Welcome to Thunderdome

This was close to the surface, so more snorkeling than diving, but we got some face time with the NZ fur-seals. My wife's Instagram:


I called dibs on processing and posting together the dolphin footage, which I'll do at home. We went with a boatful of snorkelers out into the ocean, to look for anchovy bait balls and try to swim with the dolphins that feed on them. I managed some good footage out of it, mostly because my free dive gear let me absolutely haul ass when we sighted them. The feeling from cruising like superman leaving the snorkelers in the dust to realizing the dolphins can swim circles around me was humbling.

Those Eels are no joke. Especially the Morray. They are definitely not to be fucked around with - there is a particular video of a guy feeding an eel that "accidentally" bites his fucking finger off - dive glove and all - on YouTube.

And those Blacktips are notoriously aggressive.

It sounds awesome though! The eels I'd feel comfortable being around, even if they are creepy. Just don't make your fingers look enticing. I'd feel apprehensive getting in the Blacktip tank without a decent knife strapped to me. Do they let you wear chain gloves for the feeding?

It occurs to me that Blacktips likely treat guys in scuba rigs very differently than spearos. Bet it's nothing to worry about.

I was going to say jokingly that I would actually welcome combat with a blacktip shark, but I wouldn't want someone from the zoo to read that and think I was going to be a fuckup and try to fight them. Because I absolutely would not do that.

But nah, I aint skeered of them.... they get fed regularly, and by now they know they can just wait for the dead fish to get put in front of their face, they don't need to tussle with the big 200 pound weird thing that blows bubbles and tastes like foam rubber.

Troy wrote: Especially the Morray. They are definitely not to be fucked around with

They have xenomorph jaws. Seriously.

Troy wrote:It occurs to me that Blacktips likely treat guys in scuba rigs very differently than spearos. Bet it's nothing to worry about.

Blacktips are not terribly aggressive unless they think you're food. They also tend to leave alone human-sized things which are fully submerged.

Ok, just had an idea.... get a small piece of chewed-up wetsuit, clandestinely release it while i am giving a shark feeding demonstration, see if anyone notices.

If you're doing that, go full-blown severed hand.

"Oh, THAT'S where yesterday's feeder went."

Hay I'm at the zoo getting CPR certified.

GORDON wrote: Hay I'm at the zoo getting CPR certified.

Do you practice on animals?

Obviously.

The instructor mentioned "It's actually difficult to find and fill a tub with ice in order to treat a heat stress victim..." so I suggested the penguin enclosure.

I mean, obviously, right? Think outside the box, people.

It was actually general emergency training, not just cpr.

But yeah I'm totally a first responder now, no big deal.

Got my emails this morning (these maniacs seem to work 7 days a week), I was the first in the group to get all my shit together, so I am now on the schedule for Dive Tender Training. Because of my upcoming dive trip I prolly won't get in the water as an official zoo diver until April.... but the way the scheduling process looks I will have plenty of advance warning so I will be able to put the word out, in case anyone wanted to attend this summer.

Also here is a link they sent me, this is what it looks like above the big tank where I will be.

I don't BELIEVE this video is marked as "Private" or anything.... if any of you notice that it is, please inform me and I will remove it. As far as I can tell, it is public.

Here's the shark attack rescue training they put up.

Florida trip is in a week, I pulled out the dive computers today to make sure the batteries were still good.... and it is just difficult enough to change them that I would want to take them to the dive shop and have them do it. They are, they read 75% charge, great.

But then I saw the time was an hour off.... fuck.... I never changed them in the fall when the clock moved back an hour, now I have to find the documentation to figure out how to change it.

But then I realized, shit, tonight when the clocks change the time will be correct, again.

The scuba gods smile upon me.

Oh, also, I do my first official "dive tender" at the zoo, tomorrow. Good times.

I'm going to tap on the glass.

Leisher wrote: I'm going to tap on the glass.

Since you're talking about G, I'm going to assume you meant "Tap that ass."

Malcolm wrote:

Leisher wrote: I'm going to tap on the glass.

Since you're talking about G, I'm going to assume you meant "Tap that ass."

Apparently the ladies were already throwing it at G during his gym visits. Now that he's a shark diver who works for the zoo, it'll require literally beating them away with sticks.

Hot woman comes up to me: "I've never said this to anyone but I find you to be incredibly attractive and I want you to be the first man to make love to me."
Me: ummm.. thanks. It's really fun feeding the sharks.

"any questions OTHER than what I'm wearing under my wetsuit? thanks."