story time

[Ridgeback]

Anyone have fun with animals stories?-seals,sea lions,otters stingrays,sharks,eels,ect. its a wild world

[JonS]

Anyone have fun with animals stories?-seals,sea lions,otters stingrays,sharks,eels,ect. its a wild world

Wish I had some fun ones. Growing up on a commercial fishing vessel there are lots of stories, but not much fun for the animals...

[carpjaws]

surfing off a remote but well deserved nor' cal river mouth -inside the red triangle- my bro's and i were visited by our larger mammal brethren...oh, i forgot to mention it was chub season of late summer...this is about the view we saw of him/her...more "tales" later

[GRINDER]

I Was Once Surfing At Silver Strand When A Grey Whale Came In Close. It Was Between The Breakwater And South Jetty When It
Took A Dive And I Was Not Sure Were It Went.(it Looked Like It Was
Headed Inside The Harbour)

The Most Scared Was When Surfing The Lane And Those Sea Lions On
The Outside Rock Bark At Ya And Jump In The Water.

[Ridgeback]

surfing off a remote but well deserved nor' cal river mouth -inside the red triangle- my bro's and i were visited by our larger mammal brethren...oh, i forgot to mention it was chub season of late summer...this is about the view we saw of him/her...more "tales" later

Last summer I surfed the mouthof the Klamoth alone a little concerned about whitey- if I knew those were out there too I would have had to sleep in.

[carpjaws]

kicking spawning salmon out of the way, trekking across the shallows to jumping off the deep end...goose bumps

[JonS]

Back in '86 during a flat spell my brother and a friend and I were drifting for halibut in about 10 feet of water up at The Ranch (Ranch House) when all of a sudden an estimated 250-300 lb. Giant (Black) Sea Bass came up behind the boat right below the surface and stayed there staring at us for at least a minute before kicking its tail and taking off.

www.californiafish.org/gbsbass.htm

http://www.californiafish.org/giant1.jpg

[surfista]

Some friends and I were surfing St. An's up in Pismo around Christmas. This little otter adopted us, and frolicked in the waves, and impressed us with his fishing skills.

Down he'd go. Up he'd come with a starfish. Then he'd eat it. Down he'd go. Up he'd come with a li'l fish. Then he'd eat it. Down he'd go. Up he'd come with A LIVE FUCKING OCTOPUS.

Then he'd engage in mortal Kombat with it.

I shrieked to my friends: YOU'VE GOT TO COME SEE THIS!!! He was about 4-5 ' from me and as he's trying to gnarl the damn thing, I can HEAR the tentacles slapping him in the face. Poor Octopus vainly attempting to fight for his life. Otter tenaciously holding it in his oral death grip, shaking his head like a dog with a rabbit in it's maw. Then, in the coup de grace, Otter goes for the maximum chomp, and I get to witness the money shot of this HUGE high pressure spray of octopus ink. If that spray had rotated 90 degrees, I would've gotten the money shot for sure.

InSaNE!:eek:

[Muguvian]

Story 1:

Late 80's or early 90's. not sure exactly, but we beach launched a little POS 12' aluminum V bottom boat at Gaviota, there we were drifting along and fishing less than 1/2 mile, maybe even 1/4 mile off the beach. I can still remember hearing the kids screaming and playing in the surf from the boat. Up pops a fin 100 yards out, it starts circling in closer and closer, then goes under about 15 yards out (insert Jaws theme here) , we sat in silence looking around with our silly little rods in the water, the water level was mere inches below the gunwale, and up surfaces a blue shark, cruises by inches from the boat just checking us out and then he was gone. He musta been a foot or two longer than the boat, needless to say, that boat suddenly felt even smaller than it already was.

Story 2.
Mid 90's surfing my favorite little deep water Summer break, sitting waiting for a set and I notice the water boiling up about 15-20 yards away from me.
As I'm trying to figure out what it is I suddenly see barnacles and then the head of a huge Humpy right there in front of me, his eye was focused right on me as he went by...he was so close it seemed like I could have reached out and ran my fingers along its back. There was a grom right behind me freaking out asking me if I saw what he saw. He must've been 30-40' long. Never felt so small in the water in my life. Pretty cool experience.

[Goletagirl]

surfista Otter Madness!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Some friends and I were surfing St. An's up in Pismo around Christmas. This little otter adopted us, and frolicked in the waves, and impressed us with his fishing skills.

Down he'd go. Up he'd come with a starfish. Then he'd eat it. Down he'd go. Up he'd come with a li'l fish. Then he'd eat it. Down he'd go. Up he'd come with A LIVE FUCKING OCTOPUS.

Then he'd engage in mortal Kombat with it.

I shrieked to my friends: YOU'VE GOT TO COME SEE THIS!!! He was about 4-5 ' from me and as he's trying to gnarl the damn thing, I can HEAR the tentacles slapping him in the face. Poor Octopus vainly attempting to fight for his life. Otter tenaciously holding it in his oral death grip, shaking his head like a dog with a rabbit in it's maw. Then, in the coup de grace, Otter goes for the maximum chomp, and I get to witness the money shot of this HUGE high pressure spray of octopus ink. If that spray had rotated 90 degrees, I would've gotten the money shot for sure.

InSaNE!
Oh man, that's got all my stories beat. I think we have a winner!

[Goletagirl]

Okay, Muguvian's story #1 just freaked me out :eek:

[melissa]

:):):)

[Connor Lyon]

Surfing backside of santa rosa at a break where huge elephant seals sleep on the beach protecting their cubs. We paddled over from our boat and right when we get to the lineup, 3-6 of the largest on the beach enter the water. These things are huge, 10 ft long and probably 2,000 pounds. They would swim closer to us and we would have to paddle farther out. Sometimes they would go under for a minute and we didnt know where they were. On one big set, I was racing down the line and saw the biggest one right on the inside of my wave. It was too late to pull out so I took the high line to avoid coming too close. Dont remember how but I fell at some point and surfaced about 7-10 feet away from his enormous head, it was about the size of a garbage can lid. Just sitting there, staring me down with eyes as big as my fist. I was scared shitless and got back on my board and back to the lineup fast as hell.

Later that day a large fin surfaced mere feet away from me and I bolted to shore, looking back to see that it was only the tail of a seal:D

[Russell]

Out there in that same area, get the wave of the day almost to the sandy beach. Kick out and savoring it all when I get this weird feeling. Look in and see this elephant seal staring right at me, we were like making eye contact, then he charged. I never paddled so hard in my life. Scared the hell out of me. Talked to a Ranger who works out there about it and he said they don't have good eyesight and it either thought I was a competitor invading his beach or it wanted to have sex with me. Either way, thank God it didn't catch me.

Other scariest story of my life, out at a remote spot on the West side of Kauai. Just me and a friend on a peak. See this huge black thing going as fast as a sea creature can go aimed right at us. Never been so scared in my life, water was crystal clear so we could see this thing coming from 50 yards away. Ends up being the biggest dolphin I have ever seen and it took off on wave and jumped out of the water. It looked like it was coming at us because we were sitting on the peak and it was just taking off on a set wave. Talk about adrenaline rush.

[surfidaho]

http://bungeesurfer.wordpress.com/2010/06/23/crazy-things-i-have-seen-while-surfing/

[Connor Lyon]

http://bungeesurfer.wordpress.com/2010/06/23/crazy-things-i-have-seen-while-surfing/

Thats wussy man

[ScummyD]

“I wouldn’t go in there if I were you,” he snarled as we passed each other on the train tracks. I swore bitterly to myself. I felt like returning fire with a snarky one liner, but knew it would do no good. The guy was trailing gasoline down the tracks and I wasn’t going to light the match. With those nine little insignificant words my good mood evaporated in mere seconds. I scowled at the thought. The comment accomplished the intended goal of making me feel unwelcome and out of place. I knew I shouldn’t dwell on it, but the thought was futile.

All I wanted was to be left alone and to catch some waves. I dropped in at Cottage Hospital. Where was he born? I even lived for a few years in the next canyon up the coast. I wasn’t some transplant stumbling ham handedly into other people’s backyards and clogging up the lineup. I was even alone.

With board clutched under my arm and wetsuit and towel draped over it, I marched on down the cold steel tracks in my sun-faded flannel jacket and “Low-Life” factory second Powell Peralta t-shirt. The passing remark grated on me, but I didn’t let it show. I expected to return to my truck later in the day and find a window broken or smeared in wax. I followed the tracks for several hundred yards past a stand of towering eucalyptus and then cut off to the right past the no trespassing sign and through the barbed wire fence. I moseyed across the short cropped grass of the seaside field and down to the cobblestone point under a cloud of discomfort on a chilly January morning.

Some beaches have more animals than others. Stink eyed glares, snide comments and indecipherable utterances from hunched figures in monk black wetsuits. Sometimes a piercing bit of ridicule, but always a sour face. Irascibility serves as legal tender. Shouting matches erupt and occasional fist fights break out. Pecking orders exist. The aggressive take advantage of the easygoing and timidity leaves you without a wave. Skill level determines how many waves you get or if you get one at all. Like something seen in the animal kingdom on some nature show on television, it's Darwinian. The Serengeti of the seas. It's a wild world, indeed.

[JonS]

“I wouldn’t go in there if I were you,” he snarled as we passed each other on the train tracks. I swore bitterly to myself. I felt like returning fire with a snarky one liner, but knew it would do no good. The guy was trailing gasoline down the tracks and I wasn’t going to light the match. With those nine little insignificant words my good mood evaporated in mere seconds. I scowled at the thought. The comment accomplished the intended goal of making me feel unwelcome and out of place. I knew I shouldn’t dwell on it, but the thought was futile.

All I wanted was to be left alone and to catch some waves. I dropped in at Cottage Hospital. Where was he born? I even lived for a few years in the next canyon up the coast. I wasn’t some transplant stumbling ham handedly into other people’s backyards and clogging up the lineup. I was even alone.

With board clutched under my arm and wetsuit and towel draped over it, I marched on down the cold steel tracks in my sun-faded flannel jacket and “Low-Life” factory second Powell Peralta t-shirt. The passing remark grated on me, but I didn’t let it show. I expected to return to my truck later in the day and find a window broken or smeared in wax. I followed the tracks for several hundred yards past a stand of towering eucalyptus and then cut off to the right past the no trespassing sign and through the barbed wire fence. I moseyed across the short cropped grass of the seaside field and down to the cobblestone point under a cloud of discomfort on a chilly January morning.

Some beaches have more animals than others. Stink eyed glares, snide comments and indecipherable utterances from hunched figures in monk black wetsuits. Sometimes a piercing bit of ridicule, but always a sour face. Irascibility serves as legal tender. Shouting matches erupt and occasional fist fights break out. Pecking orders exist. The aggressive take advantage of the easygoing and timidity leaves you without a wave. Skill level determines how many waves you get or if you get one at all. Like something seen in the animal kingdom on some nature show on television, it's Darwinian. The Serengeti of the seas. It's a wild world, indeed.

Wow. Excellent prose. Can I use it in an article?

[□□□□□□□□□]

I was surfing with the dolphins yesterday up till dusk at the captain. I would be sitting at the top of first point and see a pod jumping and splashing about 30 yards out to sea, then after catching a long one, I'd see them jumping and splashing at the cove where I ended up. What's funny about this though is as I was approaching a flat spot where I would normally start digging a rail, I suddenly felt a burst of speed behind me like they were rushing up behind me to give me a push, adding another 30 yards or so to my ride. I'm like the dolphin whisperer it seems.

[JonS]

I was surfing with the dolphins yesterday up till dusk at the captain. I would be sitting at the top of first point and see a pod jumping and splashing about 30 yards out to sea, then after catching a long one, I'd see them jumping and splashing at the cove where I ended up. What's funny about this though is as I was approaching a flat spot where I would normally start digging a rail, I suddenly felt a burst of speed behind me like they were rushing up behind me to give me a push, adding another 30 yards or so to my ride. I'm like the dolphin whisperer it seems.

I love that.

[ScummyD]

Wow. Excellent prose. Can I use it in an article?

Hey Jon. I sent you a PM about a week ago and am not sure if you got it so I just thought I'd make mention of it here.

[Stange]

While diving for lobster New Years Day 1984 with a friend of mine in north LA County we experienced something I'll never forget!!!!! Santa Ana's blowing, cold as hell, zero surf and that blue-green visibility from Anacapa. We were free diving so we covered an area the size of a football field in 6 to 30 feet of water. The reefs were covered in late winter balls of perch,opaleye and calico bass, suddenly WHAM they all (and I mean all)bolted, disappeared!! No fish, no minnows nothing, even pistol shrimp that are usually "popping" underwater went quiet. Besides my ice cream headache, now I had a fear of what spooked everybody!!??
A 360 spin while surfacing showed nothing, unlocked the safety off the spear gun and hung quietly - nothing. The next dive down showed no fish at all, while trying to focus back on lobster I noticed my body started to get "pins and needles" and progressively got worse to the point of electric shock. WTF? I remember thinking if someone had maybe put something funny in my coffee that morning when BOOM, a sonic boom-sound rattled the water. Ok, so you think I'm crazy? I am hanging there in liquid space listening to thunder, rocks creaking and groaning, then a large thump as the water around me bounced!! An otherwise crystal-clear dive was stirred slightly as wisps of sand came off the bottom. Turns out there was a 4.0 earthquake 14 miles offshore, the animals were way ahead of us at least by a couple minutes.
Yeah, always watch the animals for a heads up!

Other than that the only other major heart-pumper was surfing Rockaway Beach, Oregon one overcast, butt-cold morning. The surf was actually amazing as there was little wind (amazing for this part of the coast), glassy head-high peaks everywhere. The beach break is a bitch to stay in place because of currents. One little peak kept drawing me closer, it got a little better as three waves at a time would push across this sandbar. Getting into place and getting a little more selfish I paddled for the outside peak, just then a huge boil swirled off the face of that wave, stopped me in my tracks! Instantly I was aware of my heart in my throat, ringing in my ears, oh crap what the hell was that? My imagination is quite good let me tell ya! Swiveled my butt around and almost caught up to the wave preceeding that one but missed it! Amazing what goes through your brain, my wife and six year-old son were still asleep at the beach house. I sat bolt upright on my board figuring I'll take it as it comes, just hoping I'd see it first. Twenty-five yards out a big, big bull sea lion pops up. Taller than I am with just his chest out of the water he beelines for me snorting and growling. I backed up as far as waist deep water before he left me alone. As I found out later a surfer sitting upright is a silhouette of a challenge/fight for bull sea lions. I'm laying down prone next time.