Six Gills in Seattle?

[Scuba Jon]

Okay, back on topic here. I did go out Friday to give a shot at finding those big toothy fish at the Mukilteo T-dock. I entered the water around 6 and bopped on down to about 100fsw and spent the next 25 minutes searching but to no avail (Technically I was at 90 with about 10 feet below me). Sort of spooky down there in low viz, almost completely dark and by myself (yes, I was diving solo). I will try again in a week or two.

[RebreatherNut]

Maybe there should be a seperat Six Gill sighting category here on NWDC, so if someone does come accross them and they are willing to share where those lovley creatures hang out.

RBN

[Norris]

I concur, even though I am almost certain that if someone DOES see one, they will explode all over this forum group, I know I would!



Rick "yet to see a 6 gill" Norris

[spatman]

Rick "yet to see a 6 gill" Norris

you're not alone in that club, dude. not by a long shot.

[Grateful Diver]

Maybe there should be a seperat Six Gill sighting category here on NWDC, so if someone does come accross them and they are willing to share where those lovley creatures hang out.

RBN

If somebody decides to start a thread for that topic, please mark it NHZ (No Hijack Zone) ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

[cklenk]

Since the topic of 'enhancements' has been brought up yet again, why are people so defensive about the big lines at Cove 2 leading to the i-beams?!? Who IS responsible for putting them in? The same peeps who put the line in at the junkyard? No one has ever stepped up in any of our discussions regarding the big line to the i-beams and said "here's the research regarding safety, the approval by the community, etc..." "My group, mr's X, Y, and Z put them in, and if you bring your concerns to us, and a proposal for moving them shallower to the jackstraw pilings, we'll think about it"

Who do I contact? Maybe i'm just way out of the loop, but anyone who knows, please pass the info on!

Same thing with GeoDome... if it's falling apart, get the group responsible for putting in to fix it, or dismantle it! The reason the Edmonds UW park works is constant maintenance, its a boatload of work keeping it all safe and fun!

what is an 'enhancement' anyway? what is it enhancing? unless it's a fishing reef or a shipwreck it's mostly just junk underwater that doesn't belong! I don't go diving to see recognizable household trash underwater. (toilets, old washing machines, batteries, kids toys, computer keyboards, etc...) What ever happened to 'leave only bubbles'?

(i'm not hashing on the edmonds underwater park here, i appreciate the park, they took a sand flat and made something out of it)

It all just seems rather sad - why can't humans leave things alone? It seems to be a penchant to "mark" human territory with trash. Whats up wit that? It all just seems really sad. Can we not "leave only bubbles"?
Cindy

[Disclaimer on]

I in no way encourage or condone anyone to move any line at any divesite without the express permission of those responsible for the site.

[/Disclaimer off]


Ok, I've been cranky all week, you guys are giving me a good excuse to rant, here goes!

[Rant] Why do people at Mukilteo feel the need to "enhance" the site by placing lines, old crappy rowboats, plastic pipe. etc.? What makes them think they can do this? They don't own the site. Would you go put up bird feeders in a public park to "enhance" it? Park an old car with no wheels for your kids to play on? No? Then why is it you feel compelled to do the same underwater?

I've mentioned the geodome before. While I don't care for it, it didn't eally bother me until it started buckling, the lines started coming loose, and it became a safety hazard. The person who placed it there claimed they were going to fix it, to my knowledge, it hasn't happened. If somebody knows him, please let him know that those of us who dive the site would appreciate it if he took care of the "art" that he chose to place there.

Bottom line, please stop putting stuff in the water to be used for training or to enhance a site, ESPECIALLY it it provides a hazard, as the various lines do. It generally just looks like litter.
[Rant off]

I don't expect any body doing the placing to actually care what I think, but it would be nice if they'd stop underwater littering.

[Scuba Jon]

Last Friday night my buddy & I made our latest attempt at finding a sixgill. We have adopted the "if you can't stumble across them then bait them in" approach. Our bait last Friday was frozen lingcod carcasses. It was out about two hours at about 70fsw before we descended on it. We managed to attract a bunch of small flounder but still no big toothy fish. One of these days we will be successful.
Until next time, may there always be a shark in your dive plan.
Randy P

[sheahanmcculla]

Great Idea! I have that about this too! It seems to work for team Hydrous (spelling?), but it looks like they use a lot of bait and at the same place time after time. Good luck!

[RebreatherNut]

Last Friday night my buddy & I made our latest attempt at finding a sixgill. We have adopted the "if you can't stumble across them then bait them in" approach. Our bait last Friday was frozen lingcod carcasses. It was out about two hours at about 70fsw before we descended on it. We managed to attract a bunch of small flounder but still no big toothy fish. One of these days we will be successful.
Until next time, may there always be a shark in your dive plan.
Randy P

That sounds like a superb idea. I bet if you keep doing the bait thang at the same spot over and over, some day those toothy creatures will wake up and smell the roses....ehhh I mean the bait and come hang around.

Keep us posted!

Thanks,

RBN

[Sounder]

Just be careful... I've been told about a time when there was bait in the water and there were several sharks around (enough to make you worry). The sharks were blinded by the lights, and when they would bump into the divers, they would open their mouths reflexively to bite.

Just remember... Darwin lives, and he gives awards.

[Jeff Kruse]

Just be careful... I've been told about a time when there was bait in the water and there were several sharks around (enough to make you worry). The sharks were blinded by the lights, and when they would bump into the divers, they would open their mouths reflexively to bite.

Just remember... Darwin lives, and he gives awards.

Yah, "I've been told" that also. Just have your life insurance up to date. Don't do this if you have kids.

[Sounder]

Just be careful... I've been told about a time when there was bait in the water and there were several sharks around (enough to make you worry). The sharks were blinded by the lights, and when they would bump into the divers, they would open their mouths reflexively to bite.

Just remember... Darwin lives, and he gives awards.

Yah, "I've been told" that also. Just have your life insurance up to date. Don't do this if you have kids.

I've even got the T-shirt.

[Kirby]

Seems to be a drought on six gill sightings down south in Tacoma as well. I have seen 2 down here in the past couple of years (not at Owen beach), but haven't even heard of one being seen by the seekers in the last year (I am not even one of those). I have heard they eat dead fall, like maybe a big whale or such that may be a source of food for a long while. Is that true? If so, maybe the jackpot of food in the big stinky pile got finished and they moved on to greener pastures?

Kirby

[girldiver]

Team Hydrus "does" bait the six gills...however, they also use a sharks cage and have safety divers in the water who have over 300 dives with the creatures. Sharks don't know the difference between the stuff in the water when they're feeding until they "taste" it. If they are feeding...do you want to be part of the taste test??

I'm not sure that "baiting sharks" is the brightest idea an amateur diver can come up with.

Just my .02 cents.

[Mattleycrue76]

If you do come across one I suggest the technique outlined in my avatar.

[Scuba Jon]

We made our latest attempt at finding a sixgill last Friday night. This time we were out near Saltys and in 80fsw. No sharks but we did have some pretty spectacular visability (Could see the boat from 50fsw) and a bunch of BIG jellyfish to keep us entertained. We soaked the bait for 3 hours before descending on it. One of these days we will connect with the big toothy ones but last Friday just wasn't that day.

[Scuba Jon]

Last weekend I was at a diver friend's July 4th party and heard my first report of a sixgill being seen locally in a long time. It happened about 2-3 weeks ago and was just off the rope trail at Cove 2. They said it was in about 70fsw just sitting on the bottom. Now my first response was "BS" until she showed me the picture.
They are there; we just need to keep looking. I am going with the Mel Fisher approach and just keep repeating to myself before every shark dive "Today is the day". It worked for Mel and it will work for me!

Today is the day
Randy

[gcbryan]

Last weekend I was at a diver friend's July 4th party and heard my first report of a sixgill being seen locally in a long time. It happened about 2-3 weeks ago and was just off the rope trail at Cove 2. They said it was in about 70fsw just sitting on the bottom. Now my first response was "BS" until she showed me the picture.
They are there; we just need to keep looking. I am going with the Mel Fisher approach and just keep repeating to myself before every shark dive "Today is the day". It worked for Mel and it will work for me!

Today is the day
Randy

That is the right approach! We are in a lull right now. I chat with a friend at the aquarium who heads up the sixgill research over there every now and then. The latest "thinking" is that the sixgills in Puget Sound and Georgia basin are subadults (for the most part) and are loosely related to each other (DNA testing confirms this). The adults seem to swing in seasonally perhaps to mate in any event the food sources are different for the adults vs the subadults. When they examine the stomach contents of the subadults it's from the sound and in the adults it's for the most part from the open ocean (outer coast). This source for this kind of information is the Fisheries department I believe.

As he put it we may have to wait until the next batch of pups decides to make Puget Sound home for a while. There are a few around but not like they were several years ago. I understand it's always been like this however...rarely sighted ...and then signed every other week. Luckily I was around to see my fair share when they were more plentiful. Even so, my approach was the same as your...just keep looking!

[Scuba Jon]

I assume you are referring to Jeff Christianson. I have had many a conversation with him over the last few years and the way you just explained it is how I understood it too. When they show up they all seem to have a common parent (Mom) with a few different Dads. That big female that washed up on a Tacoma beach a few months ago confirmed that. She had over 100 pups in her fathered by 4 different males. So until Mom decides to drop off the kids in Elliot Bay, the sightings will be few & far between.

I'll be headed out again tomorrow to see if I can find one.

Today is the day
Randy