My buddy Rob and I were swimming along in the shallows looking at the beautiful sea life that can be found among the low lying kelp in the Puget Sound waters while we fulfilled our safety stop requirements toward the end of a great night dive. Out this night were many of the common creatures: tubesnouts, gunnels, sand dabs, all sorts of shrimp, and a wide variety of sculpin. Sculpin, at least most species, are completely harmless and they vary greatly in color and pattern from one species to the next. Among the most drab and unremarkable is a sculpin called a Staghorn Sculpin. They are a small olive/grey bottom fish with no markings to speak of and they tend to hide in the sand near kelp to pick off small creatures in the dark.
Now Rob and I love the interaction with the sea life during our dives so it was not unordinary to see Rob wiggle his little finger in front of some creature as though he were a deformed angler fish. And it was equally ordinary that the fish ignored his attention and either hoped he would go away or moved to a better hiding place. But this particular night would change everything.
Rob spots an attentive Staghorn sculpin sitting in a plate-sized clearing of kelp. Ever so gently he moved his hand up through the kelp so as not to alarm his target, with his finger extended. He stops a few inches away from the sculpin, who measured a whopping 8” at best, and began to wiggle his finger as though it were a chubby worm. One wiggle…the staghorn glances at him…Two wiggles…the sculpin lines himself up, ready to pounce…Three wiggles and POW! that tiny fish unleashed his ravenous fury upon Rob’s finger, engulfing it past the first digit and began a side to side head shake like those seen on Wild Kingdom’s “Mature Audience Only” programs! It startled Rob so much that he squeeled through his regulator, eyes wide, finger erect while the sculpin tried with all his might to remove the end of his digit. And just as quickly as it had pounced, the fight was over. The Staghorn realized it had bitten off more than it could chew, released his captive and darted off into the dark. Rob immediately inspects his finger and looks at me, wide eyed and amazed, then shows me the damage. Sure enough, that sculpin lacerated the entire end of his glove’s index finger and made off with a hunk of it. Dang! Sculpin One – Rob Zero! So I’ve been asked “what was I doing while my buddy fought for his life?” Well, I was laughing so hard that my mask was flooded. We tried it several more times that night and got two more attacks. Viscous little fish they are!
Now Rob and I love the interaction with the sea life during our dives so it was not unordinary to see Rob wiggle his little finger in front of some creature as though he were a deformed angler fish. And it was equally ordinary that the fish ignored his attention and either hoped he would go away or moved to a better hiding place. But this particular night would change everything.
Rob spots an attentive Staghorn sculpin sitting in a plate-sized clearing of kelp. Ever so gently he moved his hand up through the kelp so as not to alarm his target, with his finger extended. He stops a few inches away from the sculpin, who measured a whopping 8” at best, and began to wiggle his finger as though it were a chubby worm. One wiggle…the staghorn glances at him…Two wiggles…the sculpin lines himself up, ready to pounce…Three wiggles and POW! that tiny fish unleashed his ravenous fury upon Rob’s finger, engulfing it past the first digit and began a side to side head shake like those seen on Wild Kingdom’s “Mature Audience Only” programs! It startled Rob so much that he squeeled through his regulator, eyes wide, finger erect while the sculpin tried with all his might to remove the end of his digit. And just as quickly as it had pounced, the fight was over. The Staghorn realized it had bitten off more than it could chew, released his captive and darted off into the dark. Rob immediately inspects his finger and looks at me, wide eyed and amazed, then shows me the damage. Sure enough, that sculpin lacerated the entire end of his glove’s index finger and made off with a hunk of it. Dang! Sculpin One – Rob Zero! So I’ve been asked “what was I doing while my buddy fought for his life?” Well, I was laughing so hard that my mask was flooded. We tried it several more times that night and got two more attacks. Viscous little fish they are!
- Jeremy -
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