Marine Life

There is not enough space here and we don't have the time to list every species of sea creature you are going to encounter while diving on the gulf coast. Keep your eyes open and move slowly and you will see things you never imagined.

Many divers, particularly new ones, spend a lot of time stressing about the possibility of marine life encounters during a dive. Hey, there are things down there and you are going to see them. You will also find that many of the creatures you see are just a curious about you as you are about them. This means they may come to check you out which can sometimes be a little unnerving.

To stay safe you need to understand, YOU are an apex predator. There is nothing below the surface you are going to encounter, whose first thought when they see a diver is ummmmmm dinner!

 Basic Rules of Dealing With Marine Life

1. Don't touch it if you don't know what it is. (if you have an over bearing urge to touch things you know nothing about, at least carry a poke stick to poke it before you pick it up.)
2. Don't stick your hands up in holes you can't see into. This one should be a gimmie but I am constantly amazed at the numbers off people who obviously have no problem sticking a hand into a dark crevice and feeling around blindly.
3. Wear appropriate protection. This might mean a full wet suit and jelly fish hood if jelly fish are your problem. It could also mean coveralls under your dry suit.
4. USE COMMON SENSE

Dealing With Specific Creatures

• Sharks: Sharks scare the crap out of some people. What do you expect after a life long diet of movies like Jaws (all of them), Open Water an, off course, Shark Week. They can be nasty looking creatures can't they and some of them have been known to make the occassional snack of a swimmer, surfer or diver. Still, under most circumstances, you face no danger from a shark you encounter on your dive.

• Barracuda: A scary looking fish, no doubt but they really don't pose much threat to a diver. They dolike to follow you around and they does make some people nervous.

• Stingray: Generally not a danger to a diver during a dive but there are exceptions (Steve Irwin - Crocodille Hunter). Most divers and waders have problems with these guys while alking in shallow water. Shuffle your feet and let them know you are coming.

• Jelly fish: Not all jelly fish will sting you.
  
  • The Comb Jelly - This one is harmless. That is the one with the little Disco lights running through the body of the jelly fish. They also make pretty little explosions of bioluminescent lightwhen the boat prop hits them at night
  • Moon Jelly - This one can sting you but the tentacles are very short. This is the one you always find washed upon the beach. The easiest way to find them is to look for small children whacking something with a stick. Nine times out of ten it is a poor little moon jelly stranded on the beach.
  • Sea Nettle - This is the one you see all the time and the one that stings most people when diving or swimming. These hurt when they sting you and can create a bad problem for people that have a special sensitivity to the venom. You can avoid them by watching where you are going when you are getting in and out of the water and during the dive.They don't swim very fast, mostly moving up and down in the water column, and drift along with the current. Avoid these guys by using your octopus to bubble them out of the way. This is particularly effective if your dive buddy happens to be swimming directly above you, and surface in your bubbles. The bubbles move them out of the way and leave a clear column of water for your ascent.

• Man-O-War: The same techniques as used witht he Sea Nettle apply. The sting of the Man-O-War is considerably worse than the Sea Nettle (personal experience). These guy float on the surface and trail tentacles sometimes up to 30 feet in length. They use the little gas bag float as a sail so they can appear to chase you. Get out of the way. 

• Tube and Basket Sponges:

• Coral:

• Fire Coral:

• Barnacles:

• Bristle Worms:

• Sea Urchins:

• Cone Shells: There are 300+ species of cone shell and all of them are venomous. Use caution if you seek to collect them. Never place them in a catch bag dangling be you leg or body. This places you at risk of a nasty sting.