Monday, June 11, 2007

Saipan Lagoon

Finally, after 4 months, I went for a 2 hour swim. Decent visibility, 25 yards, slight current. Was able to find three of the five giant mantis shrimp that I have been observing for the past 18 months. A small congor eel has taken up residency where a larger eel, about 3 feet long, had been residing last January. Was able to grab a 24" snowflake eel for a second or two. As long as an eel stays rigid you can hold him, as soon as he goes limp he takes off like a bullet. Had another bluefin trevelly encounter, no blacktip or eagle ray's. Swimming, like woodworking, is a excellent attitude adjuster for me. Another excuse for swimming is to get a photo of the blue band octopus that I observed 3 years ago. More later, Carl