6 Gill Shark at Norrander's Reef (Rockaway)?
6 Gill Shark at Norrander's Reef (Rockaway)?
Me and a buddy think we saw a small (3+ft) 6 gill at Rockaway the other day. The encounter was brief, and I didn't have a chance to actually count the gills [smile] so I remain skeptical -- but he's adamant that that's what it was. Anybody else seen one there?
glenn
PS - Oh, some additional info which probably won't help... Depth was around 50ft, the critter was near the bottom and patrolling fast, checked us out twice then split. Time was 6pm. Phase of the moon was 1/4, weather fair, and I had fish tacos for lunch.
glenn
PS - Oh, some additional info which probably won't help... Depth was around 50ft, the critter was near the bottom and patrolling fast, checked us out twice then split. Time was 6pm. Phase of the moon was 1/4, weather fair, and I had fish tacos for lunch.
- Joshua Smith
- I've Got Gills
- Posts: 10250
- Joined: Mon Apr 03, 2006 9:32 pm
Re: 6 Gill Shark at Norrander's Reef (Rockaway)?
I don't want to burst your bubble too hard, but that sounds kind of like a dogfish to me.....
Maritime Documentation Society
"To venture into the terrible loneliness, one must have something greater than greed. Love. One needs love for life, for intrigue, for mystery."
"To venture into the terrible loneliness, one must have something greater than greed. Love. One needs love for life, for intrigue, for mystery."
Re: 6 Gill Shark at Norrander's Reef (Rockaway)?
Well I too thought it might be a dogfish too. But my buddy's seen a lot of them and he says it wasn't. And I didn't see any spots... So I'm open to the idea. If someone else has seen a six gill there lately then it would confirm the sighting.
........Must.... remember.... camera.... next.... time..........
........Must.... remember.... camera.... next.... time..........
- Penopolypants
- NWDC Moderator
- Posts: 3906
- Joined: Sun Jan 07, 2007 7:37 pm
Re: 6 Gill Shark at Norrander's Reef (Rockaway)?
All the cool stuff swims by when you don't have it. :( I'm convinced I'm gonna have to stop carrying mine if I ever want to see a six gill.60south wrote:Well I too thought it might be a dogfish too. But my buddy's seen a lot of them and he says it wasn't. And I didn't see any spots... So I'm open to the idea. If someone else has seen a six gill there lately then it would confirm the sighting.
........Must.... remember.... camera.... next.... time..........
Come to the nerd side, we have pi!
- Grateful Diver
- I've Got Gills
- Posts: 5322
- Joined: Mon May 15, 2006 7:52 pm
Re: 6 Gill Shark at Norrander's Reef (Rockaway)?
The "patrolling fast" tends to make me think it was a dogfish ... dogfish tend to swim fast, and all the six-gills I've ever seen were swimming slow ...
... Bob (Grateful Diver)
... Bob (Grateful Diver)
Threats and ultimatums are never the best answer. Public humiliation via Photoshop is always better - airsix
Come visit me at http://www.nwgratefuldiver.com/
Come visit me at http://www.nwgratefuldiver.com/
- Joshua Smith
- I've Got Gills
- Posts: 10250
- Joined: Mon Apr 03, 2006 9:32 pm
Re: 6 Gill Shark at Norrander's Reef (Rockaway)?
Yeah- that, plus the smallest 6 gill I've ever heard a report of was probably 5-6 feet long- not sure where the pups live until they get that big, but it seems like they're particularly shy.Grateful Diver wrote:The "patrolling fast" tends to make me think it was a dogfish ... dogfish tend to swim fast, and all the six-gills I've ever seen were swimming slow ...
... Bob (Grateful Diver)
Maritime Documentation Society
"To venture into the terrible loneliness, one must have something greater than greed. Love. One needs love for life, for intrigue, for mystery."
"To venture into the terrible loneliness, one must have something greater than greed. Love. One needs love for life, for intrigue, for mystery."
Re: 6 Gill Shark at Norrander's Reef (Rockaway)?
Dogfish don't always have spots. The ones in the Dome at the Aquarium "tan" after a few months and are uniformly gray/brown.
"Fast" is the most telling statement on why it probably wasn't a 6 gill.
"Fast" is the most telling statement on why it probably wasn't a 6 gill.
Sounder wrote:Under normal circumstances, I would never tell another man how to shave his balls... but this device should not be kept secret.
Re: 6 Gill Shark at Norrander's Reef (Rockaway)?
Sorta. But it had a blunter nose, no spots or coloration.
Last edited by 60south on Tue Aug 12, 2008 12:36 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Re: 6 Gill Shark at Norrander's Reef (Rockaway)?
Where was the dorsal fin relative to the head?
6 gills have only one dorsal fin and its set quite far back towards the tail.
http://www.photolib.noaa.gov/htmls/expl0449.htm
As shown, Dogfish have 2 and the prominent one is set in the middle of the fish.
6 gills have only one dorsal fin and its set quite far back towards the tail.
http://www.photolib.noaa.gov/htmls/expl0449.htm
As shown, Dogfish have 2 and the prominent one is set in the middle of the fish.
Sounder wrote:Under normal circumstances, I would never tell another man how to shave his balls... but this device should not be kept secret.
Re: 6 Gill Shark at Norrander's Reef (Rockaway)?
I saw a 6 gill pup at redondo on a safety stop on a night dive that was about 3 to 4 feet long several months ago.
I think LJ James has reported seeing pups quite often at Cove 2 on the line runs.
I think LJ James has reported seeing pups quite often at Cove 2 on the line runs.
Tim
SSI Dive Control Specialist Instructor
REEF PNW AAT Level 5 Surveyor
REEF Hawaii Level 3 Surveyor
REEF Instructor - PNW Fish, PNW Advanced Fish, PNW Inverts, TWA, HAW, TEP, Cal Inverts and Algae
TimRenz.com creating comfortable, confident, and enthusiastic divers.
SSI Dive Control Specialist Instructor
REEF PNW AAT Level 5 Surveyor
REEF Hawaii Level 3 Surveyor
REEF Instructor - PNW Fish, PNW Advanced Fish, PNW Inverts, TWA, HAW, TEP, Cal Inverts and Algae
TimRenz.com creating comfortable, confident, and enthusiastic divers.
Re: 6 Gill Shark at Norrander's Reef (Rockaway)?
That I don't know, I didn't notice. My buddy claims it was far back, which is partially why he thinks it was a young 6 gill.CaptnJack wrote:Where was the dorsal fin relative to the head?
I started out skeptical, but the more I look at that picture the more I think it wasn't a dogfish. It wasn't that streamlined, it had more of a stocky look to it.
Might jus' have to go back there and look for it again...
- Joshua Smith
- I've Got Gills
- Posts: 10250
- Joined: Mon Apr 03, 2006 9:32 pm
Re: 6 Gill Shark at Norrander's Reef (Rockaway)?
Hey, maybe it was a 6 gill- I wasn't there, so I don't know nothin'. 6 gillers usually don't move fast, but they can really haul ass when they want to- I think the weird dorsal fin placement on the 6 gill would be the thing to look for next time- they're waaaaay back towards the tail, compared to dogfish, or any other shark I know about.60south wrote:That I don't know, I didn't notice. My buddy claims it was far back, which is partially why he thinks it was a young 6 gill.CaptnJack wrote:Where was the dorsal fin relative to the head?
I started out skeptical, but the more I look at that picture the more I think it wasn't a dogfish. It wasn't that streamlined, it had more of a stocky look to it.
Might jus' have to go back there and look for it again...
Maritime Documentation Society
"To venture into the terrible loneliness, one must have something greater than greed. Love. One needs love for life, for intrigue, for mystery."
"To venture into the terrible loneliness, one must have something greater than greed. Love. One needs love for life, for intrigue, for mystery."
Re: 6 Gill Shark at Norrander's Reef (Rockaway)?
If I was a sixgill, and I was only 4-5 feet in length, and I saw two 5-6 foot long bubbling creatures with crunchy parts that make me fart, I'd probably move a little quicker than if I was a sixgill that was 8-12 feet in length. Perhaps the Pups move a little quicker?
-
- Extreme Diving Machine
- Posts: 449
- Joined: Sun Nov 25, 2007 11:30 pm
Re: 6 Gill Shark at Norrander's Reef (Rockaway)?
I did see a dogfish there last month when I dove it with Wes. A quick look us over and he was gone again.
Re: 6 Gill Shark at Norrander's Reef (Rockaway)?
I've seen a young sixgill at 3TN, late in the afternoon (weird), in about 55fsw swimming along relatively quickly... not huge-shark lumbering slow, and definitely not dogfish fast. It didn't stop to check us out, but the dorsal fin was a DEFINITE ID point (as was the 6 gill slits). Quite small too - maybe 3-4' long? So... possible? Sure! Probable... Maybe.
It *could* have been a 6er, but I too would do a triple-check before I was sure it wasn't a dogfish. The "checked out twice" thing combined with the speed leads me to believe it was a dogfish too.
Whatever, you saw a shark... and THAT rocks!!
It *could* have been a 6er, but I too would do a triple-check before I was sure it wasn't a dogfish. The "checked out twice" thing combined with the speed leads me to believe it was a dogfish too.
Whatever, you saw a shark... and THAT rocks!!
GUE Seattle - The official GUE Affiliate in the Northwest!
- nwscubamom
- I've Got Gills
- Posts: 2315
- Joined: Tue Mar 14, 2006 11:13 am
Re: 6 Gill Shark at Norrander's Reef (Rockaway)?
Pretty much every time I've dove that site, I've had a dogfish come in to check me out, then zip away. I'd bet dollars to donuts what you saw was a Spiny Dogfish Shark, not a Sixgill.
How can I be so confident of this? Because you clearly stated you had fish tacos for lunch. That alone clinches it
- Janna
How can I be so confident of this? Because you clearly stated you had fish tacos for lunch. That alone clinches it
- Janna
Janna Nichols
My underwater photo galleries
REEF Citizen Science Program Manager
Seen any cool critters lately?
><((((°>
-----------------------------
My underwater photo galleries
REEF Citizen Science Program Manager
Seen any cool critters lately?
><((((°>
-----------------------------
Re: 6 Gill Shark at Norrander's Reef (Rockaway)?
Janna your avatar is an awesome shot, sweet angle
Maverick
Diving. . . is an active physical form of meditation. It is so silent- You're like a thought.
SOME PEOPLE ARE LIKE SLINKIES. NOT REALLY GOOD FOR
ANYTHING, BUT THEY BRING A SMILE TO YOUR FACE WHEN PUSHED DOWN THE
STAIRS.
Diving. . . is an active physical form of meditation. It is so silent- You're like a thought.
SOME PEOPLE ARE LIKE SLINKIES. NOT REALLY GOOD FOR
ANYTHING, BUT THEY BRING A SMILE TO YOUR FACE WHEN PUSHED DOWN THE
STAIRS.
Re: 6 Gill Shark at Norrander's Reef (Rockaway)?
I have had several dives out there where i have seen dogfish. Ususally doing the same thing you described. a few quick zips by us then disappeared.
Re: 6 Gill Shark at Norrander's Reef (Rockaway)?
Even if it was a dogfish and not a six-gill, dogfish are still awesome!
-Ben
-Ben
"The place looked like a washing machine full of Josh's carharts. I was not into it." --Sockmonkey
- nwscubamom
- I've Got Gills
- Posts: 2315
- Joined: Tue Mar 14, 2006 11:13 am
Re: 6 Gill Shark at Norrander's Reef (Rockaway)?
Amen to that!!! Dogfish are VERY cool to sight. And I have to settle for that anyway, because I'm STILL president of the Never-Seen-a-Sixgill Club.airsix wrote:Even if it was a dogfish and not a six-gill, dogfish are still awesome!
-Ben
- Janna
Janna Nichols
My underwater photo galleries
REEF Citizen Science Program Manager
Seen any cool critters lately?
><((((°>
-----------------------------
My underwater photo galleries
REEF Citizen Science Program Manager
Seen any cool critters lately?
><((((°>
-----------------------------