Can anyone identifiy this fish...

[loopy]

I've seen a few in the wild, but haven't had the chance to dive with them. I believe there's a pretty big aquarium in the US that has one in it? Can't remember the name of it, but I saw it on pay TV.... not that it's that impressive, there's an aquarium in Japan (I think) with a whale shark in it... :duh
In the Blue Planet series, they've got some great footage of sunfish sunbaking on the surface, and birds fly down, land on them, and eat their parasites off - a rather interesting form of symbiosis, and some damn good footage too

Cheers,


Brad

 

[Bill McIntyre]

I believe the aquarium that has one, among others, might be the Monterey Bay Aquarium. I have been there many times in past years, but frankly, sunfish are so common and unremarkable for me that I might not have noted it as something special. However, I will be in that area next Monday celebrating my anniversary, and I will certainly look.

What I will certainly look for is the great white shark that they have had for some months now. I believe it is currently the only one in captivity, and I've read that it has been responsible for a tremendous increase in ticket sales.

While there are many reports of great whites in areas where I dive and last summer one was running all the surfers out of the water about a mile from my favorite kelp bed, this one in the aquarium will be my first encounter. I fervently hope that it will be my last.

 

[Bill McIntyre]

I just returned from the Monterey Bay Aquarium visiting their great white shark. I asked one of the biologists about mola-molas, and he confirmed that I had seen them there in the past, but he said that they got parasites and didn't do very well so they released them.

They had estimated the weight of their largest one at 600 pounds and ordered a helicopter to give it a ride out to the bay. The pilot tried to lift it and informed them it was more like 800 pounds and he had all of three minutes to carry it, but he managed to get it out there and release it.

They had two other smaller specimens and had to release them too.

 

[sturgeon]

That's the living legend Bill Ernst in the picture with that Sunfish. It was taken during last year's OMER Bluewater Hatteras Tournament.

Scott

 

[mako993]

Those Sunfish can get to be 10ft long and weigh over 800 lbs, in some extraordinary cases. But what's fascinating is that they're spine is only an inch long! That's why they just loll along with the current like plankton.

 

[pyro]

Damn, that's one big fish man!

 

[Dogmatrix]

Shadow I believe the sailors had quite an idea that dugong were not women...
The reproductive tract of the dugong is reportedly quite similar to the of a human female however... so put 2 and 2 together and you have your mermaid.

Guess time at sea affects everybody differently

Cheers

Rob

 

[Rémi]

Here is a pretty big one :duh

 

[Naim]

No way?? That has to be a photoshop jobby!
Hasnt it?

 

[shaneshac]

If it isn't, its the hugest Mola Mola in the world rofl rofl rofl

Its so big it probably had planet-fish swimming around it :hmm

 

[Shadowkiller]

No way?? That has to be a photoshop jobby!
Hasnt it?

Looks like camera forshortening. You see it sometimes where pics of sports wo-men look like they are jumping 2-3m in the air.

The Mola is in the forground, the people in the background. Some spearos use that effect to make their fish look bigger, but the hands always look waaayyy to big. rofl