Close Encounters

[uswine]

I had a giant ray surface about 20 ft from me once near cancun .... two grey and black wing tips came gliding above the surface ... someone yelled shark ... and we didnt stop to think that the fins didn't fit a shark.... we just got to shore asap...too many margaritas ... we gave in to our imagination without a second thought. Once we got to shore and gained 10 ft vertical altitude we could see it was a ray playing in the surf .... huge.

I have done night kayaking in maui on a moonless night... never tried windsurfing at night ...definitely would have the adrenalin flowing... we couldn't see the waves in the kayak ... windsurfing would have been a challenge.

[uswine]

In the Caribbean I have found myself suddenly swimming with thousands of jellyfish ... from the size of a pea to the size of a trash bag .... or in the middle of dozens of barracudas ...... I once had a trip scheduled to Australia with airline lies ... it was a real push as my employer wanted me back a day early ... fly to LA and immediately head to London UK... I would have had to leave my girlfriend down there the extra day alone ... but I was still hot to trot on the trip .... and then I read about all the box jellyfish problems they were having .... pretty much killed it for me and I cancelled.

[hitech]

Sailed by hundreds of turtles off Kanaha or Kihie over the years and luckily never hit one. Sailed over rays and even came face to face with the monk seal near Uppers.
Many years ago I hit something big and soft that sent me over the bars about a half mile off Arroya Laguna. Always envisioned it was the landlord and hoped it wasn't an otter but didn't wait around to find out.
Biggest thrill was sailing amongst a thousand plus dolphins about a mile off Los Barriles. They were horizon to horizon, jumping near me and swimming under my board as I was the only one out there on a very light wind day with crystal clear water.

[uswine]

Not an animal encounter but the encounters with log barges and giant wind shadows from tidewater barges can occasionally be a little scary .. especially with any new comers up there ... you standing on the beach looking out scratching your head " what are they doing? .... cant they see the barge coming?"

[windward1]

If one is seeking close encounters with the wild things, and I do enjoy them, just got through saying "Hi" to my three raccoon buddies out back, I can highly recommend the Monterrey Bay Sanctuary. That is where I sail. Humpback whales are sometimes very numerous in the summer, such as this last one. Gray Whales pass through in the winter and Spring. There are seven types of dolphins/porpoises here. I think I have seen three or four of the seven. There are Blue Whales and Orcas, which I have not seen. Seen almost every other session are sea otters, sea lions, and harbor seals. Also bat rays, anchovies and leopard sharks abound at times. Whitey is there, but fairly rarely seen. I have not glimpsed him. Which is alright by me.

[UncleRandy]

Hit two Manatee first one tore my fin box out, seen lot's of turtle's hit one,
Five Sharks, one Pilot whale, lot's of Dolphin, lot's of seals, some big fish, hit twice by flying fish at Kihei, had sea ray's fly out of the water by me

[justall]

Good topic and interesting posts.

My list includes: Doing an emergency ditching stop to avoid a pair of turtles; would have hated myself if I hit them while just a guest in their neighborhood. Planed through a school of large, fleeing, kinda jumping fish; thought they might have been blues, so lucky to have passed through cleanly. Had some sort of snake bump into my board; "why'd it have to be snakes." Had a large crab decide my foot was too close, and it let me know it; I always wear booties, now.

No whales, though, yet.

[cgoudie1]

Indeed, that was the deal. He's back to ripping the river these days.

-Craig

[benspikey]

Pelican.. big f'ing Pelican.. Watch out for those guys..

[billekrub]

Some that come to mind:

Tajalee sunk its teeth into my shin in Marguerita, Venezuela, on the plane, in the straps and hooked in. 6 days off the water.
Stopped by otter near the shore, Lake Arenal, Costa Rica
Stopped by reef, ended up flat on the board, Puerto Rico
Stopped by kelp, lots of times, Punta San Carlos, Baja Norte, Mexico
Within a few board lengths of migrating whales heading south while slogging back towards shore, Melkbosh, Western Cape, S. Africa
Dolphins around but usu. closer when paddling than when sailing
Brown pelicans massed in the 100's over schools of fish, so thick they cannot believe you are coming towards them, lots of close calls
Peruvian diving petrels, penguins, cormorants, boobies, shearwaters, skimmers, in Chile
Turtles, sharks in Kanaha
Sea lions, young and old, Chile and Baja (psc)
Small rattler on the beach, PSC
Some interesting collisions with unleashed homo sapiens sapiens? kiter and windsurfer type