Moby Dick was a bottlenose?

[Griff]

hey there

a coupla weekends ago I was quite chuffed with the 5kilo natal snoek hanging off my bouy, scratching for some bugs to complete the platter, when i got some unwanted attention from a pod of dolphins. one in particular, who kept close, with tight cirlces trying to get to the snoek which i held behind my back. the bottlenose was quite persistent and aggressive, much more than most of the sharks ive encountered and eventually we decided it better to swim in, my buddies taking the flank with the snoek tucked under my arm.
the indicent didnt go further than intimidation, but left me wondering if anyone has ever been attacked by a dolphin.

attached is a pic of the prize. quick details on the hunt. sitting in around 4m of water. less than 50m off backline waiting on the edge of some reef for garrick when the snoek cruised in, heading downcurrent. thanks to the poor viz i got close and landed a good shot behind the one gill plate and out the other, but despite this it still tore a lot. these fish are super soft so a good shot is vital. thats why they taste so good.
cheers
mark

 

[spaghetti]

The key is in your Italy's soccer shirt: that dolphin could have been some cousin of Zidane in his former life and just wanted to give you some head.
...Ok, not so funny...:head

 

[Griff]

The key is in your Italy's soccer shirt: that dolphin could have been some cousin of Zidane in his former life and just wanted to give you some head.
...Ok, not so funny...:head

buon giorno

I actually thought it was quite funny...I dont want to go into it but that headbutt was both one of the funniest and saddest things ive seen on a sports field. well done on italy's win. I was in Cagliari for the quaters and man do they know how to celebrate. I can only imagine what it was like after the final. :friday

do you spearfish in italy? I did a bit of snorkling and realised how blessed i was as a freediver to live where I live. It was quite depressing how devoid of life the sea in sardinia is. I have huge respect for the people who do dive there because you can see they have the same spirit, although the catches may be less impressive. I visited a dive shop called air sub, very cool place. lots of buzz with everyone getting their gear rigged, trying to maximise their chances. tweak this, change that. all the same.

it would seem that no one has had any bad times with dolphins. dont let them fool you, they are smiling, but for the wrong reasons :ko

ciao

mark

 

[chris the vis]

Howzit Mark
Have you ever read the book 'Encounters with sharks, dolphins and big fish' by Len Jones? You may find it quite interesting/funny, especially since most of the accounts revolve around the Durban area.
I also dive with dolphins on a weekly basis when I clean the pool at our local oceanarium, but usually they only harass me when they want to play. Maybe I'll strap some sardines around my waste tomorrow and see what happens? If you don't hear from me again I guess you'll know what the outcome was.
Cheers chris

 

[podge]

It would seem that no one has had any bad times with dolphins. dont let them fool you, they are smiling, but for the wrong reasons :ko

ciao

mark

Right on Griff, never trust anything that’s always smiling, chattering, popping and squealing all the time.
Uuuummmm Island_Sands are you out there?

 

[Shadowkiller]

I recall an article that claimed there were more injuries to humans from dolphins than from sharks... anyone can confirm?

I don't like dolphins, the males form packs and gang-rape female dolphins...

So now I only eat non-Dolphin-safe Tuna.. :martial

 

[spaghetti]

I don't like dolphins, the males form packs and gang-rape female dolphins...

Hhmmm...any videos? rofl


PS: for Griff: yes I spearfish in Tuscany, same sea (Thyrrenian) but even less fishy than Sardinia. But with patience, commitment and luck the big fishes arrive sometimes. And yes, we must be mad to love spearfishing so much in such mean waters.
But have look to the final ranking of the last World Championships (Chile, Pacific Ocean, 2004):
1 Bellani Italia (from Tuscany)
2 Duarte Chile
3 Bosquez Chile
4 De Silvestri Italia (from Sardinia)
5 VinhA Spain
6 Silva Portugal
7 Lai Chile
8 Ramacciotti Italia (from Tuscany)
9 Lopez Spain
10 Carbonell Spain
I'm not talking of any national pride. What I meant is that three Thyrrenians in the world's top 10 means that poor waters can get the best of your skills.

 

[chris the vis]

I don't like dolphins, the males form packs and gang-rape female dolphins...

Ha ha ha! According to Len Jones they have also tried to rape humans before... very disturbing!!

 

[DeepThought]

I don't like dolphins, the males form packs and gang-rape female dolphins...

I've seen cats by the dozens chasing after a stray not-even-fully-grown female cat in heat. If you think you've seen cats run, think again.
Anyway, what I'm saying is that this kind of behaviours are not that uncommon in the animal kingdom.

 

[Griff]

Hey Chris, I have read Len Jones' Book, very good. He's written another called hooks spanners and spears or something. Not as good but still entertaining. I remember his story of swimming back getting harrased by dolphins, but nothing life threatening.

During the flipper/frogboy standoff i was thinking, I'll take one hit before I let him have the fish. Maybe it was damn stupid of me, but i was also thinking, dolphins are highly intellegent, and i dont want to teach them bad habits by letting them chow.

I dont mind dolphins, but i am weary of them. too many people fall into the scuba marketing hype about them being our aquatic soul mates etc. my short time diving has taught me that sea life should always be respected, especially when they are that size.

 

[Griff]

spagetti. i'm not surprised the med divers do so well. they have to hunt hard to find fish, the waters so clean that it must be difficult to approach the fish, so its probably a long shot, and the fish are so small that hitting them takes accurate shooting. what i dont understand is that most of the spearos i saw were using shot (less than 1m) guns cause the waters so clean. i'd dive with a 1.2 with a 6.5mm shaft.

 

[miles]

Hiya

what i dont understand is that most of the spearos i saw were using shot (less than 1m) guns cause the waters so clean. i'd dive with a 1.2 with a 6.5mm shaft.

Thats because most of the hunting is in cracks/crevices and holes.

Regards
miles

 

[Griff]

ah, i thought it may be so. thanks miles.

 

[Shadowkiller]

I've seen cats by the dozens chasing after a stray not-even-fully-grown female cat in heat. If you think you've seen cats run, think again.
Anyway, what I'm saying is that this kind of behaviours are not that uncommon in the animal kingdom.

Very true, but I can't find any non-cat safe Tuna...

One of my subjects this term is on life-strategies in the animal kingdom. Turns out "cheating" behaviour, also termed the "sneaky fucker strategy" (I kid you not!), is quite common.