Snorkeling in September

'Twas a lovely day in the Land of the Rising Sun, so Eddie and I drove up to Kouri Island, a snorkel spot we've been to a couple of times. It was a great day for some facedown floating, though the current was wickedly strong this time around. We actually had to walk back onshore because the we weren't getting anywhere swimming against the current.

And of course, we saw lots of cool stuff.

It's difficult as hell to see, but there is a cuttlefish in this pic:
We also learned today that cuttlefish are fucking FAST.

I also learned that this creature exists, but I have no idea what it's called:
Eddie thinks this was a juvenile scorpionfish:
Then we came across a hermit crab dining lavishly on what appears to be the remains of a hapless octopus...
(The crab is immediately to the left of the octopus if you can't see it)

Speaking of hermit crabs, this little bastard was rather...erm...crabby. Good thing I had gloves on, because he was clawing my hand all to hell:
The obligatory "ZOMG SQUEE PUFFER FISH" picture:
Then something really bizarre happened.

We've encountered many schools of fish, but never one this big. The fish were 3-4" long, but the sheer quantity was insane. I'm not exaggerating in the slightest when I say there were thousands.
To give you a better idea of how many there were, this was just a fraction of the enormous mass of fish:
They literally formed a wall of fish from surface to bottom, which was 4-5 feet depending on where we were. Every time we encountered them, they swam around us. Like, AROUND us. It was like a fish tornado.

For some reason I'm not tempted to write a Pink Floyd parody titled "Another Fish in the School"...

Oh, and one of the little bastards broke formation and swam up my sleeve. It is an odd sensation, my loyal blog minions, having a fish swim up your sleeve and get lost under the back of your shirt. Just...trust me on this one.

Anyway. A snorkeling trip wouldn't be a snorkeling trip without getting far too close to potentially dangerous creatures. Since there weren't any lionfish, jellyfish, or cone snails this time around, we had to settle for sea urchins. That wasn't a terrible consolation prize, though, considering the size of the urchins in question:
The spines on these guys are 8-12 inches long. Seriously. And they were everywhere. Good times when you're struggling against a strong current.

This one reminded me of the Eye of Sauron:
And, last but not least, what is fast becoming a tradition on snorkeling trips, we have Lori's Moment of Underwater Recklessness (tm):
See that white thing in the upper left? That's the mouth of a moray eel. A small one, but they can still be pretty nasty. Bottom right? My glove.

Yes, I was trying to get him to bite my glove*.

Sadly(?), I failed in my quest, mostly because my husband thought the best way to lure the eel out of his hidey-hole was to poke him with a stick. *sigh* Next time...




* Yes, I had pulled my glove off slightly so he wouldn't actually bite my fingers. I'm reckless, but I'm not stupid.