Wave Runner - Sea Turtle Encounter

[ehenry]

This happened to a close friends of mine's kids in the Gulf of Mexico off Orange Beach, AL.<br /><br />Two boys ages 17 and 15 were on a Wave Runner getting ready to pull a friend on a wake board. The were appoximately 200 yards off the beach. <br /><br />While the two on the water craft were waiting for their buddy to get the wake board on, a sea turtle surfaced about 4 feet behind the Wave Runner, clamped down on the rope and started down. The turtle was wider and longer than the water craft. The boys said they could see barnicles on its back and that its head was the size of a 100 lb. burlap feed sack. <br /><br />With the turtle going down with the rope in its mouth it started pulling the Wave Runner down. The older boy was hollering at his little brother "Undo the rope, Undo the rope!!!" Ofcourse the younger boy couldn't because of the tension on it. The older boy, at the controls, opens the throttle wide open and the wave runner is standing on its end with the turtle pulling down on the rope....the poor kid on the other end of the rope with the wake board is freaking out and hollering too. While all this is going on my buddy is laid out on the beach oblivious to it all. He thought the kids were just horsing around till his wife started beating on him and hollering about it but there wasn't really anything he could do. The turtle eventually turned loose.<br /><br />Thats something those kids will talk about for years to come and a cool story to tell their kids.<br /><br />Anyone ever hear of anything like that before???

 

[one more cast]

Re: Wave Runner - Sea Turtle Encounter

wow what a rush that must have been.

 

[ehenry]

Re: Wave Runner - Sea Turtle Encounter

Its these kind of happenings that keep me in fresh water as far as swimming and such goes.

 

[samagee]

Re: Wave Runner - Sea Turtle Encounter

This is why you should at least have a small pocket knife with you. They could have cut the robe. I have my knife on me, and a swiss army knife in the boat glove compartment.<br /><br />Good thing that turtle let go. Man that could have been ugly.

 

[mellowyellow]

Re: Wave Runner - Sea Turtle Encounter

"its head was the size of a 100 lb. burlap feed sack"... darn good yarn

 

[cmyers_uk]

Re: Wave Runner - Sea Turtle Encounter

Samagee, <br /><br />I thought your knife would have been more of a Rambo type

 

[jtexas]

Re: Wave Runner - Sea Turtle Encounter

Reminds me of the time Captain Jack Sparrow was marooned on an Island in the Carribean. He waded out into the shallows and there he waited for three days and three nights until all manner of sea creature became aclimated to his presence. On the fourth day he roped himself a couple of sea turtles, harnessed 'em together and made a raft.

 

[samagee]

Re: Wave Runner - Sea Turtle Encounter

Chris, it's against the law to carry certain knives in public. ;P My favorite one would probably have the SWAT team shooting at me.

 

[ehenry]

Re: Wave Runner - Sea Turtle Encounter

Against the law to carry a knife in public where?

 

[Terry H]

Re: Wave Runner - Sea Turtle Encounter

I guess samagee is talking about the airport?...?

 

[gaugeguy]

Re: Wave Runner - Sea Turtle Encounter

I think switchblades and butterfly knives are illegal.

 

[samagee]

Re: Wave Runner - Sea Turtle Encounter

Certain knives you can't carry in public. There are limits to the size of blades you can carry. My favorite is a buckmaster replica that I own. A very nice survival knife. It is rather large and menacing looking, but that's not why I like it. It is multipurpose and very useful.<br /><br />I legally carry a locking blade knife in one of my pockets. It's good enough for what I carry it for. Just like my Glock 17. It fits the purpose for what I carry it for. Do I like the Desert Eagle 50 AE or the 44? Oh yea, you bet! But that is not the right tool for urban defense. You would end up putting a bullet through several houses and people as well.

 

[12Footer]

Re: Wave Runner - Sea Turtle Encounter

poof

 

[aspeck]

Re: Wave Runner - Sea Turtle Encounter

Sambo ... the legend continues! "Oops, sorry, there is another hole in the house!" I can see the series now!

 

[ehenry]

Re: Wave Runner - Sea Turtle Encounter

Boy howdy, this thread has gone from 3 kids, a Wave Runner and sea turtle to Urban Defense. How'd that happen???

 

[snapperbait]

Re: Wave Runner - Sea Turtle Encounter

"its head was the size of a 100 lb. burlap feed sack"... darn good yarn

That ain't too much of a yarn MY.. Them sea turtles get BIG ...

 

[ehenry]

Re: Wave Runner - Sea Turtle Encounter

Ya'll think what you want, this is a true story.....happened Thursday of last week.

 

[Mr.Ladyfish]

Re: Wave Runner - Sea Turtle Encounter

Them sea turtles get BIG

I'll say, we were about 60 miles offshore in a 35' boat with a 12' beam when one of them suckers surfaced just behind the boat. I swear he was as wide as the boat. Scared the cr*p outta me when he surfaced.

 

[SpinnerBait_Nut]

Re: Wave Runner - Sea Turtle Encounter

Originally posted by Mr.Ladyfish:<br />

Them sea turtles get BIG

I'll say, we were about 60 miles offshore in a 35' boat with a 12' beam when one of them suckers surfaced just behind the boat. I swear he was as wide as the boat. Scared the cr*p outta me when he surfaced.

Oh boy, I am putting my feet up now cause it just got real deep here.

 

[snapperbait]

Re: Wave Runner - Sea Turtle Encounter

"The Loggerhead Sea-turtle "Caretta caretta" has a huge head and heavy jaws used for crushing mollusks and crustaceans. This is the most likely sea-turtle to be seen around southern Florida, and indeed some 16,000 females lay eggs on Florida beaches (each females generally comes ashore about four times between October-April). One can see them from the sea-plane flight to the Dry Tortugas, or sometimes around Caribbean islands."<br /><br />"The Loggerhead is a big turtle (it can weigh 650 pounds). The carapace (shell) is often reddish-brown and the head is large and usually washed reddish-brown [young turtles can be yellowish buff, brown, or grayish]. Note the two prefrontal scales over the eyes; there are two pairs of these (one pair above each eye) and the heavy jaws. Loggerheads also have five costal plates on each side (not four as in Green and Black sea-turtles), but with the growth of algae and barnacles, it can be hard to distinguish between carapace plates."<br /><br />There is one (i'm pretty sure its the same one) that I run into just about every trip i make to the reefs (75-120' water depth) straight off Jupiter inlet... It's the biggest one i've ever seen.. Think it stops by just to see who's occuping its ocean.. It's come as close as 10-15 feet off my stern while i'm fishing, and it's nearly as long as my 21' boat is wide at the transom (little over 7 feet)... Anyone is welcome to come with me to see for themselves... <br /><br />I have heard reports where male sea turtles have tried to (ummm, how shall i put this?) "mount" scuba divers, damn near drowning the divers in the process... <br /><br />There was an incident, and i don't know if its true, where a small boat dropped anchor and somehow hooked a huge manta ray.. Needless to say the ray took the boat for a quite a ride.. I'll try to find the story..