Eely Fish or Fishy Eel?

[Soggy]

I was diving at Old Garden Beach on Sunday and saw what appeared to be something halfway between an eel and a fish. It was orangish, 6-8 inches long, and had a fishy head, but a really long body like an eel.

Any ideas?

We also got out to ~40 ft at Old Garden at low tide....seems there is more there to be explored than I once realized despite dozens of dives there.

 

[Gabriel90512]

I was diving at Old Garden Beach on Sunday and saw what appeared to be something halfway between an eel and a fish. It was orangish, 6-8 inches long, and had a fishy head, but a really long body like an eel.

Any ideas?

We also got out to ~40 ft at Old Garden at low tide....seems there is more there to be explored than I once realized despite dozens of dives there.

i saw the same thing at back beach ... brown about 7'
hummmmmmmm

 

[large_diver]

Perhaps a Rock Gunnel?

I was diving at Old Garden Beach on Sunday and saw what appeared to be something halfway between an eel and a fish. It was orangish, 6-8 inches long, and had a fishy head, but a really long body like an eel.

Any ideas?

We also got out to ~40 ft at Old Garden at low tide....seems there is more there to be explored than I once realized despite dozens of dives there.

 

[Soggy]

Perhaps a Rock Gunnel?

I don't think so (at least not from looking at pictures online)....this thing was Goldfish colored.

 

[Cecil]

How about a small Ocean Pout?

Ocean Pout

 

[Soggy]

How about a small Ocean Pout?

Ocean Pout

Nope...It was definitely solid orange (you know, typical Goldfish color). I know I have the color right because I shined my 18W HID on it in 20 ft of water. Very thin, and long, with two almost prehensile pectoral fins up near it's head.

 

[MSilvia]

Id guess either a radiated shanny or a rock gunnel.

 

[ScubaNorth]

Take a look at this site. Seems to be a good suspect in the Eely Fish case. So I would have to vote for Gunnel.

http://www.northwestdiver.com/creature_feature/data/pholis/laeta1.php

 

[Soggy]

Take a look at this site. Seems to be a good suspect in the Eely Fish case. So I would have to vote for Gunnel.

http://www.northwestdiver.com/creature_feature/data/pholis/laeta1.php

That's definitely getting close to what I saw. Must've been some type of Gunnel, though it was all one color.

 

[RIOceanographer]

I don't think so (at least not from looking at pictures online)....this thing was Goldfish colored.

It could still be a rock gunnel if it look right except for the color. I looked it up, and the rock gunnel has sometimes been observed to turn bright orange during spawning season.