Sunday, January 18, 2009

Struck by stargazer @ Second Valley

Scuba Steve may have been struck by a stargazer at Second Valley on Saturday 17th January. The 30cm-plus specimen may have struck me on the legs as I lay on the seabed. When I turned to see what had struck me, I saw what appeared to be a fish carcass settling on a nearby sand patch. A closer inspection revealed that it was actually a live stargazer. I managed to take a photo of the fish before it turned around on the spot and proceeded to bury itself in the sand. I managed to take a second shot of it before it completely disappeared into the sand. It seems to be an eastern stargazer, Kathetostoma laeve. Large specimens are said to be known to bite divers during night dives.
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1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Hi Steve
I have heard of one of the stargazers under Edithburgh jetty getting crazy at one of the guys from sea optics.
Cheers
Phil