What is the Biggest or best thing you have seen underwater

[Deep Blue]

I think the title says it all, what is the biggest or the best, which may be very small, thing you have seen underwater.

The one that gave you the wooooow feeling

[Cold_H2O]

Such a hard thing...
I love our Giant Pacific Octopus. Suction cups the size of baseballs. Shy and gentle.

Then we have the Wolf Eels.. another of my favorites. Heads the size of human heads.
6'-8' long if you can entice them out of their caves. Shy gentle creatures.

I am a big fan of nudibranches. Such variety. Always beautiful.

Chitons, Moon Snails, Sunflower Stars, Plumose Anemone. My list goes on..

Favorite local fish is the Grunt Sculpin or the Rat Fish.

Waiting for the dive I get to see my first 6-Gill Shark. :D

Sorry Deep Blue.. I can't just pick one or two... I am always fascinated by the critter I dive with.

[Deep Blue]

Thats great, tell us all the things you love, I love nudibranch's as well.

[drdiver]

Wow, so many things, so little space. Good topic, Steve. Well, that Caribbean Torpedo for one, a gigantic Permit that I saw in Saba, My first really big Goliath Grouper, my first frogfish, a green banded goby, and silversides in Palancar Caves on my first ocean dive.

[Marvel]

Sharks. 'Nough said :D

[Deep Blue]

Ahhh Frogfish one of my favorites

[Deep Blue]

Mavel Sharks are very very cool, there is something about the way they move

[drdiver]

To be sung to "Something" by the Beatles

Something in the way they move
Reminds me that I'm their supper
Something in the way they eye me

I just want to leave them now.
You know I believe I'm chow.

Somewhere in their smile of teeth they know
That they don't need no other supper.
Something in their swim that shows me

I just want to leave them now.
You know I believe I'm chow.

You're asking me will I grow old
I don't know, I don't know
You stick around now we may show
I don't know, I don't know

Something in the way she goes
And all I have to do is think of her
Something in the teeth she shows me

[Deep Blue]

Love it roflmao roflmao roflmao roflmao

[Marvel]

I LOVE IT!!! You rock, DrD!!

[Parrotman]

With out a doubt my first whale shark. I was not even close to being prepared for what it was really like. I have been in the water on many occasions with reef sharks, bull sharks on a couple of dives, sand sharks etc. Even saw a tiger shark in Hawaii. All impressive and exciting but nothinng like the first Whale shark...

[Deep Blue]

lol That I understand ...was that here your first one?

[sapphire]

Mantas on a night dive in Kona - they were so beautiful and graceful and BIG :) ! A gigantic Goliath Grouper in the Keys was BIG and slightly intimidating... and I also felt that way when 3 dolphin came up and checked us out...

The best thing is harder... I love little things. One of my favorites is a juvenile smooth trunkfish. They look like little spotted swimming peas... I could watch them for hours. The dive I spotted one all by myself was a GREAT dive! Now if I could just take an in-focus picture of one, THAT would be a "best"!

Jennifer

[Deep Blue]

Ha Ha sapphire we will have to try, I have about 20 shots of baby trunkfish .................not one in focus

[Zendiver]

This is a very difficult one in deed Steve. I, like others, have many, but I will have to say that even though my favorites to sit and watch for long periods of time, has to be the Sail Fin Blenny and the Juvy Spotted Drum. But in order to bring out what you ask for in your initial post, "The WOW factor" I would have to say that it was the Whale Shark and/or my encounter on a night dive with the Tiger Shark....both WOWED me, but for different reasons.

[Deep Blue]

Woooooooow Tiger on Night dive .....that would have left a lasting impression,........ in my swim shorts lol lol lol lol

[Zendiver]

Oh Steve, you have no idea. Remind me to tell you about it when I get to Utila.

[Deep Blue]

Ohh I will ask

[wb416]

I think the title says it all, what is the biggest or the best, which may be very small, thing you have seen underwater.

The one that gave you the wooooow feeling

Various shipwrecks... the steel ones are the biggest...

[Deep Blue]

lol true I bet not many people have seen bigger things and you do get the wooow factor with them as well

[pennypue]

Ha Ha sapphire we will have to try, I have about 20 shots of baby trunkfish .................not one in focusI think those are what I saw too......hilarious looking...just these floating little dots that you could see some little fins flapping away on them. And some spots. Yeah, spots. And the way they moved around like little alien spaceships.

Good pick Sapphire!

[Dee]

The biggest was definately a Whale Shark. Lots of WOW dives but one of my favorites was finding my first frogfish in Front of CCV.

[jhelmuth]

Most of the time - for me - it's actually the really small things that bring out the WOW factor...

Biggest with WOW factor... The 'Grove' (want to get there and see it upright now). But I think that will absolutly get replaced with my first whale shark at Deep Blue this year (or whenever it happens)...

[Zendiver]

Jim, Tuesday, Feb. 17th, the Spiegel Grove, then April 15-22, the Whale Shark in Utila...sound good? :D

[Deep Blue]

Well I suppose as I started this thread I better say what I think.

It is very difficult for me, I, like so many others have lots of things I enjoy seeing.

Nudibranch's, Frogfish, Dolphins, they always amaze me, I was swimming with a pod of Spinner Dolphins one day and there was a baby, it was very very small, the mother was fantastic she just made sure that she kept herself between the baby and myself at all times.

Small reef critters, I can sit and watch them all day.

But the wooooow factor, I have been lucky with doing the Whale Shark research, I have no idea how many I have seen, last year alone I got in the water with them over 100 times, every time I get in the water with one it is still wooooow.

When we are trying to find Whale Sharks we first look for birds then underneath are thousands of Tuna feeding on the surface, this we believe is what attracts the Whale Sharks, it is basically a feeding frenzy, and not just of Tuna.

When we are trying to film or photograph we sometimes swim right into the middle, yup sounds stupid, and we see so much, Mantas, Sharks, huge Wahoo, occasionally Marlin, yup been nose to nose with one of those, huge about 8ft, sailfish etc etc the whole thing is scary, exciting, amazing. There are usually a lot of Silky Sharks around the boil, they are very inquisitive they will come and bump you.

Apart from those there are always the ''one off's'' that we are lucky enough to see on the deep walls on the North Side, once a huge Sunfish, Twice about a month apart a 16ft Great Hammerhead that decided he wanted to check me out and came so close I could have touched him.

Oh and I think the most woooow was last year I was at a dive site and I heard a large SNAP that normally means that something like a large Wahoo has just caught something, The snap is really loud, I looked round and saw Half an Atlantic Spadefish floating down and a Wahoo swimming away with the other half as I was watching I felt a huge bang in the back and looked down and saw I had a sharks head under my arm...I was between him and his food, he did not want anything to do with me I was just in his way, he gave a big shake ....he certainly shook me off, swam got the other part of the Atlantic Spadefish and swam off, I don't think My heart stopped pounding all that dive.

But all in all basically the underwater world fascinates me, I love being there, and I am very lucky to have the job I do and to live where I do.

[Red Sea Shadow]

Sharks. 'Nough said :D

Of course Marvel. Sharks.
One scene that I'll never forget was a school of barracuda surrounding two large Napoleon fishes.

[Parrotman]

lol That I understand ...was that here your first one?


Yup! The first one was there while diving with you guys. Why do you think I keep coming back?:)

[dutch]

very good question. i have two wow moments that stick out.

back in the old days, the Patrick Colin book was a bible for us dive guides. the seemingly most elusive creature was the orange balled coralimorpharian (i don't have the book in my hand right now to check the spelling so just be nice here!!!) on one night dive, i finally spotted one, and then dozens. they were everywhere. and on all night dives after that, i could find at least one while i worked at that resort.

but the most impressive and big thing in the water, a baby humpback, about 40 ft long. it was chasing a small group of herring, spotted us snorkling, turned and passed under us about 15 feet away, made a u-turn and passed under us again and then remembered that his snack was getting away and disappeared in the wake of the herring.

[MissDirected]

Viz was horrendous. I was trying to focus in on something, when I did I realized I was eye to eye with a Goliath Grouper. 300 plus pounds.

[wb416]

Well I suppose as I started this thread I better say what I think.

It is very difficult for me, I, like so many others have lots of things I enjoy seeing.

Nudibranch's, Frogfish, Dolphins, they always amaze me, I was swimming with a pod of Spinner Dolphins one day and there was a baby, it was very very small, the mother was fantastic she just made sure that she kept herself between the baby and myself at all times.

Small reef critters, I can sit and watch them all day.

But the wooooow factor, I have been lucky with doing the Whale Shark research, I have no idea how many I have seen, last year alone I got in the water with them over 100 times, every time I get in the water with one it is still wooooow.

When we are trying to find Whale Sharks we first look for birds then underneath are thousands of Tuna feeding on the surface, this we believe is what attracts the Whale Sharks, it is basically a feeding frenzy, and not just of Tuna.

When we are trying to film or photograph we sometimes swim right into the middle, yup sounds stupid, and we see so much, Mantas, Sharks, huge Wahoo, occasionally Marlin, yup been nose to nose with one of those, huge about 8ft, sailfish etc etc the whole thing is scary, exciting, amazing. There are usually a lot of Silky Sharks around the boil, they are very inquisitive they will come and bump you.

Apart from those there are always the ''one off's'' that we are lucky enough to see on the deep walls on the North Side, once a huge Sunfish, Twice about a month apart a 16ft Great Hammerhead that decided he wanted to check me out and came so close I could have touched him.

Oh and I think the most woooow was last year I was at a dive site and I heard a large SNAP that normally means that something like a large Wahoo has just caught something, The snap is really loud, I looked round and saw Half an Atlantic Spadefish floating down and a Wahoo swimming away with the other half as I was watching I felt a huge bang in the back and looked down and saw I had a sharks head under my arm...I was between him and his food, he did not want anything to do with me I was just in his way, he gave a big shake ....he certainly shook me off, swam got the other part of the Atlantic Spadefish and swam off, I don't think My heart stopped pounding all that dive.

But all in all basically the underwater world fascinates me, I love being there, and I am very lucky to have the job I do and to live where I do.

Wow dude!!! THAT would have been a cool experience... makes me want to live in a nice saltwater location where I could do that kind of diving all the time!!

[Deep Blue]

I want to hear the story of ZD at night with the Tiger Shark, he said he will tell me when he gets here.

[underwaterangel]

Jim, Tuesday, Feb. 17th, the Spiegel Grove, then April 15-22, the Whale Shark in Utila...sound good? :D
That would be Tuesday the 21st dear .... :respect:

[Walter]

Steve, that reminds me of a friend's encounter in the Gulf. He was spearfishing. While on his safety stop, a shark came between his legs, grabbed his stringer and swam away.

[Deep Blue]

Ohhh my god, Grabbed his what!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ok just re read it, now I understand roflmao roflmao roflmao roflmao

[underwaterangel]

Steve, that reminds me of a friend's encounter in the Gulf. He was spearfishing. While on his safety stop, a shark came between his legs, grabbed his stringer and swam away.
At least that was all he took... :D

[wb416]

Steve, that reminds me of a friend's encounter in the Gulf. He was spearfishing. While on his safety stop, a shark came between his legs, grabbed his stringer and swam away.

Sounds like something that may have happened to Matt or Fred?

[Walter]

Matt is accident prone. I was on a boat with them once, the DM didn't know we were friends, she told me, "The guy at the back was bitten on the ear by a Remora yesterday."

My response was, "It probably wasn't the first time." Sure enough, it was the second time a Remora had nipped him. He's been bitten by just about everything in the ocean except a Barracuda and a Shark.

Did he tell you about the time he found a large pipe on the bottom? He found the end was closed off, pulled out his knife and started pounding on the end. His buddy found the other end and immediately grabbed Matt to stop him from banging on the business end of a torpedo.

Were you with the group diving with Matt & Ana when they tried to point out a Bull Shark?

[Deep Blue]

Errrrrrrrrrrrrrr

Can we make sure he never comes to Deep Blue

roflmao roflmao roflmao roflmao

[wb416]

Matt is accident prone. I was on a boat with them once, the DM didn't know we were friends, she told me, "The guy at the back was bitten on the ear by a Remora yesterday."

My response was, "It probably wasn't the first time." Sure enough, it was the second time a Remora had nipped him. He's been bitten by just about everything in the ocean except a Barracuda and a Shark.

Did he tell you about the time he found a large pipe on the bottom? He found the end was closed off, pulled out his knife and started pounding on the end. His buddy found the other end and immediately grabbed Matt to stop him from banging on the business end of a torpedo.

Were you with the group diving with Matt & Ana when they tried to point out a Bull Shark?
OMG... That's hilarious about the torpedo!! roflmao I laughed out loud on that one!!!

Bull Shark... um... yes... {head lowered}... since most of my diving is in the Great Lakes and such... I didn't recognize the hand signal Ana was using.. I thought (seriously) that she was joking around and calling Matt a "LOSER"... of course, now I know that is the "Shark" signal... doh!! Oh... the shame of it all!!! :blink:

I have much to learn about saltwater diving!! :D

[wb416]

Errrrrrrrrrrrrrr

Can we make sure he never comes to Deep Blue

roflmao roflmao roflmao roflmao

Oh... you'd love Matt and Ana... just be sure to "kid-proof" the pool before they jump in!! :D

[Deep Blue]

Ha Ha Ha Ha

[Walter]

They are quite a unique couple. I love them both. Of course, I was one of the bridesmaids at their wedding, Robert and Mike were the other two.

Bob, all your DL friends have gotten a good laugh at the loser story at your expense.

[pennypue]

I had no idea that Remora bit!!!!

Where are the infamous Matt & Ana now?

[mars2u]

Well there are 2 stories...both in Palau. For those that have never been, I can say that seeing sharks in Palau is as typical as seeing a boat in a harbor. They're there and there are quite a few.
One of the first dives, we hung out at a cleaning station and I counted 18 sharks circling around us...although there were obviously more since they kept coming and going. Most were about 6-9 feet long and out in the distance I noticed a large shark, but it didn't seem to look like the other black and white tip sharks...I kept staring and saw the colors....yep, I realized it was a tiger shark.
Same trip, during a night dive I was with the DM and we were doing a night dive. Both of us ended up being together and noone else was around. I looked down and saw a 8-9 ft. black-tip darting up and down the wall. So we stopped and had our lights on it for about 30 seconds. I noticed that the shark's fins were pretty ragged. There was a large chunk missing behind his fin and you could clearly see this shark was on the losing end of the battle. It kept darting all over the wall back-and-forth so I decided to shine my light away to keep from irritating it any further. Unfortunately the DM kept his light on it,now I was getting a little more uncomfortable because of the sharks erratic behavior. Come to find out later that the DM kept his light on it because he wanted to keep an eye on where the shark was because he felt that the shark was behaving erratically. Sure enough it charged....I mean full speed to about 10 feet from the both of us...split second...did a 180 and left. I signaled the DM to not keep shining his light on the shark and we finished our dive.

For those thinking about diving Palau...I HIGHLY suggest you do it. Just keep in mind that everything else will pale in comparison...it's got it all and I've yet to experience the rush in any other place like the last 2 trips to Palau.

[Walter]

Living and diving in Panama City Beach, Florida.

[wb416]

They are quite a unique couple. I love them both. Of course, I was one of the bridesmaids at their wedding, Robert and Mike were the other two.

Bob, all your DL friends have gotten a good laugh at the loser story at your expense.

I've got broad shoulders... and it if helped others to laugh... well I'm all for it!!

[mars2u]

...His buddy found the other end and immediately grabbed Matt to stop him from banging on the business end of a torpedo.


Hmmm...Darwinism.roflmao
Reminds me of the story of a lady that dived with her husband and loved to photograph eels. She had hundreds of photograhs taken by hubby as she cradled eel's in her arms like a little baby. Guess she thought she was a pro.
They went to Bonaire and she wanted to get some photo's of Bonaire eels. She would bring some fish with her to get the eel to come closer. She had the eel in her arms, he ate the bait....she realized she had to equalize...so she grabbed her nose....the eel looked up, smelled the fish on her nose.....

...Well the rest is rhinoplastic surgery history after about 3 operations.

Sorry I know that's :offtopic: ...but thought I would share.

[SCUBAJEN]

On my first trip to Grand Turk, we were coming off the wall and making our way back to the skiff, I had my head buried in a coral head looking for small stuff, when I looked up, the DM was swimming like a mad man, motioning for us to follow him, I thought he had lost his mind, then I looked straight ahead and saw what he was seeing...A baby humpback whale! 30ft baby! It had come in to check us out while Mom stayed off the wall. It only stayed for a minute, but it was the coolest minute ever!

[Deep Blue]

Scubajen

That is a really cool moment

[detroit diver]

Not in any particular order:

A huge whale and her baby, alongside our boat in Puerta Vallarta last spring.

A humongous Goliath Grouper-600 lbs + off West Palm Beach

An 11 ft or so Bull Shark about 30 feet from me in 40 feet of viz, also in WPB. Makes you pucker.....

And last but not least, seahorses in St. Croix.

Jack

[wb416]

Not in any particular order:

A huge whale and her baby, alongside our boat in Puerta Vallarta last spring.

A humongous Goliath Grouper-600 lbs + off West Palm Beach

An 11 ft or so Bull Shark about 30 feet from me in 40 feet of viz, also in WPB. Makes you pucker.....

And last but not least, seahorses in St. Croix.

Jack

I've never seen a Goliath Grouper! Would be cool to see/hear one that big!!

[Walter]

Bob, there are lots of huge Jewfish in the Gulf. We can take a group of 6 out to some cool spots with lots of Jewfish. Come on down.

[wb416]

Bob, there are lots of huge Jewfish in the Gulf. We can take a group of 6 out to some cool spots with lots of Jewfish. Come on down.

Is there a particular time of year better than another for seeing them?

I'd really like a time when the water temp is suitable for a 2-3mil shorty...

[Deep Blue]

I agree with everyone that a Jewfish is a Jewfish but did you know that last year the name was officially changed for ''political correctness'' reasons it is now the Goliath Grouper. I Know I know ...its still a Jewfish lol

[wb416]

I agree with everyone that a Jewfish is a Jewfish but did you know that last year the name was officially changed for ''political correctness'' reasons it is now the Goliath Grouper. I Know I know ...its still a Jewfish lol

I thought it was more like 4 or 5 years ago? I remember discussing it on Diverlink Forum around that time.

[Randy956]

Penny's butt in a wetsuit?

Does that count?

[Deep Blue]

Woow WB you could be right I think it is my mind now I am getting OLD lol

Yes now thinking about it I was definatly longer than a year, AGE, sorry

It was about a year ago in on land time for me lol

[Deep Blue]

Hi again WB

Here is conformation of the date you are 100% correct

Name change becomes official: Jewfish now goliath grouper


06/06/2001
by Chris Dummit
boats.com



Jewfish are gargantuan groupers. They have flaky filets. They have fins and scales. They're kosher.

But their name isn't. At least not with one group of scientists who successfully petitioned to have the fish's name changed this spring.

"We've been hearing complaints since way back into the '60s," said Dr. Joe Nelson, chair of the Names of Fishes Committee, which has officially changed the common name of the Epinephelus itajara— or jewfish — to goliath grouper. "I have records of correspondence. People would write to the committee greatly offended that we have a fish named jewfish. I would politely say that it is not used in an offensive way."

Nelson said the committee, a joint body of the American Fisheries Society and the American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists, has good reason not to routinely change the common — non-Latin — names of fishes.

"One of the most basic principles we have in common names is the principle of stability. You don't go around changing names because they're inappropriate," he said.

The committee's basic guidelines point out that names must be in good taste and can't be offensive. However, they generally must offend more than one person, Nelson said.

"There is clearly an overwhelming amount of evidence that (jewfish) is anti-Semitic in origin. It is offensive to many people," said Dr. Gary Grossman, professor of fish ecology at the University of Georgia, "The response (to a name-change petition) was very strong. People that are not familiar with this fish were shocked that this was still its common name."

Grossman and more than 40 other scientists and supporters submitted their petition to the names committee in December, a month before the committee finalized its newest volume of common names. The reference book is published every 10 years and is due in print by the end of 2001. The book's publication was the main reason Grossman acted when he did.

Grossman also pointed out a precedent: squawfish. The name was changed to pikeminnow in 1998 because a group of native Americans felt it was derogatory toward women.

"I thought: How can they change squawfish and not change jewfish?" Grossman said. "This doesn't blur the line. This is the name of a religion. This is not a euphemism or a word that has another meaning. This doesn't create a slippery slope."

Grossman contacted committee members and shared some of the many negative emails he received about the name from eminent scientists. He presented historical arguments contained in a 1996 article published in the Tropical Fish Hobbyist headlined: The Trouble with "Jewfish" or What's in a Name?

The article, written by Richard G. Gould and James W. Atz, states in the first paragraph: "Jewfish is a controversial name. Whenever it is discussed, its origin is inevitably questioned."

The authors cite sources that date the name to 17th century Jamaica. Those sources claim the name was penned because the fish had both fins and scales and was thus kosher and eaten by Jamaican Jews.

The article then states: "We don't think that's the reason at all."

Other sources point to anti-Semitic attitudes in Jamaica — and throughout the world — during that time, which may have spawned "jewfish" to describe the salted version of fresh giant grouper meat. The salted meat would be less palatable, but was commonly consumed by Jews.

Many other fishes around the world are also called jewfish, including some catfish in Australia, the article stated. But in the United States, the jewfish has had proper scientific sanction.

Not anymore. The names committee settled on goliath grouper.

"I became preoccupied for a while considering why" the fish was named jewfish, Nelson said. "In the end, it was the fact that reputable people — many of them scientists — to them it was offensive. To me and the committee that was enough."

Nelson quickly pointed out that the fish is not named after the biblical Philistine Goliath who was slain by David. This grouper has a lowercase name; goliath meaning large.

"We know people have said they will continue using jewfish for the rest of their lives," he said. "All we can say is that as an organization of professional people, we're not blessing it."

The other question Nelson keeps hearing: Will this start a renaming revolution?

"People are saying this is the tip of the iceberg. What about the Irish lord? The Spanish mackerel, the black grouper, the hagfish, the whitefish?... No, it's not a domino effect... We know of no other name that comes anywhere close."

[detroit diver]

I've never seen a Goliath Grouper! Would be cool to see/hear one that big!!
It really took my breath away. We were rounding the bow of a wreck, and this mammoth fish was coming the other way. It was about 6 feet from us!

[Deep Blue]

They are very cool to see I love them

[underwaterangel]

Penny's butt in a wetsuit?

Does that count?
:ohmy: OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
man are you gonna get it! :lurk:

[Walter]

Is there a particular time of year better than another for seeing them?

I'd really like a time when the water temp is suitable for a 2-3mil shorty...

That's a tough order, when the water starts to warm the window for a 2-3 mil shorty is about a day and a half. Summer you won't need a suit. We see them year round.


I agree with everyone that a Jewfish is a Jewfish but did you know that last year the name was officially changed for ''political correctness'' reasons it is now the Goliath Grouper. I Know I know ...its still a Jewfish

There are two things about this I don't understand. Jewfish is not a scientific name, it's a common name, the name it's commonly called. Common names vary from place to place and even from one group to another in the same area. The Mangrove Snapper, for example, is also called a Gray Snapper. Why would a common name be "official?"

The second thing I don't understand is if Jews are offended by the name Jewfish (a third thing I don't understand), why would renaming the fish after a Jew killing Phillistine be politically correct?

[Deep Blue]

Totally agree Walter, It is a very starnge concept.

[Cold_H2O]

Thanks Walter ~ I also can't understand why things like this are a big issue.

[Deep Blue]

This is quite funny the headline is Goliath Grouper but then in the remarks they call it a Jewfish

http://marinefisheries.org/FishID/groupgoliath.html

[wb416]

That's a tough order, when the water starts to warm the window for a 2-3 mil shorty is about a day and a half. Summer you won't need a suit. We see them year round.

Oh... no-suit diving is fine too... just had memories of drysuit diving in PCB and being chilled.


There are two things about this I don't understand. Jewfish is not a scientific name, it's a common name, the name it's commonly called. Common names vary from place to place and even from one group to another in the same area. The Mangrove Snapper, for example, is also called a Gray Snapper. Why would a common name be "official?"

The second thing I don't understand is if Jews are offended by the name Jewfish (a third thing I don't understand), why would renaming the fish after a Jew killing Phillistine be politically correct?

I'll take a stab at this... this particular Philistine was killed by an Israelite, and if my history is correct, there aren't any Philistines left to protest the name change.

[Walter]

Yes, but prior to being killed by David, he killed Jews. It's almost (not quite) like saying, "If the name 'Jewfish' is offensive to Jews, let's rename it 'Hitlerfish, that won't offend anyone." If I were Jewish I'd be much more offended by Goliath Grouper than by Jewfish.

[Deep Blue]

Totally agree, in fact I would be quite proud to have such an amazing fish named after me.

[wb416]

Yes, but prior to being killed by David, he killed Jews. It's almost (not quite) like saying, "If the name 'Jewfish' is offensive to Jews, let's rename it 'Hitlerfish, that won't offend anyone." If I were Jewish I'd be much more offended by Goliath Grouper than by Jewfish.

Much different context Walter... Goliath killed on a field of battle against armed soldiers... Hitler killed all manner of non-militants in concentration camps.... the two are not even worthy of comparison in the same post... IMHO...

Respectfully,
Bob

[pennypue]

Penny's butt in a wetsuit?

Does that count?

Uh Randy......come here.




Closer.





A little closer.






:troutslap


That's only because you were BUG-EYED when you were staring at it.
Sheesh, you didn't even notice that's a drysuit, but then I know you don't have one of those. :evil_4:

[Walter]

I agree Hitler is an extreme example.

[pennypue]

Oh, and on the jewfish thing........I wonder if why Jews arent' offended being called jewish. I hear my jewish girlfriend say it all the time. "I'm jewish." Or, "I'm a Jew." Not something I understand, but I guess in the end it really doesn't matter to me. It's still a Big-Ass Fish.

(I have some video of one behind me. My DB/instructor was in front of it's large gaping mouth filming it. His head would have fit in it's mouth easily.)

[sidwise]

Hmmm.... the things that make you go Wow....

My glib answer might be "the dive boat." In my early diving career, I made the stupid mistake of abdicating my underwater navigation to someone who confidently declared he knew his way around the dive site. After 50 some minutes below -- the last 20 of which were spent watching the needle on my SPG plummet toward the red -- we finally found the boat. Perhaps that was more of a Whew moment than a Wow moment, but that hull, hang-bar, and ladder was a glorious sight. Enough air left to do a safety stop and climb back aboard with a few psi left. Nowadays, even when someone else is leading the dive, I'm navigating. One of my buddies jokingly calls me his underwater GPS.

But the more serious answer is, it depends. As Steve knows, I'm kinda Wow-ed by everything down there. Easy for me -- especially when I'm zenned out on being weightless and part of the environment -- to just hover in a small area and watch the critters.

But there have been a few Wow moments that stick in the memory.

- First Jewfish: A night dive with my kid sister. I'd booked us a trip to Anthony's Key Resort on Roatan, my only Roatan trip that I didn't stay at CocoView. We're out on a night dive off the dock, viz was maybe 15 feet. We were exploring the remains of a sunken DC-3. As we rounded the cockpit and moved aft down the plane's right side, out of the gloom into the dim halo of our wimpy dive lights came a grouper-looking fish that seemed as large as a Volkswagon. I probably sucked down 300 psi on that gasp. When we surfaced, I raved about the humongous grouper we'd seen on the DC-3. My kid sister was less impressed than I; that was her first dive trip after getting certified, so she probably thought all grouper were that size. When I still raved the next day, someone told me, nah, it's just that Jewfish that hangs out at the airplane.

- The first time I saw sea urchins mating. I mean, we know intellectually that they do, but when you see it in action.... Actually, the Wow was more when I figured out what I was seeing,... I thought, Wow, so THAT's how they do it! After the second time, though, it gets pretty boring to watch. Probably only suited to late night specials on the Playfish Channel.

- Last month at Deep Blue in Utila, I saw 4 tiny, tiny, tiny -- the tiniest I've ever seen -- juvenile spotted drums. Never seen 4 together before, never seen 'em that small before. What a find! Fortunately, there was another diver close enough to share that with. She was pretty Wow-ed, too.

But the most honest answer is still, I'm Wow-ed by everything down there. It's like being in another world.

[Alisa]

I saw a school of 1,000 devil rays in Costa Rica. Talk about WoW

Kelly

[Zendiver]

I saw a school of 1,000 devil rays in Costa Rica. Talk about WoW

KellyHoly Crap Kelly...a 1,000. I would imagine that was more than a WOW factor. I had the pleasure of seeing 5 flying in formation on the East Bank of the Flower Gardens year before last and totally WOW'ed me. I got about 30 seconds of video of them as I have never seen them in formation quite like that. I showed it to everyone on the boat but a few and they asked to view it later. So I cued it up and had it ready for them. An hour later it was time for my dive and guess what stupid thing I did? I forget to fast-forward it before putting the camera back in my housing...DOH! I shot right over it.

That must have been simply amazing to see that many all at one time.

[Shamu]

An Orca -- and I touched it too. Okay, so his name was Shamu, and he was in captivity, but it was still cool.

[Alisa]

Holy Crap Kelly...a 1,000. I would imagine that was more than a WOW factor. I had the pleasure of seeing 5 flying in formation on the East Bank of the Flower Gardens year before last and totally WOW'ed me. I got about 30 seconds of video of them as I have never seen them in formation quite like that. I showed it to everyone on the boat but a few and they asked to view it later. So I cued it up and had it ready for them. An hour later it was time for my dive and guess what stupid thing I did? I forget to fast-forward it before putting the camera back in my housing...DOH! I shot right over it.

That must have been simply amazing to see that many all at one time.

I said to the divemaster when we came up "Just how many were there?" You know it's for real when that was the # he gave, not me! I kept looking and looking and I was trying to figure out how many there were. I started with 200 and started laughing cause I knew there was way more than that. I just couldn't come up with any # that didn't seem ridiculously low. So I stopped guessing.

We saw quite a show on the SI as the Devil Rays were jumping out of the water feeding. I've never seen them breach like that. And the best part of the story? That dive was never supposed to happen. I had a reg hose blow before my first dive that day and the staff were so excellent and concerned that I have fun that not only did they come out on another boat to bring me a rental, but they also threw in an afternoon dive to make up for my missed one. That dive was the one I mentioned! I'll never forget it. That was my b/f Mike's 1st ocean dives too!

Kelly

PS I'll have to see if I can find a pic.....

[Deep Blue]

Alisa

That is SOOOOOOO cool

[Zendiver]

That is awesome Kelly. Now that you have spoiled Mike with salt water diving for his first dive, I hope his expectations were not built up so high. :)

Looking forward to the pictures.

[Bratface]

I went to Bonaire right after being certified. We were in a small boat, only 6 of us, when we came across a pod of pilot whales. We drifted with them for about an hour. There were about 30 whales from the new baby to the granddad. It was the most wonderful experience.

[BlueDolphin]

Oh, and on the jewfish thing........I wonder if why Jews arent' offended being called jewish. I hear my jewish girlfriend say it all the time. "I'm jewish." Or, "I'm a Jew." Not something I understand, but I guess in the end it really doesn't matter to me. It's still a Big-Ass Fish.




Being a MOT, I am not sure what you mean?

[pennypue]

Being a MOT, I am not sure what you mean?
What's an MOT.

Basically, I don't get why a fish being called a Jew is bad. It's a cool looking fish. I also wonder if the French are insulted by french fries, french toast and french vanilla ice cream. ::p:

[BlueDolphin]

What's an MOT.

Basically, I don't get why a fish being called a Jew is bad. It's a cool looking fish. I also wonder if the French are insulted by french fries, french toast and french vanilla ice cream. ::p:


MOT = Member of the Tribe (if you need more info PM me as it borders on religion)

I don't think the name of the fish is is offensive at all.

[pennypue]

MOT = Member of the Tribe (if you need more info PM me as it borders on religion)

I don't think the name of the fish is is offensive at all.

LOL. I'll keep you in in mind for my inquiring-minds-want-to-know questions, that is if you don't mind!

I'd really be curious to find someone that does find it offensive. It would be good to hear what their perspective on the name is. I don't like to blithely go about saying something that I think is okay, and later find out that it's not. Been there, was just culturally unaware of the situation.

In the meantime, I still must say that fish was incredible. Does anyone know how to pick a still photo off of a dvd? I have video of it, but I'm clueless on how to get it off the dvd. The fish doesn't look nearly as awesome on video as it did in person, but it's still neat.

[scubajim]

Hey Pue, did you see the same one I saw.......It was big and awesome

[drdiver]

Well, I've never heard anyone who found Jewfish offensive. It's just all part of this desire to blend the world into a homogeneous lump under the illusion that this will somehow fix all the world's problems. Actually a supreme act of hubris in my humble opinion. Speaking as a Kraut Texican and supporter of Kinky Friedman.

[detroit diver]

Well, I've never heard anyone who found Jewfish offensive. It's just all part of this desire to blend the world into a homogeneous lump under the illusion that this will somehow fix all the world's problems. Actually a supreme act of hubris in my humble opinion. Speaking as a Kraut Texican and supporter of Kinky Friedman.

How many Jewish people have you dove with?

[pennypue]

Hey Pue, did you see the same one I saw.......It was big and awesomeDunno Jim, but this fish was on a different trip. It was in '04. I was with my instructor that just loves to shoot video of everything.:)

[drdiver]

Originally Posted by drdiver
Well, I've never heard anyone who found Jewfish offensive. It's just all part of this desire to blend the world into a homogeneous lump under the illusion that this will somehow fix all the world's problems. Actually a supreme act of hubris in my humble opinion. Speaking as a Kraut Texican and supporter of Kinky Friedman.

How many Jewish people have you dove with?

Three or four, that I knew they were (two on the Utila trip last year). I've had several discussions with ichthyologists (one of whom was Jewish) and they certainly thought the name change was ridiculous and had never heard anyone object to the name "Jewfish".

[drdiver]

For those who are interested, here is the American Fisheries Association's official statement on the name change.
http://www.fisheries.org/html/fisheries/archive/F0105p31.PDF

[Shamu]

:::grabbing mye cutlass and joyenin' that limey DrDiver in his thread hijackin':::

I think we should change the name of the monkfish lest we offend any Catholic friars!

[drdiver]

Arrrggghh, not to mention cardinal fish, the mythical bishop fish, Moorish idols,
nurse sharks, doctor and surgeonfish....

and dare we mention that most politically incorrect,

the slippery dick?

[Walter]

Actually, the most politically incorrect is the Coney. No, I'm not going to tell you what my fish ID book from the '50s calls it.

[drdiver]

Actually, the most politically incorrect is the Coney. No, I'm not going to tell you what my fish ID book from the '50s calls it.

roflmao roflmao roflmao :pyrate: :pyrate: :pyrate:


Good one, Walter!!!

[adurso]

The best thing I ever saw underwater was my family......