moray eels

[crpntr133]

If you stick your hand in the crack and you don't get it back that's a moray...to be sung to the tune of "Thats Amore".

 

[jewelrox1]

when i was in the cayman islands and i decided to go snorkelling (the water was very shallow in the sting ray city area) i came up to a moray eels home and i guess i got too close to the eel...it started chasing me and i was kicking in its face this chase lasted like 3 minutes...it was scary! lets just say, keep away from moray eels homes! theyre very dangerous

 

[ryt]

Moray eels in my opinoin are the most fascinating creatures under the water. They are easy to find in most areas, the biggest threat to a diver in most places, and very fascinating. Before I moved to Hawaii I would keep aquariums since I could not dive often. I kept a few different eels, but most successfully the green wolf eel (not to be confusedd with the green moray eel, the largest in the atlantic). They are great pets, even though they are technically a dottyback and not an eel. The snowflake is an escape artist and you rtank needs to be sealed. This is the case for all morays, not the green wolf eel though. I have been bitten several times by the eels I took care of (I also worked in a pet store) and it can be painful, although all the eels that bit me were small compared to the ones out in the ocean, they still hurt, feeding them is not advised. Also, eels generally grow at a rate proportional to how much you feed it. if you want it to get big and you have abig tank, feed it daily, if not, feed it weekly.

 

[caymaniac]

While I was diving at Stingray City, a big Green eel came out from underneath a coral head and while I was adjusting my camera (not watching the eel) the eel swam around my back inbetween my wetsuit and my BC......now that was a rush! As the eel swam back underneath the coral head I put my bare hand on its body, it was one of the softest things I've ever felt.

Dive Safe,
Caymaniac

 

[Fina]

I saw my first Giant Moray in the Similan Islands in Thailand.
The DM told us when we came to a certain fan coral in the sand to watch out for "Big Bertha." Sure enough when we got to the coral, out slithered the most enormous eel I'd ever seen. "Bertha" was thicker than my thigh and easily 2.5m long. She swam right up to the DM, went between her legs and then proceded to circle every individual in the group before retreating back to her den. We ended up seeing several eels of a similar size on our dives there.

I'm used to the yellow and green morays we see here in Sydney. Even they can be quite intimidating, but it's always nothing more than curiousity.
The thing that intrigues me about morays is that often they will come up to your mask and look you right in the eyes, and just hang there, staring. There's some intelligence in them they I don't see in most other fish.

 

[Humuhumunukunukuapua'a]

anyone know how to entice a moray eel to leave it's hole without attacking you? I don't agree with feeding, so not that. anyways who wants to with those teeth?!

I would say, don't try to tempt them out. You'll see them sooner or later. I saw a great many while snorkeling in Hawaii during the day, and a freakin ton of them at night diving.

The safest/best way I saw to lure them out was to spotlight a fish and help them hit it at night. That worked pretty well although for the most part, they still failed to get the fish. They don't seem to be the most cunning hunters. Maybe the eyesight, as has been suggested here.

Personally, I think it sucks to grab, feed, tempt, torment, poke, harass, taunt or otherwise irritate any ocean critters, and anyone who does deserves a moray bite. At the very least, I imagine it messes up your dive karma.

Gregg

edit - typo

 

[Willar]

I saw a rather large green moray while diving near Negril Jamaica. Looked to be 5-6 ft. long to me.

http://public.fotki.com/willar/jamaica/scuba_2004/picture_233.html

http://public.fotki.com/willar/jamaica/scuba_2004/picture_235.html

Did I do something stupid? To get the first picture I stuck my hand (with camera) in front of the overhang and snapped the pic. Good thing he didn't take my hand as dinner!

We also saw 2 slightly smaller green morays caught inside fish traps. They had eaten the fish and couldn't figure out how to swim out. If I'd had some shears at the time (I do now) I could have cut it open so they could get out.

 

[PhotoTJ]

The biggest Moray I ever saw was the GIANT ELECTRIC MORAY EEL on baywatch, it was about 35 feet long and attacked two of the life guards that were cave diving and got stuck because there was an earthquake and an avalanche blocked the entrance.

Wow, and they filmed Baywatch right here in SoCal! Good thing we had that earthquake, I hope it never gets out.