Comments on: Killer Manatees http://thebeachsideresident.com/2010/01/killer-manatees/ News • Music • Art • Food • Entertainment Fri, 04 May 2012 23:50:54 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v= By: Fernando http://thebeachsideresident.com/2010/01/killer-manatees/comment-page-1/#comment-28728 Fernando Fri, 17 Sep 2010 20:35:25 +0000 http://thebeachsideresident.com/?p=5118#comment-28728 This disturbing experience happened to my brother and I while kayaking in Turtle Bay (SW FLA) east of Gasparilla Island. Our original route was from Pine Island to Cayo Costa State Park paddling accross the Pine Island Sound. We instead paddled North to Turtle Bay as it looked (from the distance) more interesting. As we approached the bay and paddled through all the small mangrove islets in that area, we saw what seemed to us like a sailfish fin slowly peaking out of the calm water. We knew it could not be a sailfish as they do not normally inhabit the area and also because the water depth would not allow it. The fin dissapeared and we started wondering what kind of fish with a fin that big would live there. We paddled for about another 30 feet and we suddenly saw what seemed to be a gigantic grey rock slightly submerged underwater. We stopped about 5 feet from it and my brother decided to touch it with his paddle. As soon as he touched the water above the "rock" with the paddle, this massive grey beast (probably 15 feet long) swam at such a tremendous speed underneath our kayak that all we saw was a huge splash and then we were skyrocketed from the water in a split of a second. We were lucky the kayak did not flip while on the air and landed flat on the water. With no time to waste we started paddling like we've never paddled before in our lives towards one of the islets shore. In no time we beached the kayak and got out of it fearing that whatever attacked us would follow us. Luckily, there was no trace of it and we were able to calm down and recover our breath. We just stood there on the shore for what seemed like an eternity reasoning what it was that attacked us and fearing it would wait for us or attack again on the way back to Pine Island. After carefully planning our paddling back home and discussing what to do if we encountered it again, we left the islet. We did not see it again and got home safe. To this day, we haven't been able to find a reasonable answer to the incident until I found this website. I could say now that the grey mass that attacked us that day was probably one of these rogue manatees roaming the waters of FL. This disturbing experience happened to my brother and I while kayaking in Turtle Bay (SW FLA) east of Gasparilla Island. Our original route was from Pine Island to Cayo Costa State Park paddling accross the Pine Island Sound. We instead paddled North to Turtle Bay as it looked (from the distance) more interesting. As we approached the bay and paddled through all the small mangrove islets in that area, we saw what seemed to us like a sailfish fin slowly peaking out of the calm water. We knew it could not be a sailfish as they do not normally inhabit the area and also because the water depth would not allow it. The fin dissapeared and we started wondering what kind of fish with a fin that big would live there. We paddled for about another 30 feet and we suddenly saw what seemed to be a gigantic grey rock slightly submerged underwater. We stopped about 5 feet from it and my brother decided to touch it with his paddle. As soon as he touched the water above the “rock” with the paddle, this massive grey beast (probably 15 feet long) swam at such a tremendous speed underneath our kayak that all we saw was a huge splash and then we were skyrocketed from the water in a split of a second. We were lucky the kayak did not flip while on the air and landed flat on the water. With no time to waste we started paddling like we’ve never paddled before in our lives towards one of the islets shore. In no time we beached the kayak and got out of it fearing that whatever attacked us would follow us. Luckily, there was no trace of it and we were able to calm down and recover our breath. We just stood there on the shore for what seemed like an eternity reasoning what it was that attacked us and fearing it would wait for us or attack again on the way back to Pine Island. After carefully planning our paddling back home and discussing what to do if we encountered it again, we left the islet. We did not see it again and got home safe. To this day, we haven’t been able to find a reasonable answer to the incident until I found this website. I could say now that the grey mass that attacked us that day was probably one of these rogue manatees roaming the waters of FL.

]]> By: Anne in Satellite Beach http://thebeachsideresident.com/2010/01/killer-manatees/comment-page-1/#comment-24736 Anne in Satellite Beach Thu, 22 Jul 2010 01:16:39 +0000 http://thebeachsideresident.com/?p=5118#comment-24736 I was just out in the Banana River with my 2 children when we didn't see anything that would have me think we would come across a manatee or any other sea creature at the moment. There was no visible disturbance in the waters surface, nor was there a sight of anything in the water; suddenly, we were in the middle of a manatee pack that began to thrash us around in our inflatable, solid-bottomed dinghy. These creatures had responded to our presence and thrashed around us in a seemingly aggressive manner. Initially, I doubted it was a pack of manatees because I was always under the impression that they were kind and gentile, not aggressive. I arrived home shaken up over this event only to find that this web page was the only documented incident similar to ours--and ironically, in the same waters! I am now a believer that these creatures should be feared, for they are not going to just lie there in the water and tolerate our presence without a fight. I was just out in the Banana River with my 2 children when we didn’t see anything that would have me think we would come across a manatee or any other sea creature at the moment. There was no visible disturbance in the waters surface, nor was there a sight of anything in the water; suddenly, we were in the middle of a manatee pack that began to thrash us around in our inflatable, solid-bottomed dinghy. These creatures had responded to our presence and thrashed around us in a seemingly aggressive manner. Initially, I doubted it was a pack of manatees because I was always under the impression that they were kind and gentile, not aggressive. I arrived home shaken up over this event only to find that this web page was the only documented incident similar to ours–and ironically, in the same waters! I am now a believer that these creatures should be feared, for they are not going to just lie there in the water and tolerate our presence without a fight.

]]> By: sarah blossom http://thebeachsideresident.com/2010/01/killer-manatees/comment-page-1/#comment-24136 sarah blossom Wed, 14 Jul 2010 22:27:32 +0000 http://thebeachsideresident.com/?p=5118#comment-24136 On july 5th my family went kayaking on the banana river so my cousin could see and touch some manatees. The whole way there I felt like something was going to happen to me just this eerie feeling, however we got there with no accidents. We were with the manatees for an hour maybe hour and a half and decided to head back. The day was perfect, amazing weather, calm water, everyone was happy. On the way back I had this strange feeling like something was following me. I was about 50 feet ahead of everyone and stopped paddling my kayak so they would catch up. I was slowly gliding along the water and I heard something like a fin or paddle hit the water about 5 to 10 feet from me. By that point I was almost stopped. I turned and looked back at everyone confused wondering what I just heard next to me. I had this bad feeling in my stomach like something was coming. 10 seconds later all I saw was grey water and gigantic splashes. I saw a fin and thought it was a shark. I froze, it happened so fast and came straight for me. The next thing I remember was flipping and my kayak slamming down on me, I got up as fast as I could, flipped my kayak back over and jumped in. I was so confused because the water only came up to my knees. How did I not see what it was? How could I not see it coming towards me? How did my family not see what it was as it hit me? Next I remember turning around and watching it thrash off and my mom getting everything that fell from my kayak. I couldn't stop shaking, my legs were all red with cuts, and I sat there amazed scared and disoriented from what just happened. My sister and mom say they saw a huge round tail fin but I can't recall anything but the huge splashing. I convinced myself it was a shark because I never thought a manatee would act that way and I couldn't find anything on manatee attacks, but I can't get my mind off it being a manatee. On july 5th my family went kayaking on the banana river so my cousin could see and touch some manatees. The whole way there I felt like something was going to happen to me just this eerie feeling, however we got there with no accidents. We were with the manatees for an hour maybe hour and a half and decided to head back. The day was perfect, amazing weather, calm water, everyone was happy. On the way back I had this strange feeling like something was following me. I was about 50 feet ahead of everyone and stopped paddling my kayak so they would catch up. I was slowly gliding along the water and I heard something like a fin or paddle hit the water about 5 to 10 feet from me. By that point I was almost stopped. I turned and looked back at everyone confused wondering what I just heard next to me. I had this bad feeling in my stomach like something was coming. 10 seconds later all I saw was grey water and gigantic splashes. I saw a fin and thought it was a shark. I froze, it happened so fast and came straight for me. The next thing I remember was flipping and my kayak slamming down on me, I got up as fast as I could, flipped my kayak back over and jumped in. I was so confused because the water only came up to my knees. How did I not see what it was? How could I not see it coming towards me? How did my family not see what it was as it hit me? Next I remember turning around and watching it thrash off and my mom getting everything that fell from my kayak. I couldn’t stop shaking, my legs were all red with cuts, and I sat there amazed scared and disoriented from what just happened. My sister and mom say they saw a huge round tail fin but I can’t recall anything but the huge splashing. I convinced myself it was a shark because I never thought a manatee would act that way and I couldn’t find anything on manatee attacks, but I can’t get my mind off it being a manatee.

]]> By: Puddn 'ed http://thebeachsideresident.com/2010/01/killer-manatees/comment-page-1/#comment-12177 Puddn 'ed Tue, 05 Jan 2010 01:42:03 +0000 http://thebeachsideresident.com/?p=5118#comment-12177 Which raises the old philosophical question; where would you be now if that had not taken place. Difficult to put a good or bad to. Could it be that the creature knew something ... Naw! Let's dynamite them thar mangroves. Which raises the old philosophical question; where would you be now if that had not taken place.

Difficult to put a good or bad to.

Could it be that the creature knew something …

Naw! Let’s dynamite them thar mangroves.

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