Sooo...I went snorkeling yesterday

[Sun Tzu]

Off of Lanikai beach (included is a pic I took of that beach last month). I go snorkeling about once a week, sometimes twice if I have extra free time and the weather/surf is permitting. About a half hour into this snorkeling adventure, I came across a Whitemouth Moray Eel. Holy fuck those things are big. I can still see it in my head. It was just hanging out in it's little rock hole/crevice thing, but after about 15 seconds of just floating there roughly 8-10 feet from it, it came out and swam away. I got to see exactly how big it was, and I swear it was a full sized adult. About 4 feet long, and 6-8 inches thick.

Christ. Totally awesome and terrifying at the same time.

[Karlifornia]

It's almost like you live in Hawaii or something!

[Sun Tzu]

Almost!

I'm including a picture so people get an idea of how sick one of these things look...

http://www.michaelmcfadyenscuba.info/images/bi-moray-eel.jpg

[Doug5984]

I've been snorkeling down in the Florida Keys quite a bit- one time I was on a reef and they had 2 moray eels, it was the only time I've seen them out there- but they just stuck out of their hole a few feet kind of floating with the mouth open, they are very creepy looking animals.

[Tasan]

I'm incredibly jealous you live somewhere you can go snorkeling that much. When we visited Hawaii, that's all I wanted to do. I swear I'd do it at least once a week if I lived somewhere that I could.

That said, those things were the one thing I didn't really care to see up close when I went. They freak me out.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Saw a few along our deck when we stayed in Tahiti. They'll certainly catch your attention.

[k0ruptr]

you should try getting bit by one, happened to me and my brother on the big island, but we went free diving quite a bit before and came across a shit ton of them. when they bite they clamp down like a pit bull would. You have to either chop the head off, of pinch a nerve by the jaw to get them off. It fucking sucked. I still have a baby scar by my left thumb, but this was maybe 10 years ago so its pretty much gone.

[RainMaker]

Have you seen any good sized centipedes yet?

[Sun Tzu]

Not yet...and I don't hope to either.

[BYU 14]

Had a blast snorkeling in Hawaii, if I lived there I would go at least once a week too.

[lighthousekeeper]

We can all snorkle weekly in HI:

Homeless, But Enjoying Hawaii On $3 A Day : NPR (http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=126675999&sc=fb&cc=fp)