Summer Sun

Overall I don’t really mind not being in Marine Bio anymore. Lab work is cleaner, more regular, easier, and pays better. Not being offshore half the time also helps you have a more normal social life. Of course its all safer too!

That being said, this time of year I really miss being offshore. The weather as a general rule is much nicer, the hot sun and the cool sea make for an agreeable climate, and one thing that’s cool is the BIG fish come out. The biggest I’d commonly see on the North Atlantic during the summer months is the Basking Shark

Friggin’ awesome video! Basking sharks are HUGE, the ones I’d usally see were around 15 to 30 feet long, and they can freak you out when the visibility isn’t great as they have similar features of the Great White shark, unless you can see the snout (which is more pointed, and will give you the frame of reference to see that the dorsal fin is MUCH further back) or the coloration (Whites are a dark charcoal on their backs, Baskings are a mottled Olive to drab brown). Of course while the White Shark is a top predator, the Basking Shark is a filter feeder and only has small teeth. Also basking sharks are known to breach completely out of the water, I’ve never actually seen this, but I’ve been just late enough to see the splash they leave behind.

Another wierd creature is the Ocean Sunfish or Mola Mola
These guys, while not as big as the basking shark are surprisingly large, especially with their bizarre body morphology. Like the basking shark, these guys love to soak up the summer sun and can be seen resting at the surface, they’re also quite curious and will come to inspect a boat. These guys are also gentle giants, as they feed predominantly on jelly fish.

Really cool fish.