Six Gill shark sighting in the Hood Canal

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diveborg

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Apparently they aren't seen very often in the Hood Canal. Some friends and I were on a trip with Don and Diane at Pacific Adventure. If you haven't been out with them, you are really missing out. Anyway, on our first dive at about 80 ft I saw the shark. We ended up following it down to about 122 ft before heading back up. It got pretty dark at the bottom and there was a bunch of krill in the water, so the photo is only offered as proof of the sighting. Don has over 1000 dives in the Hood Canal and has yet to see a 6 gill shark there. He was quite upset with himself for not making the first dive with us when we got back on the boat and told him what we saw. I also saw what was probably the largest ling cod I've ever seen. That fish was probably as large as the shark. Both were in the 6 ft. to 7 ft. range. It was almost anticlimactic when I found the female wolf eel partially out of her den.


click on the photo for a larger image (if you dare)


Female Wolf Eel

The rest of the photos are in this Gallery
 
diveborg:
Apparently they aren't seen very often in the Hood Canal. Some friends and I were on a trip with Don and Diane at Pacific Adventure. If you haven't been out with them, you are really missing out. Anyway, on our first dive at about 80 ft I saw the shark. We ended up following it down to about 122 ft before heading back up. It got pretty dark at the bottom and there was a bunch of krill in the water, so the photo is only offered as proof of the sighting. Don has over 1000 dives in the Hood Canal and has yet to see a 6 gill shark there. He was quite upset with himself for not making the first dive with us when we got back on the boat and told him what we saw. I also saw what was probably the largest ling cod I've ever seen. That fish was probably as large as the shark. Both were in the 6 ft. to 7 ft. range. It was almost anticlimactic when I found the female wolf eel partially out of her den.


click on the photo for a larger image (if you dare)


Female Wolf Eel

The rest of the photos are in this Gallery

What dive site was the 6 gill at? Only one I've seen was in 60' at Rosie's Ravine last summer.

Brian
 
Nice stuff, diveborg, and congratulations on the 6 gill sighting. I wonder how he got that scar on his back?

Here's a question: How can you tell a male from a female wolfie?

Thanks for sharing!

Dave
 
bwh6:
What dive site was the 6 gill at? Only one I've seen was in 60' at Rosie's Ravine last summer.

Brian
That is where we were too. Have you been out on the new "Down Time"?

Sasquatch:
Here's a question: How can you tell a male from a female wolfie?
The females are a little darker and the head isn't quite as bumpy. Here are a mated pair, see if you can tell the difference. The female is closer to the camera than the male.

both-eels.JPG


The rest of the wolfie photos are here.
 
Wolfie Eel....nice pix ....I never seen before...thanks
 
I saw my first six gill at Rosie's on 7/1/06. It was at least a 8 footer at 125' down on the wall. We also saw two dog fish sharks on that dive, one a 4-5 footer was mad at us and charged me. Very cool dive and dive site.

Charles
 
That looked like a big shark! I'm so envious . . . I have yet to see one.
 
diveborg:
That is where we were too. Have you been out on the new "Down Time"?

No I've only done shore and kayak diving in the canal. I've wanted to go with Pac Adventure though and need/want to get to the sound & vancouver once this year, grr. Hood canal is great.

Aquanautchuck:
I saw my first six gill at Rosie's on 7/1/06. It was at least a 8 footer at 125' down on the wall. We also saw two dog fish sharks on that dive, one a 4-5 footer was mad at us and charged me. Very cool dive and dive site.

Charles

Watch out when the dogfish are in packs. One shark charging you is neat, several coming in from different angles is, uh, less neat. Had very good luck finding them at Pulali point, but really they seem to be all over hood canal.

Brian
 
TSandM:
That looked like a big shark! I'm so envious . . . I have yet to see one.

I've seen a lot of them but not so many this year. At the moment I would have to say that your best shot is a dive at Owens Beach in Point Defiance Park in Tacoma. I have been twice (including today) and have seen Sixgills both times. Today we saw 2 Sixgills.

So, if you really want to see them go a slack late in the afternoon/evening (the park closes at dusk). This is a current dependant site. Go straight out from the parking lot to 90 fsw and turn left swimming until you find the barge. If you don't run into one by then head straight out to 110 fsw or so. Hang around a few minutes and with any luck you will see one.
 
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