Moray Eel attack?

[dkktsunami]

It was a night dive. The eel just sort of appeared, free swimming within arms reach. I touched the very end of it's tail as it passed by. It must have circled around without me noticing and then attaked my leg. It then wrapped itself all around my tank, throughy legs again, heading for my face, mouth wide open. My only defense was an arm strike towards it, and it swam away.

Don't include me with people who stick their hands in holes while underwater.

As my first post stated, I am interested in reports of other attacks of this nature,

Thanks.

You touched its tail and it touched yours................that's amore.

 

[Scott L]

They can inflict some nasty wounds with likely infection as they are scavengers...Check out this account of a local dive charter operator and top-flight spreafisherman who lost a body part from the bite of a puffer fish...

http://www.emeraldcharters.com/stories.htm

 

[Mr. Bubble]

Check out youtube...several eel attacks. This one is pretty sick....its not me, I promise

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wk6PVhYxsGI

 

[cappyjon431]

I've seen a few divers badly bitten by moray eels, but none of the incidents could be classified as an "attack." Probably the most memorable was a photographer who was warned repeatedly about disturbing the reef to get his photos. He laid on top of the reef and got badly bitten on the stomach by a pissed off green moray. I couldn't laugh, but I wanted to.

One thing to remember about morays is they have terrible eyesight. When they are out free-swimming they are essentially looking for another place in the reef to hide. Your BC and body probably looked like a great place to hide. Since I imagine your thigh was moving, it probably looked/felt like potential prey. I certainly wouldn't classify this as an "attack."

 

[Crush]

My buddy and I saw the eel, and I reached over to touch its tail.

 

[redacted]

After feeding the stingrays in GC, I had a morey named psycho come after me. He swan a good 10 feed out of the reef and finally pulled away within one foot of me. He was not attacking me but was follow the scent of squid still on my hand. So, it was not an attack on me, rather normal hunting/feeding behavior.

Your morey must have smelled something on your WS and decided to give it a taste. I have seen moreys that appeared to seek interaction with divers (not necessarily contact) and they are usually the better swimmers. We had one that approached from behind us and slowly swam through our group in Roatan. It did this three times before it finally disappeared. No contact but passed within a foot or two of a number of divers including swimming between the legs of one diver.

 

[Garrobo]

Morays are EVIL. Leave them alone or they'll bite your a$$.

 

[idocsteve]

Check out youtube...several eel attacks.

The video you supplied the link to does not appear to be an "attack."

The guy is feeding the eel a hot dog and it mistook his finger for the intended bait.

 

[Doubler]

I have been attacked twice, both times in Hawaii, both times unprovoked from my point of view but probably not the Eels. First time I was just cruising the reef off of Wainaie when this BIG Green Head come rocketing out the rocks and started chase. I swam for all I was worth and he quit after about 25 feet. Second time, again in Wainaie, back when I was young and dumb I was an invertebrate collector, shrimp , starfish and the like. I use to collect on one dive and survey the next. At the time Ghost Shrimp were a hot aquarium species. I always found them in water 60 to 80 feet deep in caves. So me and my wife are out surveying and come across this cave with a little White-tip laying on the bottom, so I scoot him out and go in. Now Trish hated when I did that and would chew my butt about smacking' sharks but I did it anyway. So we are in the cave, I am up this chimney, counting shrimp , when I hear this blood curdling scream and I get jerked straight down. I am thinking WTF, Trish is giving me the Surface NOW signal so up we go. We get back on the boat and she is crying and hugging me, I keep asking her what is wrong. She goes "You didn't feel that? " I said "What you jerking me down?" She goes "No the bite", "What bite", "Look at the back of your tank". So I do and here are scratches that pretty much cover the back of the tank and the do look like teeth marks. I asked her what happened. She said she kept watching the entrance for the Shark to come back in all pissed off, when this hugh Green Head showed up outside. He took one look at my dangling legs and shot forward, mouth opened, Trish jerked me down and he bite the tank, spun around and headed on out. I never felt a thing. I have THE BEST dive buddy in the world. Lessons Learned 1. Leave Nature alone. Look take pictures leave bubbles. I quit collecting and spear fishing after this incident. Took up photography. Were these attacks, well if you consider defending your home or turf attacks, yes they were. I respect Green Head Morays to this day and give them a wide berth. Those guys get big and aggressive. In the time since I have taken some great close up shots of all different types of Morays, except the Green Head.

 

[idocsteve]

^ Maybe in both of those cases it was a delayed response to a provocation on an earlier dive.