) 10-18-2006, 05:18 PM

I went snorkeling about 3 years ago in the Bahamas with some friends and my GF at the time. I, of course, just HAD to take them up on the dare of jumping off the second level (flybridge?) of the boat, but had mistimed the swells and slipped off the railing, almost splattering myself on the lower deck

. Ended up hitting the water in a full belly flop

Fast foward through some awesome schools of reef fish and other aquatic, but manageably sized, life... I decided to swim away from the main group of people in the hopes that I'd get to see something that would ordinarily have been scared off by a large group of mostly pathetic, clumsily splashing swimmers. I remember looking down and seeing this huge tractor tire on the ocean floor and thinking "wow, that's a big tire", when out of the corner of my eye, at about arms length, I catch a glimpse of a huge snout and eye..................................................................

ooooh man, I thought, I'm dead and nobody's even gonna know it! I immediately swung around to confront my would-be assailant, to find myself face to face with a HUGE Spotted Eagle Ray

...a gorgeous, deep green with electric white spots, at least 9 feet long from nose to tail. The fear of being arms length away from something most definitely bigger than you, in an alien environment which you have no business in, far away from any other people, is incalculable to say the least. Once the initial shock of the surprise encounter wore off, I had a few moments with the magnificent animal, who had seemed just as surprised as me. It came up to me, gave me a once over, and shot off into the blue. What lasted only seconds felt like a lifetime of fear, awe, and absolute peacefullness all at once.
One of the single most amazing experiences of my entire life.

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