One more reason to do a safety stop!

[TJO]

Safety stops doesn't have to be boring... look around.
This guy spends most of his life doing a looong safety
stop. Does anyone know if they ever leave their rope
or wiral coral? I have a few friends on wire coral and
they are always there! They must get tunnel vision
living on place like that.

 

[Rice]

Cool pic!

I thnk safety stops are really underrated for seeing life. a while back I was looking through a Marine Biology book and came across a free-swimming tunicate species. I thought that was really cool but even better i saw one the next day during my safety stop!

there's a great deal of planktonic life that will just float by.

Unfortunatley the lower the nutrient levels (read more likely you're on c coral reef) the less plankton there will be.

Have a great day,
Rice

 

[Jester]

We were at our normal safety stop, when we saw a green moray feeding aggressively under a coral head. My buddy went back to get the other buddy team we were diving with (only about 30 yards away) and I stayed to keep an eye on the moray. Then, the moray turned and came right at me! I backed off, thinking I had somehow "invaded his space," and he kept right on coming! Finally, while swimming backwards, I turned to the side, and the moray went right by me. Turns out he (she?) was going from point A to point B, and I just happened to be right in the middle.

Made for a very interesting safety stop.

 

[ibnygator]

barracudas during safety stops. They kind of take up station a few feet away and just hover there and look at you. Really interesting.

 

[TJO]

Where was that ibnygator? Big ones? The ones I have seen, unless they are in a group, have been a little shy and stayed 10-20 feet away.

 

[Debraw]

My favorite safety stop was in Nassau Bahamas right above the Bahama Wreck site. We had about 6-8 foot sharks checking us out. We were still an they just got closer and closer. I tucked my hands under my arms just in case they got a little confused between my hands and a dead fish.

 

[danw2002]

yep, one thing you learn up here in the Pacific NW is to slow down and look around. a few days ago, was on a night dive and coming back up from around 80ft at around 30, a big brown flash went by. this was in about 4 ft of vis, so you did not see much as the area was stirred up pretty bad at that level. only saw the last part of it and the tail was spread out wide so thought it was the biggest cabizon i had seen at that point....a few minutes later i was staring at a big Sea lion and he was having a grand time messing with us.....it made the dive as he just sat there looking at me for a bit......fun......

 

[ibnygator]

TJO once bubbled...
Where was that ibnygator? Big ones? The ones I have seen, unless they are in a group, have been a little shy and stayed 10-20 feet away.

Near Port Lucaya. They ranged in length from 2- 5 feet mostly. I've also seen 'cudas get pretty close down in the Florida keys.

 

[scubaredneck]

Nice goby pic!

 

[Hooked4Life]

Very cool picture.. Gobies are some very interesting fish hanging out at some very different spots.