masterrig 1 #26 May 26, 2006 QuoteYeah those Jets can be a bit peskier then the Sharks. Bobbi ________________________________________- That's funny! Very good, girl! Chuck Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Slappie 9 #27 May 26, 2006 I wonder why chaoskitty hasn't replied to this thread? "Find out just what any people will quietly submit to and you have found out the exact measure of injustice and wrong which will be imposed upon them." Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Royd 0 #28 May 26, 2006 I know of a whole team of dolphins that wear helmets and shoulder pads. As to the intelligence of some of them, that's questionable! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
masterrig 1 #29 May 26, 2006 QuoteI wonder why chaoskitty hasn't replied to this thread? ________________________________ Dunno! I figured, she'd be right in there. Chuck Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
happythoughts 0 #30 May 27, 2006 The basic problem with killing hammerheads is that one of their fav foods is stingrays. On the Gulf coast of Florida, there are some small stingrays about the size of a dinner plate call Bullnose rays. They love to sit in 6" of water, right at the breaking point. These stingrays are responsible for more pain and hospital trips each summer than you can imagine. They once weren't around Tampa Bay. They migrated around from Texas because the diminishing supply of natural predators allowed them to follow the coast. Hammerheads love them. I've seen two hammerheads rip into a school of them 50 ft from shore. On my last dive trip (2 months ago) at West Palm Beach and Jupiter, I saw 8 sharks. Two sets of 3 and a pair. I give them all the distance and respect that I can. A lot of sharks are killed before they reach breeding size, so the populations are in decline. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PLFXpert 0 #31 May 27, 2006 Florida's East Coast, particularly New Smyrna Beach in the best surf spot is the most likely place in the world to be attacked by a shark. I live on the East Coast and I'm not sure if we are referring to the same stingrays as the ones I see all the time are larger than "a dinner plate" and brownish in color. They are usually in schools, and will come as close into shore as one foot of water. It's fun to watch them ride the wakes of boats that have passed through the channel. I love seeing sea life. Paint me in a corner, but my color comes back. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SkydiveStMarys 0 #32 May 27, 2006 "I love seeing sea life." Me too! Ever see a Manatee? I was at Big Talbot Island, this is when I first moved here about 10 yrs ago...I was swimming and this "thing" kept coming closer and closer...I had no clue what it was, being from the N.E. we don't have manatee up there though I have seen them in pictures....well anyway..it freaked me out and I started to hit the surface of the water with my hand to get it to go away...it was HUGE...someone said to me its only a Manatee, it won't hurt you...afterwards I felt like a dumbass and was embarrassed..I wanted it to come back and play, I know they are very gentle creatures...I've never seen one since. BobbiA miracle is not defined by an event. A miracle is defined by gratitude. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PLFXpert 0 #33 May 27, 2006 QuoteEver see a Manatee? No. BELIEVE me I've tried. I've lived in Florida my entire life and been to all the good spots for seeing manatees and NEVER see one But, there's a really great spot a couple hours south of me and we're going to take a weekend trip soon--there's some great snorkeling around the area, too so hopefully (cross your fingers) this time I'll actually get to see one. I BEGGED my daddy when I was a little girl and they had just come out with the manatee license plate to get one for his car. "Hell no I'm not putting an ugly sea cow on my beamer," he replied But, he compromised and got a Florida panther one instead and I was happyAnd I wanted you to know that...Paint me in a corner, but my color comes back. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SkydiveStMarys 0 #34 May 27, 2006 Big Talbot, Little Talbot, Huguenot Memorial Park, are all great places to "possibly" see a mantee...warmer water...shallow...not alot of surf. Big and Little Talbot are the prime place to see them...look for a tracking device sticking out of the water...when I saw one...I thought at first it was a sea snake or stick floating towards me...then I kinda saw a little "bobber" on the end of the "stick" and thats what was attached to the Manatee. Carrie, the sucker was HUGE!! not so much long, though is was long, but talk about wide!! Holy crap!! BobbiA miracle is not defined by an event. A miracle is defined by gratitude. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mike111 0 #35 May 27, 2006 Yer but also there are;t that many sharks left... maybe it is more important to give up something you like to save them from being extinct rather than filling your belly maybe????????? PErsonally i fucking despise people who hunt endangered animals.... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
adventurechick 0 #36 May 27, 2006 Also, more people are killed by dogs and deer than they are by sharks. We can blame mistaken identity though. When one is kicking on the surface, it makes the same freqency as a wounded fish. Also when on a surfboard, one looks like their favorite food... a seal or sea turtle Also, many shark attacks were provoked such as "riding the fin" on a nurse shark, or just seeing a shark and punching it in the nose just because. If you are calm in the water wtih them, and see that you are a diver, they don't do shit to you. Which is why my #1 goal in life is to swim with the great white shark without a cage. Save the sharks, kill the dolphins..... just kidding. PMS #449 TPM #80 Muff Brother #3860 SCR #14705 Dirty Sanchez #233 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
yamtx73 0 #37 May 27, 2006 The best time I found to see a manatee is in the winter when they come into the rivers to stay warm...The only naturals in this sport shit thru feathers... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
happythoughts 0 #38 May 27, 2006 manatee viewing station During the winter, they come into the water output canal for Tampa Electric Co. The water from the bay is used to cool the power plant. Another good spot is Crystal River. That is where my pictures are from. CR is spring-fed, so it is 72 degrees year round. Some are very friendly and love the attention. One rolls over on his/her back to get his belly rubbed. (I think it helps with the algae.) They are very gentle. If they want to leave, they outswim anyone, but they are very social and come up to you. I told my partner, "They are 300 lbs with hair on their back. Close your eyes and you'll think it's your b/f." When I lived on the river, they would come into the canal behind my house with the little ones. In the river, they are less social and more nervous. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SkydiveStMarys 0 #39 May 27, 2006 I looove that side shot pic.BobbiA miracle is not defined by an event. A miracle is defined by gratitude. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
happythoughts 0 #40 May 27, 2006 I have essentially the same physique, I think that is why they are so friendly to me. As you can see from the pic, they have tiny eyes. I don't know for sure, but I think that they don't see that well. If you are wearing a wetsuit and pull your elbows in, you resemble a manatee to them. They get curious and come to see who the "new guy" is. A few of the older ones, are "scuba divers? whatever..." and hang out on the bottom by themselves. Most of social though. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
niolosoiale 0 #41 May 28, 2006 QuoteQuoteThey just buried the carcass. The Port Charlotte fishing captain donated the big fish to the Center for Shark Research at Mote Marine Laboratory in Sarasota, which plans to have it mounted and displayed. full story Weird. Woulda swore when I first saw that story on some other website they said they were going to bury the carcass. Cause I specifically remember thinking "What a fucking waste." Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PLFXpert 0 #42 May 28, 2006 Quote Big Talbot, Little Talbot, Huguenot Memorial Park, are all great places to "possibly" see a mantee Been there. Been there. Been there and still haven't seen one I'm sad I will see one soon, though, eventually.Paint me in a corner, but my color comes back. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PLFXpert 0 #43 May 28, 2006 QuotePErsonally i fucking despise people who hunt endangered animals.... I don't depise them---it's hard for me to depise anyone. But, it really saddens me some people are missing that respect-for-life chip. More than that, that they dont' bother to attempt to comprehend the bigger ramifications of their destruction of such things I stick to the "Man and the Starfish" approach and always do everything I can.Paint me in a corner, but my color comes back. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PLFXpert 0 #44 May 28, 2006 Those are fantastic photos! My neighbor just came home with several, too. You know, I'm trying very hard not to be jealous Screw it, I'm jealous! Yamtx73---that's probably why---I'm not much in the water during the winter months. But, I have done a winter plunge or two for charityPaint me in a corner, but my color comes back. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
yamtx73 0 #45 May 28, 2006 I know the river and canals down here (Fort Myers) are a good place to see them in the winter... especially around the power plant where they can get into the warm water from the outlet....The only naturals in this sport shit thru feathers... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
adventurechick 0 #46 May 28, 2006 Crystal River is one of my favorite manatee spots... I saw a mom and her calf 2 months ago! PMS #449 TPM #80 Muff Brother #3860 SCR #14705 Dirty Sanchez #233 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
leapdog 0 #47 May 31, 2006 QuoteYer but also there are;t that many sharks left... maybe it is more important to give up something you like to save them from being extinct rather than filling your belly maybe????????? PErsonally i fucking despise people who hunt endangered animals.... Well I suppose that means you fucking despise me then. and only based on a light hearted comment. I'm not even sure we have met. Probably could have kept this comment to your self. Gunnery Sergeant of Marines "I would like it if I were challenged mentally at my job and not feel like I'm mentally challenged." - Co-worker Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
