Awesome Day!

mumszie

Silver Member
Feb 22, 2005
2,819
123
Spring Hill, Florida
Now I know by title you’re thinking GOLD, SILVER, JEWELRY! So if that is what you are hoping to read about you can stop now and go to another post.

No, my awesome day started out with me going to my regular beach and I ended up going to 2 more places after that but the awesomeness was at the first place. The sun was just coming up and it was light enough for me to get in the water. I walked out to about shoulder deep and was immediately surrounded by a herd of manatees. I counted six of them - BIG ONES - and they kept swimming all around me. I had them in front. I had them behind me and on both sides. From time to time I’d get a slight nudge from one of them. It wasn’t just a minute or so experience. This lasted for about 30-40 minutes. It was such a cool experience. It has been a long while since I have been surrounded like this and I was ready. I had my camera with me so - quick as a wink I pulled it off my hat and turned it on. I took 17 pictures and I “thought” I was getting some pretty cool pictures but I didn’t. At first I blamed it on the early morning and not enough light but when I finally got out of the water and took a look at the settings… I had the zoom lens on and what I really got was a very close up view of the back or side of the manatee. You can't even tell they are there!RATS! I actually set my camera to underwater view before I even got out of the car but never thought to check the zoom. I took 17 pictures and not one came out good enough to see my visitors and I was so looking forward to sharing them with everyone! I didn’t get much at this beach because they just were not going away. I ended up with one penny and a Benchmade knife. I can’t find the exact one on the internet but the ones I have found are not cheap knives so as far as I’m concerned it was a good hunt.



At the next beach I was expecting to be pretty much alone. Not so…. Quite a few people were there already so again I made my way out to shoulder deep and started hunting. Who should come by to visit? Another manatee! This one was alone but he came by me several times but not in close enough to get a good picture. I found a nail, a fishhook and a few coins.


At the third and last beach I should have just skipped it altogether. I just got so tired that I gave up quickly and left for home.

Still the day with all the manatees was just awesome! I hope next time I will have my camera set better. I bought it especially for these encounters and I messed up. Next time! Happy Hunting to all.
 

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What a great story and experience..... to bad on the photos.

Cliff
 

can manatees be fined for disturbing you? Just kidding, but you've must have read about the person that was petting them and took pictures? They ended up being charged with harassing the creature and paying a fine and a small bit of jail time if I'm not mistaken.

you did good find wize
 

Enjoyed the story of the Manatees around you. You got a nice knife as prize also.
 

What a great story and experience..... to bad on the photos.

Cliff

YOU cannot initiate contact with manatees but THEY can with you. But even if they do initiate contact you cannot chase them or jump on them etc. You can take pictures as long as they are with you but when THEY decide they've had enough then they leave.
 

Nice knife. Best knife I have ever bought. Who ever dropped that is hating it. I bet they felt like they lost a ring. Also one year I was lobstering at low tide when the visibility was poor. I bumped right into a manatee at first I thought it was something else. Im glad it was a manatee and not a hungry bull. Lol
 

Sorry about the camera, Mumszie, but you did well with that nice knife find!:icon_thumleft:

Good luck on your next hunt.

Lorraine
 

there are treasures other than gold! congrats!!
chuck.
 

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