Lionfish

[Clarity]

My hands started sweating just looking at the photos. Really.

Me too!!!

[Mr. Twister]

LOL.....most sea creatures are like people. If you treat them with respect they wont bite.

[marley9808]

Mr Twister!
I want to be like you when I grow up!!! lol
Seriously I am thinking I definitely need to join you next time, I think I could die happy if I had a photo of me petting a shark's belly

[Rum-polephoreskin]

Just saying this as a caveat:
While nurse sharks are generally docile creatures they can bite.
A nurse shark has markedly different behavior and different style of jaw than most sharks.
It's probably best not to approach any sharks.

Very cool pic Mr. Twister.

PS the shark in the picture is a nurse shark.

[marley9808]

Yes, very true Rum

I did most of my studies with Nurse Sharks ( Have a BS in Marine Biology, though I was never able to actually put it to much professional use) though my all time favorite shark is the Black tip or even the Great White! oh yeah!
Each species is definitely different, but much like you state, they are all still sharks! And I find them, much like most of the ocean's creatures, fascinating!!!!

[Jamaica Joleen]

I know we aren't talking about EELS, but just had to share this:

[Clarity]

i know we aren't talking about eels, but just had to share this:

LOL!!!!!!!
Love that!

[eyelndbrez]

too funny Joleen

[1966 Hippie]

I spear as many of these suckers in the west end as i can when snorkeling. Give them to one of the locals and he says he cooks them up. I'll eat the Lobster thermidor myself. Don't enjoy killing anything but the Lionfish don't belong in the water here causing a lot of problems they have to go. Please don't try spearing them yourself unless you have experience and always be extra carefull if you try. Dan

[Rum-polephoreskin]

Jamaica Joleen,
Not snorkel in WI??????

Have you ever been to Devils Lake (State Park)?
Fantastic snorkeling opportunity.
On the west shore the rocks have tumbled down into the lake so when you're 20 feet from shore you're in 20 feet of water.
The water has fantastic clarity (for WI - certainly not Carribean clarity) but the are scary (?) things, huge bass (so big their lips are destinguishable) walleyes, and once in 30 feet of water I saw a nothern (pike) as big as my leg (and I have big legs). I could distinguish paths in the sea weed near the bottom and I imagined this bruiser created them.

Don't be sceered!