Tonight's Catch - Sixgill Shark

[MXGratefulDiver]

Just wondering, how common are 6 gill sightings in your area? Ours usually show up in the mid summer.

Far more common than in previous years ... and running later. Typically by now the 6-gills have gone wherever they go this time of year ... to appear again around next June or so. This year they're still common. Regular sightings along Pt. Defiance, Tacoma Narrows, Redondo, Three Tree North, and various points along Elliott Bay.

Not sure why they're sticking around ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[wedivebc]

Far more common than in previous years ... and running later. Typically by now the 6-gills have gone wherever they go this time of year ... to appear again around next June or so. This year they're still common. Regular sightings along Pt. Defiance, Tacoma Narrows, Redondo, Three Tree North, and various points along Elliott Bay.

Not sure why they're sticking around ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

Yeah, I saw either a blue or a salmon shark off Willis Point in Victoria a month ago. There is something about this year. Lot more dogfish than have been around for a few years too.

 

[DeepDog]

I'd like to see them for sure.
Gray

My pleasure. I went ahead and uploaded the murky photos of the rockfish I spotted last Thursday just before the Sixgill. It is either a Vermillion or Canary. The photo quality makes it a bit difficult to distinguish but on closer inspection, I am also inclined to go with Vermillion based on the shape of the pelvic fin and the color pattern. Please go to the gallery and comment on any other specific distinguishing features that you can see to identify which it is.

Thanks for all comments.

 

[gcbryan]

It's a Vermilion. Canary would be bright orange to yellow.

 

[DeepDog]

It's a Vermilion. Canary would be bright orange to yellow.

Agreed, Vermillion it is. Thanks for the review.
Those lovely photos are no longer occupying server space.

 

[sharkbait19912]

I am with a group that is trying to put together a sixgill dive. Do you have any idea where good spots are to find them, or anybody that knows more about finding them in the Seattle area. Thanks

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

It's getting kind've late in the season for sixgill. I was at Cove 2 tonight ... found several large octopus, including one six-footer out on walkabout ... but no sixgill.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[DeepDog]

It's getting kind've late in the season for sixgill. I was at Cove 2 tonight ... found several large octopus, including one six-footer out on walkabout ... but no sixgill.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

You didn't see a Sixgill . . . and you're surprised? Are you serious? :biggrinba

I know folks who have done thousands of dives and haven't seen one. I have heard others say they also were seeing a Sixgill around there at that time and we were missing it by two minutes.

But then, a few days later, BAM!

I honestly don't expect to see one again, especially with a camera and good 'ol Alkiman handy to tell 'em where to find me if I had shot too close to it or bumped it.

Don't give up Bob. Maybe in a few hundred dives you'll get lucky. Just keep the camera handy. And I wouldn't look where I shot it because they don't spend much time at 70 feet (thankfully). I'm at the beams about every other week and I confess going back today to the I-Beams but no luck. I only went to 97 feet (16:00). Must have missed you.

I'd be happy to hunt for him with you but I doubt we'll be that lucky again so soon. But PM me if you're interested in some Shark therapy.

I did find this poor expired Harbor Seal when I came out. Poor thing. Looks like some kind of bite or wound on its back above its fin. I wasn't fully prepared to perform an autopsy though. I found it midway between Cove 2 and Cove 1 on the rocks. Has to still be there. Of course I took photos. I decided to host the Pics on Imageshack. They're in my gallery too. . . for a while. Too morbid to leave them there.

BTW, based on the photos, I'm still inclined to think male on the Sixgill. Females are 12 to 14 feet and a bit wider.

DeepDog

P.S. Anyone want to actually go diving there soon? After the re-experiencing, its much more fun to talk about it. PM me if you're interested.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

LOL - I've only had three six-gill sightings this year ... two at Redondo and one at the I-beams ...

Tough to tell the gender of a shark by size ... for an adult shark it can range from about 7 feet to 20 feet for either males or females. Of the sharks that were hanging out at Cove 2 for the past few months, the largest one sighted (about 12 feet) was a male.

Sorry I missed you ... let's set up an after-work dive sometime. I'm up there, usually, a couple times a week.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[boydski]

Tough to tell the gender of a shark by size ... for an adult shark it can range from about 7 feet to 20 feet for either males or females. Of the sharks that were hanging out at Cove 2 for the past few months, the largest one sighted (about 12 feet) was a male.... Bob (Grateful Diver)

Hi Bob,

The largest Sixgill ever recorderd off our coast was about 16' long. I wrote an article about Sixgills earlier this year, and although I ran across the 20' length during my research for the article, I could find no scientific reference to support it. Not that I could actually tell the difference between a 16' and a 20' shark mind you.

The only effective way to tell the sex of the shark is to look for claspers, or bite marks near the gills (the males bite the females as part of mating), but you knew that. All the Sixgills I've seen so far have been female.