manatee

[Hank49]

Yesterday I had quite a surprise. I was fishing for snappers and jacks in the lagoon here north of Placencia when all of a sudden we hooked into something that started running off line fast. I pulled the anchor and started to follow it and actually was being towed down the lagoon with 30 lb test line. After about a mile of following and trying to reel this thing in, it finally surfaced. A manatee. Now, I was using shrimp for bait and only medium size hooks. I thought these were vegetarians. Anyway, it got off the hook, didn't break the line or bend the hook. Went on a "Belizean Sleigh Ride". What a rush. Just thought I would share this. Hank

 

[theskull]

Too bad you lost him. I hear Manatee steaks are scrumptious.

*Joking, of course--I'm a member of Savethemanatee.org !*

theskull

 

[NOVIZWHIZ]

he prob just swam into the line and it fouled on him. I've "hooked" dolphins, sea turtles, manta rays the same way. Yep, they do taste pretty good, but gives me gas....

 

[Mako Mark]

I used to get this all the time with penguins back home. You think you hooked a big kingfish and up comes this smelly little penguin with your lure in its mouth. I wonder what penguin tastes like. Ill have to try that next time.

 

[DiverColt]

manatees are pretty soweet

 

[CBulla]

Manatee's are definitely one of the more entertaining things to see from a divers perspective. During the winter, its quite common to see them in our waters, but during the summer its kind of rare. Having said that, two weeks ago I had a mama and baby manatee check me out while surface swimming back to shore after a looong dive... mama came up off my right hand, and little 4-5' long baby came up with his/her nose beween my knees to say "Hi"

 

[RIOceanographer]

I was doing field research in Melbourne, FL several years back. We were deploying a dissolved oxygen sensor from a small boat. There we were hanging the sensor over the side and a Manatee swims up and starts nosing at it. We had to wait about 5 minutes for it to leave before we could finish.