We've got ourselves a kinsmenship Dick! I envy the awesome climate in FL. My father served in the merchant marines? Fleet? Not sure as he is gone now, but he wound up living in Key West for years. Don't know why, with the exception of family ties and a blue eyed girl, my mother, he moved back to Chas. and got married. I truly love Key Largo, as it is not too commercialized and reminds me of the 70s. They have an awesome bird rehabilitation habitat there that I was impressed with, scuba diving and snorkling charters to the reefs, great fishing and feeding the fish... giant tarpons! I really get off on that one. We usually go with my brother and rent a house with a dock for the boat trips we take. Maybe I love the place because I met my first and only manatee there while eating my breakfast with the fish. I was sitting on the end of the dock and looked back toward the shore line and saw what appeared to be a large pipe shaped object with what can best be described as a carpet of grass, algea and other growth coating the surface. I got up and walked towards it to get a closer look as it had not been there before. Why, when dealing with salt water does a person's first paranoid thought deal with sharks! Believe me, I've seen some pretty large ones in my day! My first initial thought was a decomposing shark carcass as nothing surely would be alive with a type of plant life living on it! Wrong and wrong again. I took a second look and noticed the round fan shaped tail..... good grief!!!!!!!!!!!!! A manatee! I ran to the house, ripping the refrig open grabbing lettuce, bottle of water and shouting to all with ears who would hear " We got ourselves a manatee and she's a real bute!" My brother and sister-in-law think I have finally bit the big one and follow me to the dock. She's still there. My brother, he's so happy I think he's going to start cry, as he's been to manatee viewing grounds for the past 5 years with no success, well actually he's only viewed them from a distance, runs and grabs his and my snorkle gear. I'm in love at this point. It's a male and by gosh, he actually like me. He likes me! Thick wirey whiskers that tickle and a face that only a mother could love. Gosh he's adorable. His face reminds me sort of like a walrus. He loves the lettuce and greedily sucks down the fresh water. Little too late, as I found out this is a BIG no no. It is illegal. And I can plainly see why from the long jagged scars left on his torso from boat propellors. When I get into the water with him, at first I am frightened as he is MUCH, MUCH larger than what he first appeared to be from pearing down at him from the dock. I say a silent prayer that he is non agressive. I am no crocodile hunter. He was quite affectionate and enjoyed my stroking and loving. I can not tell you what the 1 1/2 experience I had with him did for me. And I thank him for sharing that small time with me. It gave me a better understanding of how precious life is and how we need to protect our marine mammals. His scars spoke more than words can ever say.
Thanks Carmie Jo. I do find myself very blessed. I am a simple, down to earth fruitcake as Jimmy Buffet so eloquently describes. The funniest story that's been told for years in my family is how on my first trip to Key Largo I made the comment that I wanted to bring home a coconut. Sure enough, one day I was sitting on the same dock that I found the manatee, here comes a coconut floating on the incoming tide and made a bee line straight for me. Life is so wonderful at times and very bazaar. I still can't believe it.
I went diving in clearwater with manatees they told us we could only get 20 feet from them but they could come to us. I was lucky enough to have a HUGE male come right to me look me in the eye for about 20 seconds and swim away. It was one of the greatest experiences of my life.
I had the same experience as nay,kid off of Key Largo, but the manatee was replaced by a hammerhead shark in 60 feet of water!!! And of course, we didn't go diving just for the hammerhead, she / he found us!
I don't like being on an island smaller than Manhattan and my idea of going in the ocean is the 'Finding Nemo" submarine ride at Disneyland.
Seriously, I do not get seasick (under typical circumstances) - but I have an aversion to being stranded (on island, boat or karaoke parties), and a healthy respect (aka fear) of the immense forces of the ocean and of its many creatures. I rationalize that my body wasn't "built" for ocean life. The older I get the more I appreciate the view I get from the Discovery Channel.
I don't like being on an island smaller than Manhattan and my idea of going in the ocean is the 'Finding Nemo" submarine ride at Disneyland.
Seriously, I do not get seasick (under typical circumstances) - but I have an aversion to being stranded (on island, boat or karaoke parties), and a healthy respect (aka fear) of the immense forces of the ocean and of its many creatures. I rationalize that my body wasn't "built" for ocean life. The older I get the more I appreciate the view I get from the Discovery Channel.
Sad, but true.
My husband says he is a LAND mammal! Me, I'm half fish.
Gosh guys, that is some awesome tales there. Nay,Kid I know exactly what you mean. I can still see and feel that experience as if it happened today. They seem to look into your soul when they look into your eyes. I know that sounds crazy, but ya gotta be there to understand.
Hey Drimo, do ya think if I wet my pants in the water in an awesome situation like you found yourself in, that anyone but the shark would know? Just kidding, don't get mad. I know I probably did one time. Key Largo is full of hungry hammers, bonnet heads and barracuda. I really would like you to tell the event in slow motion if you have the time. Were you diving, snorkling or just jumped in to cool off? Rogues are scarey, it's like they come out of nowhere. I myself was grazed by a black tip, or that was my guess by the markings I saw in the 30 second interval of mouthing. It wasn't an attack, more out of curiosity I believe. 40 stitches later on my outer thigh , hey I have a war wound. I will point out one fact, sharks have been here long before man and are highly intelligent with more sonar, navigation gear, ect. than what the borg have on star trek. Next time a person goes to the beach and there is a pier located there and people fish off of it. Check to see if they also have places for fishermen to clean their catch. If so, common sense will tell you not to swim any where near that area. Sharks are like pets, they have a track they run to feed and if they can get a free meal without much effort involved they will. And again Drimo, please oh please tell me your story! It's off season and I'm getting cabin fever.
rroselavy, thats ok too, not everyone can be crazy. It's my father's fault and I can thank him for it. I must be half mermaid. I'm away from the water for a week or 2 and I go nuts. I love the Discovery channel myself. Great stuff there. I think Dick has a few tales of his own that I bet would make the hair stand on your head. Maybe one day we'll get to hear about them.
[sorry for the thread hijack] Lol, no I didn't wet myself, but I would imagine others might! I did use about 300 psi of air in about 2 minutes though! Here is what happened. I was on a week long diving trip with my scout troop as an adult "advisor". We had trained and earned certification the previous year so we were all set to go. The BSA (boy scouts of america) has a camp on Islamorada where they run sailing excursions and dive trips from. We were supposed to do 10 dives but the night dive was canceled due to lightning and bull shark warnings. I did manage to get in the water before they canceled it and it was amazing to look down below with the flashlight and see barracuda and other fish swimming beneath.
Anyway, on this one particular dive, I think we were at alligator reef, but I could be wrong. I can look at my log book when I get home if anyone wants to know for certain. The planned depth was 60 feet. The reef itself was growing in ridges or lines, so we could swim between channels and see the life on each side of us. There is probably a term for that kind of growth but I do not know it. The reef itself was neat, but I do remember there were not as many fish as there were on other sites we had dived earlier in the week, such as Molasses Reef.
Since we dove to 60 feet, we needed to do a safety stop on our way back up. I'd say we were at a depth of maybe 15-20 feet. About 30 seconds into the safety stop, something big started swimming our way. When it was clear it was a hammerhead, maybe about 15 feet away, it turned to the right and swam away, giving us a full view of its body. Immediately, our divemaster started to chase the shark to try to catch up, but the rest of us began to hurry our ascent. On the surface, there was the expected "holy %*$& did you see that?" type of enthusiasm while we climbed into the boat. That soon turned into "wow that was awesome!" once we were safely on the boat. Our divemaster said he chased the shark because it was his lifelong dream to see a hammerhead on a dive. It could be an exagerration in my mind, but I think the shark was around 10 - 12 feet long. I've seen the preserved record-setting 15 footer at Mote Marine Aquarium in Sarasota and I believe that the shark I saw was around that size. Who knows, maybe it was the same shark! Anyway, it makes for a great story and it was exiting to experience.
Drimo I am sitting here laughing and grinning from ear to ear right now. Why is it that after a considerable amount of time has passed the incidents can be viewed with much humor and glee. But at the time they occurred, chilled the blood and made us instantly recognize our fragile existance. Yes, I would of wet my pants! Hammers to me are more fascinating than other shark species, as I am awed in their head structure and eyes. They're easier to handle because of the hammer shaped head. I do envy your diving as that is not an option for me. I have always had ear infections, major scar tissue issues that effect my hearing. But at least I have my snorkling. I love you divers when I snorkle. It's an awesome feeling when your air bubbles rise to the top as they tickle and tingle! It must be an awesome experience to get to get a close up view of all the corals, reef structure and other life forms. Here in Chas. we have divers go into our estuaries and rivers looking for mastadon teeth and other fossils. It's not an easy feat as we have the famous pluff mud and silt inshore. That's probably why I love FLA also, clear blue waters from shore and more!
Diving was a lot of fun, but I also had ear problems. I received a nasty ear infection while earning certification. When I lived in Florida for 1.5 years, I always thought I'd get into diving again, but I didn't primarily because I didn't have the time and my wife wasn't interested. For that reason, I don't really think I'll be diving again anytime soon. That trip was over 7 years ago, so I would need a concentrated refresher class before attempting to get into the water. I think I would appreciate diving a reef a lot more now because of marine / reef keeping. That's not to say that I didn't before, just that I understand a lot more the ecology and behavior of life in a reef.
If I had a scar from a shark bite I'd be the proudest person I know. theres nothing better than nature to put you in your place in the world. sorry for hijacking your thread bobby
Sorry for the hijacking to Bobby I didn't mean to to take over your thread. I apologize It was sorta like a party getting started. Actually it's all your fault! If you hadn't got everyone so excited with those awesome spelunker pics! Just teasing. I think everyone is probably getting cabin fever with winter setting in.
what happened to all of the stories ?? i was enjoying them !! keep them coming, i can not change the title of the thread with my new powers (or i have not found the buttons yet).
__________________ Bobby
"I FORMERLY glued animals to rocks" NO TANK RIGHT NOW, but you never know when I might throw one together !! I have everything I need but the time!!
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We usually go with my brother and rent a house with a dock for the boat trips we take. Maybe I love the place because I met my first and only manatee there while eating my breakfast with the fish. 
Believe me, I've seen some pretty large ones in my day! My first initial thought was a decomposing shark carcass as nothing surely would be alive with a type of plant life living on it! Wrong and wrong again. I took a second look and noticed the round fan shaped tail..... good grief!!!!!!!!!!!!! A manatee! I ran to the house, ripping the refrig open grabbing lettuce, bottle of water and shouting to all with ears who would hear " We got ourselves a manatee and she's a real bute!" My brother and sister-in-law think I have finally bit the big one and follow me to the dock. She's still there. My brother, he's so happy I think he's going to start cry, as he's been to manatee viewing grounds for the past 5 years with no success, well actually he's only viewed them from a distance, runs and grabs his and my snorkle gear. I'm in love at this point. It's a male and by gosh, he actually like me. He likes me! Thick wirey whiskers that tickle and a face that only a mother could love. Gosh he's adorable. His face reminds me sort of like a walrus. He loves the lettuce and greedily sucks down the fresh water. Little too late, as I found out this is a BIG no no. It is illegal. And I can plainly see why from the long jagged scars left on his torso from boat propellors. When I get into the water with him, at first I am frightened as he is MUCH, MUCH larger than what he first appeared to be from pearing down at him from the dock. I say a silent prayer that he is non agressive. I am no crocodile hunter. He was quite affectionate and enjoyed my stroking and loving. I can not tell you what the 1 1/2 experience I had with him did for me. And I thank him for sharing that small time with me. It gave me a better understanding of how precious life is and how we need to protect our marine mammals. His scars spoke more than words can ever say.
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I still can't believe it.
Just kidding, don't get mad. I know I probably did one time. Key Largo is full of hungry hammers, bonnet heads and barracuda. I really would like you to tell the event in slow motion if you have the time. 
It's my father's fault and I can thank him for it. I must be half mermaid. I'm away from the water for a week or 2 and I go nuts. I love the Discovery channel myself. Great stuff there. I think Dick has a few tales of his own that I bet would make the hair stand on your head. 
Maybe one day we'll get to hear about them.
I am sitting here laughing and grinning from ear to ear right now. Why is it that after a considerable amount of time has passed the incidents can be viewed with much humor and glee. But at the time they occurred, chilled the blood and made us instantly recognize our fragile existance. Yes, I would of wet my pants! Hammers to me are more fascinating than other shark species, as I am awed in their head structure and eyes. They're easier to handle because of the hammer shaped head. I do envy your diving as that is not an option for me. I have always had ear infections, major scar tissue issues that effect my hearing. But at least I have my snorkling. I love you divers when I snorkle. 
It's an awesome feeling when your air bubbles rise to the top as they tickle and tingle! It must be an awesome experience to get to get a close up view of all the corals, reef structure and other life forms. Here in Chas. we have divers go into our estuaries and rivers looking for mastadon teeth and other fossils. It's not an easy feat as we have the famous pluff mud and silt inshore. That's probably why I love FLA also, clear blue waters from shore and more!
I didn't mean to to take over your thread. I apologize 
It was sorta like a party getting started. Actually it's all your fault!