Sawfish ???

OK, we're always talking about sharks, mantas, mola mola's, whale sharks, etc. . . but have any of you ever seen a sawfish????

Way back about (I hate to admit it) 30 years ago. We were out from St Simons Island Ga. We were told that a old German sub had been sunk out there during WW2. Including the snout it was about 5 feet long.

There is one at the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach, CA. Pretty freaking looking to me. That bill looks like a chainsaw! I don't think I'd want to see one in the wild, without the glass between us.

The Kraken:

OK, we're always talking about sharks, mantas, mola mola's, whale sharks, etc. . . but have any of you ever seen a sawfish????

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One summer day in the mid 90's I was on a solo spearfishing dive along the outer reef (locally known as The Bar) about 15 miles west of Key West. I was about 80 feet deep and the vis was about 30 feet. I looked to my right and saw a large shape coming out of the murk toward me. Thinking that it was a shark I was not particularly concerned, since I had frequently seen sharks in the area, and had no fish on the stringer. As it got closer, I saw the most magnificent underwater sight I had ever seen. The "shark" was a sawfish, with a saw at least 30" long and a total body length of about 8 feet. I hung in the water in total amazement, and he slowly swam a semi-circle around me at about 10 feet and then headed away. He never made the slightest aggressive move and I did not feel the least bit threatened. I stayed still for quite a while hoping he would come back, but he did not. Although it was about 10 years ago, I recall the incident as clearly as if it happened yesterday.