Dr. Lecter
Contributor
The Sea Tiger wreck on Oahu has grates welded over the hatches into the lower holds, with a smallish, diver-sized square cut out in a corner of one grate. One must either go head or (more awkwardly) feet first through the small opening and, with the hatch edges protruding down as they do, one cannot see the inside ceiling of the hold immediately around the hatch from the outside.
As I began my descent down through the cutout on a recent night dive, I came face to face -- maybe 3" or so away -- with the yawning white mouth of a large green Moray eel. He had apparently found some kind of purchase for most of his length in the decaying ceiling and was dangling his head down right next to the cutout, but not so far down that I saw him when I lit it up as I approached.
Whether he resented the sudden close intrusion or was simply feeling amorous, I'll never know...but it occurred to me as I furiously backed away from his advancing jaws that I didn't even know I could back kick at that angle, much less so fast. I decided that the port side passageway might be a better penetration point, since its only biological obstruction was a sleeping giant sea turtle, and am now much more careful when sticking my head into wrecks.
As I began my descent down through the cutout on a recent night dive, I came face to face -- maybe 3" or so away -- with the yawning white mouth of a large green Moray eel. He had apparently found some kind of purchase for most of his length in the decaying ceiling and was dangling his head down right next to the cutout, but not so far down that I saw him when I lit it up as I approached.
Whether he resented the sudden close intrusion or was simply feeling amorous, I'll never know...but it occurred to me as I furiously backed away from his advancing jaws that I didn't even know I could back kick at that angle, much less so fast. I decided that the port side passageway might be a better penetration point, since its only biological obstruction was a sleeping giant sea turtle, and am now much more careful when sticking my head into wrecks.