undrwater
Contributor
That's basically what my solo dives are for.
Has anybody ever done this?
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dive_turkey
Contributor
Works great in the woods, too. When I hunt, I've found I literally see the most animals when I fall asleep leaned up against a tree. All of the sudden I wake up and there's a huge spring gobbler or the buck I'm looking for right there I front of me! Of course I've also had hogs and snakes get a little too close for comfort, too... So maintain some level of awareness.
OkByMe
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All the time... One of my favorite places is molasses reef off Key Largo near the tower. There are finger reefs that come together in one spot. I can hang about 10' off the bottom, 20' under the surface and just watch rays, barracuda, and jacks swim by in big schools. The motionless I become, the closer they come to me.
I do it as often as I can. Best one was in Mabul.
A dive buddy of mine, was always scurrying around, chasing the fish, trying to get pictures until I said: "Let the fish come to you" and she calmed down. Her pics are awesome.
I particularly enjoy getting a school of fish to let me in.
A dive buddy of mine, was always scurrying around, chasing the fish, trying to get pictures until I said: "Let the fish come to you" and she calmed down. Her pics are awesome.
I particularly enjoy getting a school of fish to let me in.
Peter_C
Contributor
Once I am at the reef/rock/interesting spot, I am more than happy to just poke around the "area". I won't usually sit and look at one small 2ft rock for more than a few minutes...unless it has a really interesting creature(s) in, on, or under it. I have been known to have fish staring contests.
Yes, sometimes I do. It's easiest when I'm on a solo dive, though, because then I don't worry about my buddy getting impatient or bored. I've even gone back to the same spot more than once to spend an entire dive, particularly if there was something special to observe, like mandarin fish. I spent a whole lot of time recently watching a barred snake eel hunt.
As mentioned , it takes a tolerant buddy; but when I've parked I've been well rewarded. What first appears to be a relatively uninhabited coral head often reveals lots of small critters who only venture out after moderate delays. Uncommon shrimp, blennies, gobies, etc. But it does take patience. I haven't had as much luck if I get impatient and only wait 5-10 minutes.
Yep. On a few occasions.
Most memorable at a cleaning station. I settled down and just watched. Pretty soon the fish were ignoring me and then became very interested in me. They started checking their reflections in my mask.. at least I think that is what was happening. I took my gloves off and put my hand close to the cleaning station to see if the Eastern Cleaner Clingfish would clean my hand. They didn't but a rather large leatherjacket with very nasty looking teeth started checking my fingers out! I opted for caution and put the gloves back on I didn't want my fingers to be nibbled!
I noticed all of a sudden the fish would disappear.. I looked around to see some divers barely visible in the distance. When the divers went out of sight the fish returned having decided I wasn't a danger! My oh so tolerant hubby and favourite dive buddy thanksforallthefish entertained himself and came back to check on me periodically... I will take you to this site Quero!
I was using a Canon Cybershot 2004 model 5 MPixel but I still got some shots I was happy with
and my leatherjacket friend
.
Most memorable at a cleaning station. I settled down and just watched. Pretty soon the fish were ignoring me and then became very interested in me. They started checking their reflections in my mask.. at least I think that is what was happening. I took my gloves off and put my hand close to the cleaning station to see if the Eastern Cleaner Clingfish would clean my hand. They didn't but a rather large leatherjacket with very nasty looking teeth started checking my fingers out! I opted for caution and put the gloves back on I didn't want my fingers to be nibbled!
I noticed all of a sudden the fish would disappear.. I looked around to see some divers barely visible in the distance. When the divers went out of sight the fish returned having decided I wasn't a danger! My oh so tolerant hubby and favourite dive buddy thanksforallthefish entertained himself and came back to check on me periodically... I will take you to this site Quero!
I was using a Canon Cybershot 2004 model 5 MPixel but I still got some shots I was happy with
and my leatherjacket friend
.
ajduplessis
Contributor
I used to move about a lot. In the mean time I purchased a gopro and this has forced me to slow down. The idea of hanging out in one spot is awesome and will give it a go next time around.
I wish everyone will slow down on dives, if you had to put a non-diver in the water their perception would that diving is a race.
Good post!!! I now have a new goal.
I wish everyone will slow down on dives, if you had to put a non-diver in the water their perception would that diving is a race.
Good post!!! I now have a new goal.
I'd much rather swim less and sit more, checking out the little things or waiting to see if the big things will cruise by (maybe more than once).
Definitely try it! Especially if there's anything to see when you start.
The sharks of Providenciales came much closer, and came back, when I (and the rest of the group) moved the least. Stopping and waiting for everybody to drop into one of the swim throughs, and then waiting a little longer...and a little longer...rewarded me with a school of Atlantic spadefish who had to split into two groups to swim past me they came so close. I just sat their watching them approach, enjoying it, and selfishly enjoying that I was the only one seeing them since the rest of the group was focused on moving together. I spent the last 10 minutes or so before my safety stop on several dives hovering near the bottom near the boat watching the rays gliding and the schools of jacks swirling in fish cyclones (jacknado! lol).
My last dive on Dominica last month I spent the last 35ish minutes in 15ish feet of water within sight of the boat, at three different coral heads/sponges. Watching a juvenile frogfish watching me watching him...watching Pederson cleaning shrimp, arrow crabs, and banded coral shrimp poke around...and best of all, finding two red snapping shrimp deep in a corkscrew anemone. Sitting there for a bit encouraged them to poke out a little bit, and then play with the bolt snap I slowly moved near them. The best part was one of them using his snapping claw to make a loud PING!!! several times on the snap.
Near home I spent 20 minutes watching nudibranchs, hermit crabs, other crabs, and sea stars on a single rock last spring. If it wasn't 50ish degrees and I was dry instead of wet, I might have stayed their longer. One of my favorite sites is a granite wall and boulders on one side of a cove with a sandy middle. I almost always stop for at least 5 minutes, especially on night dives, to kneel on the sand with the wall behind me and watch for whatever might cruise by (squid, single and schools; stripers; skates).
Definitely try it! Especially if there's anything to see when you start.
The sharks of Providenciales came much closer, and came back, when I (and the rest of the group) moved the least. Stopping and waiting for everybody to drop into one of the swim throughs, and then waiting a little longer...and a little longer...rewarded me with a school of Atlantic spadefish who had to split into two groups to swim past me they came so close. I just sat their watching them approach, enjoying it, and selfishly enjoying that I was the only one seeing them since the rest of the group was focused on moving together. I spent the last 10 minutes or so before my safety stop on several dives hovering near the bottom near the boat watching the rays gliding and the schools of jacks swirling in fish cyclones (jacknado! lol).
My last dive on Dominica last month I spent the last 35ish minutes in 15ish feet of water within sight of the boat, at three different coral heads/sponges. Watching a juvenile frogfish watching me watching him...watching Pederson cleaning shrimp, arrow crabs, and banded coral shrimp poke around...and best of all, finding two red snapping shrimp deep in a corkscrew anemone. Sitting there for a bit encouraged them to poke out a little bit, and then play with the bolt snap I slowly moved near them. The best part was one of them using his snapping claw to make a loud PING!!! several times on the snap.
Near home I spent 20 minutes watching nudibranchs, hermit crabs, other crabs, and sea stars on a single rock last spring. If it wasn't 50ish degrees and I was dry instead of wet, I might have stayed their longer. One of my favorite sites is a granite wall and boulders on one side of a cove with a sandy middle. I almost always stop for at least 5 minutes, especially on night dives, to kneel on the sand with the wall behind me and watch for whatever might cruise by (squid, single and schools; stripers; skates).
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