Underwater Friends

[Guba]

Outside Lawton Oklahoma there is a large Albino Bass that hangs out by the dam and around 85'-90', all the local divers know him and exactly where he is at. We all take food down to him all the time.



Scuba DM, I'm guessing that's in Lake Elmer Thomas?

Anyway, in that same lake my dive buddy and I always make "instant friends" of the perch along the north wall. As we move along, we always pick up a following of a dozen or so, and they always stay right between us. They're using us as "portable protection" from larger predators as we move along.

 

[FuzzyNutz]

I have no friends , but I've done a few dives with a DM at a spot where he was always greeted by an octopus living in an old VW Bug. He kinda shook hands with him once... then shot ink at me! What a booger!!

 

[Scubant]

My kids make fun of me when we dive because there is always one "Dory" looking fish that swims in front off me and when I stop, it stops and looks back as if to say "Come on this way!". Dive after dive this continues to happen. I just got a camera so I can show my wife that this is true and sure enough we went to the Caymans and the people on the boat were even saying "Whats up with the fish around you?". I did get some great closeups of my leaders.

 

[jwcfbd]

Back in 2000 I made a new friend in HI. It was a sea turtle that was about 20 inches across. We were snorkeling in the lagoon at the hotel when it swam by. I reached out and gave it a few pats and wiped some sea weed off it's fin. It swam off and a few minuets later my buddy tapped me on the shoulder. When I turned to see what he wanted I had a shock. There was a giant turtle starring me in the eye. It was my new buddy coming back for more. Every few minuets he would come back around and every time we got back in the water it didn't take long for him to find me.
This happened the first day there. The next day we went out on a dive boat where they told us not to mess with sea turtles as they are protected. They all laughed when I told them my story and just told me that as long as I'm not chasing the turtle I'd be fine.

 

[--tom--]

Harbor seals pretty often, last week we had an otter within a foot of us frequently throughout the dive.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

Well, there was Olive ... a giant pacific octopus who had made her den into a maternity ward. During the 8 months that she was protecting her progeny, I visited her more than 40 times ...

... then there was Junior ... he adopted me ... I suspect he thought I was his daddy or something ...

One recent winter I made friends with several Pacific Spiny Lumpsuckers ... once they settle in, they don't move around very much ... and so I was visiting the same ones several times over a period of maybe two months, until they migrated to wherever it is they go when they leave the shallows.

This one's Oliver ...

Kermit ...

Archie ...

Jade ...

and Hershey ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[MaxBottomtime]

One of my buddies made a close, personal friend while surveying the Northern Channel Islands.

 

[dkktsunami]

A brim (bluegill to northern folks) in a local pond. He/she had a white spot on its dorsal fin so was easily identifiable. Every time I would enter the water this fish would eventually find me, by the sound I assume, and position itself under my chest and swim along with me. It is no longer there having likely become lunch for a largemouth bass.

 

[--tom--]

My underwater friends are the best, because no matter how close we are, they don't talk.

 

[Bubble_Boy]

One of my buddies made a close, personal friend while surveying the Northern Channel Islands.

Looks like soo much fun!!! I want to be molested by a harbor seal too!!