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Posted on 12/17/2004 8:25:22 PM PST by Mongeaux
I've seen porpoises playing/surfing waves like that many times on the ocean. At times large groups of 50+ porpoises would "shadow" our sailboat for days, showing up at odd times. They actually do enjoy "surfing" on ocean waves in rough weather, exactly as seen in this photo. They also enjoy zooming through the pressure waves around your boat, especially coming up fast from behind, straight under your hull, and leaping in front of your bow. I've got hours of video that would blow your mind.
Never seen porpoises - People go nuts when you tell them you caught and ate "dophin" (fish) and they are great eating.
Sure saw lots of sharks in South Florida growing up; as little squirts about sven of us would swim out to the third reef towing my little sister on a inner tube behind us and we swam over many sharks; one day after swimming across the Intercoastal Canal and back there was a large group of people on the bridge with a monster hammerhead hanging from a hook above them.
The sea is full of surprises; nice if they aren't very hungry.
Right after a hurricane the sharks would come in close to the beach in the rough storm surf after schools of fish; the lifeguards would let us bring rifles down to the beach and pot sharks that would turn on each other.
After a day or so the weather would clear up and the tourists would be wading out on those same beaches and the lifeguards would be going nuts as some brave snowbird macho guys would get swimming way out too far.
As some say, if people really knew what was in those waters they would never dip a toe in it.
Locals knew sharks rarely went after swimmers as they were always out in deep water except in hurricane season at times.
Small sand sharks were common in close and you could just grab them by the tail and toss them back onto the beach.
Extra points for good hand-eye co-ordination doing that as even small sharks have razor sharp teeth and get easily annoyed.
Once going out in a sport fishing boat we did not have enough lines and outriggers for my sister.
We saw a big hammerhead on the way out of Hillsboro Inlet going past the lighthouse.
We rigged a stout line and a large shark hook and a bonita on it for my sister trailing the boat.
On the way back in before dusk we felt a heavy tug on that boat.
We pulled in the line and that big hook was straightened out and Mr. Hammerhead was nowhere to be seen.
A tad large to grab him by the tail.
Ever try using a big ol' truck tire inner tube over a dock piling (concrete seawall) and a parachute rope, chain, and chicken on a big hook?
Mr. Shark will learn to fly when he stretches that inner tube as far as he can.
Beats doing it like those jerks in the movies on the docks.
Only thing that ever panicked me diving was running into a very big barracuda that did want want to simply swim away; luckily I could stay down still and long enough for him to get bored and leave -
How big was he?
Too big and I forgot my tape measure that day.
I never wore that shiney stainless steel waterproof watch again in the water.
I remember back in the 60's we made a trip up to my Aunt's in Seattle.Early one morning, my cousin loaded up his boat and four of us went out (him, Dad, me and my brother). We went out to the Puget Sound for some Salmon fishing. My brother snagged a good one, but he broke the line. The only thing we landed was a couple of sand sharks and my cousin was quick to let us know that they may be small but they have very sharp teeth. I believed him and that shark spening and closing his mouth was all the convincing I needed! I wasn't gonna put my digits anywhere near his mouth.
I am pretty sure that's a whale. Look at the tail: flattened like a set of flukes. Dorsal fin is curved back and comes to a point. Shark Dorsals are more triangular.
I saw those shots of the great whites leaping out of the water and striking the dummy seals. Personally, I thought it was awesome. Very powerful creatures. I try to stay out of their way.
Very interesting stories devolve. We all tend to live dangerously when we are young. I spent my teen years in Galveston and had a few scares myself.
Not shark, but the undertow can get you if you go out too far and sometimes it was tough swimming back in. When I got older I started thinking about all the things in that water, LOL.
Yeah, really. There have been a lot of drowning victims from that undertow, alrighy. :^O
LOL, Meek, remember one time I told youall about being on a 'float' and having something 'BIG' come right by me and I got every bit of me ON that raft and paddled back in??
Oh, yeah. I do remember that .....
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