Balmorhea mob

[Guba]

My partner and I had a little different experience at Balmorhea last weekend. We were headed there so that we could do some video work for a presentation I'm giving later this month (using scuba to teach science concepts in the classroom--Archimedes principle, Boyles law, etc...), and we needed clear water. We arrived and nearly had the place to ourselves. However, immediately after entering the water we experienced something we've never seen before there. We were MOBBED by tens of thousands of little fish, along with the usual gang of catfish. Oh, sure, we've seen them before, but not like this...they totally surrounded us to the point that it was extremely difficult to get any usable video or stills. With patience, we finally got what we needed, but it was a bit frustrating.
Shortly after we got out from dive one, we discovered the problem. Just as we had entered, another pair of divers had just exited. On their dive, they had been well equipped with two cans of Cheese Whiz! The fish that had surrounded us were merely wanting the second course of lunch, it seems.
The good news is at least they're not like the "pirahna perch" at CSSP. The ones at Balmorhea don't hurt when they nibble your ears!

 

[Aaron203]

I got certified at Balmorhea, and had the same experience. On the last dive, our DM said "Hey, watch this..." (yes, I know, famous last words) and stuck a piece of bread in his BC pocket. It was just as you described, a complete mob.

 

[scubadale]

The turtles will come after you as well if someone has just been feeding them. The picture on my store website is of my son being "mobbed" by the fish. He has a ziploc bag with tortillas in it.

 

[cruiser]

So the motto is...if you don't have enough for everyone, don't even start.

 

[Timeliner]

Bill... It's just so unfair.....You guys get Mobbed and I have only seen one fish in the last 3 weeks.
I've been hunting in cold water North of the border and have not bagged a single fish with the new Spear Gun my Wife gave me for Christmas.
( What a Gal Huh ? )

I can feel my luck changing though !

 

[Debraw]

Well Timeliner I can not believe you haven't tried bait yet?! You know the normal stuff fish eat.....cheeze whiz, hot dogs, bread, tortillas, Echo chips.......

 

[Guba]

Sorry to hear that the hunting isn't going too well for ya. Hey, that'll change when the water heats up, I'm sure. I'm envious, though. Just before Christmas, I told my wife how wonderful YOUR darling was by getting you such a great toy. She just looked at me and said, "Forget it. Not going to happen."
Oh, well, she did give me a new console and an underwater digital camera. That'll do!

If the spearfishing doesn't work out, you could try this...(see the link below).

Scuba diving videos site – bringing you scuba diving and underwater videos and all scuba diving related videos

Of course, we were delivering snacks to those fish first. Debraw's tip should work...use bait!

Hope to see you soon.

 

[chucksaul]

Does this mean that if Timeliner is in the water we need to start wearing orange BCDs and masks??????

 

[Guba]

Nope...just makes us easier targets. A better idea is to "duck and dodge".

 

[DandyDon]

The ones at Balmorhea don't hurt when they nibble your ears!

I had one bite my ears hard in my OW there. They are tiny members of the piranha (characin) family with bulldog jaws. Maybe your perch are bigger, but those tetras can indeed hurt.

San Soloman Springs is a State Park, and the smaller Pupfish are endangered. Isn't it against regulations to feed wild animals in parks? Glad you didn't have a problem with the duck poop.