# Sea farers, I've been spooked...



## CritterGitter (Apr 27, 2002)

I was out tonight in a salt water channel off of the James River known as Brady's marina in Va. We were fishing and hoping to land a trout or rock fish.
I've not spent a whole lot of time on boats or on the water but I have spent enough time out to be confident that I've seen plenty out there and can rationalize that the things I see may not always seem normal but have a logical explanation.
I left after what I saw tonight, I am still spooked by it and am unable to find anything regarding it on the WWW.
We were fishing and my son asked what would light up in the water and I said an electric eel. Thinking he was messing with me. He insisted there was a light and it was not a reflection! I thought, ok, I'm gonna bite and he's gonna laugh and I got up and went over to where he was. What I saw was NOT normal.
Coming toward the boat was a green (glow in the dark shade of green) light, it looked smooth but the best way to describe the light was bubbly. There were no bubbles but it seemed to bubble and move toward the boat. It appeared to float upwards and disappear at the surface, a little further down it reappeared. 
The light "bubble" was about as large as a baseball. It got closer to the boat and then it turned away and went out into the channel.
We left the channel and I want to know what we saw. Has anyone ever seen such a thing before? This is just too strange.


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## Salty (Jan 10, 2000)

Got my curiosity.  

There really isn't a whole lot around here I know of that has some form of bioluminescence. About the only thing I can think of it a ctenophore comb jelly, but I would think its a little too early in the year to see anything like that, and they usually only light up when they are disturbed. 

Maybe they should be looking into that nuclear power plant there in Surry  Something fishy might be going on round there- 










I'd be curious if you find anything else out though.

Tight lines and blue skies, 

Salty


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## Salty (Jan 10, 2000)

Critter, I checked with some of my "colleagues" and there seems to be a strong tend towards my original answer. The jelly theory- This would explain why the luminescence was in and out and varied, as well as the "swimming" motion. The only stipulation among all of us is the warm- salty water- which none of us know how warm and salty the water is out there right now. But for the theory to be applicable it would proabably have to be upwards of about 32-34 %% salinty and at least over 60 temp. 

That's what I would put my money on anyways without having seen it myself. 

Tight lines and blue skies, 

Salty


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## CritterGitter (Apr 27, 2002)

Salty,
I thank you for the research and info. The water in that spot read 67 degrees (the warmest spot we found) and marked 16 feet deep. The water averages in the 60's. I could be wrong but I think the water is mostly salt water. It doesn't have that brackish look. 
That incident really freaked me out. I had a nightmare about it. 
Looking up phosphoresence and bioluminesence I found out that algae glows. What we saw wasn't like that. It's difficult to describe.
If you watched the bubbles of a diver, you can see them rising to the surface and boil when it hits the surface. It goes away and appears in another spot a few seconds later.
The movement was like that but there were no bubbles just this baseball sized green light rising to the surface. Someone used the word pulsating but I am not too sure that's a correct term. The light came about a foot from the boat and then at an angle it went away from the boat into the channel. The last time we saw the light it was about 6 feet from the boat. I had the willies and couldn't get to the pier fast enough. It was really spooky and as much as I love it out there, it's a beautiful area, I am not anxious to get back. I thought light up critters were in really deep water.
This seemed like something was swimming down there (lurking?) like an exploring diver. Dragon fish put off a red and green light but it would have had to have been a big one and we didn't see any red light. I don't know if dragons are in these waters, either.
I hope I don't see that ever again. I like the colors of the sea but eery green belongs on a glow stick, lol.
Another idea we were offered was phosphorous gas. Phosphorous gas usually happens all around you and it can be with a green or white glow (it is air bubbles). This usually happens in the big, deep ocean, I've not heard of it happening in the Atlantic, though. It's common in the Persian Gulf and the Indian ocean.
I've not seen any jelly fish this year, that's not to say they aren't around. I am going to look up your jellyfish though and see what I can learn, so I can hopefully feel better about going back out there.
Thank you!!!!!!!!!!


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## Salty (Jan 10, 2000)

I'm thinking something like this critter here. Maybe not exactly the same, species or genera, but along these lines. Some of them are different in the way they light up, but just about all of them have some form of bioluminesence. Some of them only light up when they are disturbed- others may light up when they contract and propel themselves through the water- then as they relax and cruise they stop glowing. This follows the glow on the way up- no glow as it moves some- then glow again pattern with no definitive time frames. They are actually pretty common in the Bay and in tribs, but certian species are a little less common- like what I imagine you saw- given its described size. The most common of them usually show up in the summer- and are about the size of a golf ball; you can see them at night if you disturb the water (like swooshing your rod tip around or in the prop wash). 

One thing I've learned about being around here though- is that there is always something unexpected out there. Personally, if I were you- I wouldn't have the heebie-jebies- I would consider myself privelaged to have seen something like that out there.  I really think it is something special- not something you might necessarily see every day or even ever again. But- if you do- maybe you should try to catch it  

Tight lines and blue skies, 

Salty


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## Salty (Jan 10, 2000)

Little food for thought and other possibilities.


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## CritterGitter (Apr 27, 2002)

Salty,
I spoke with an avid sailing friend. They are 110% into sailing and sail boats and the works. She got a good laugh at my reaction but she also understood my getting spooked. She says what I saw was likely a "moon fish", I think it's the jelly fish you were telling me about. She said if you catch one it's in a bubble shape and it will sting. She said they are called moon fish because they are commonly seen around a full moon cycle. They go to Bennets Creek during a full moon and she said you can watch them come up to the pier. Seeing one is a bit eery but around the peirs and pilons they will eventually gather to feed and it's a pretty sight to see. She says they like shallower waters, you don't see them past 20' deep. She called the color, alien green and she said that if they light up in an oily area of water, it's this brilliant green you will see. She said with us seeing just one wasn't common but it happened. Had we stayed out there longer, she said we might have seen more then she laughed endearingly at me. Had I seen a school of the lights, I would have been fascinated and honored. Sea critters mostly swim in schools. Schools are a comforting and awesome thing to me. Individual sea critters are predators. According to my sense of logic, that is.
My friend also said with the marsh being as dense as it out here, the salt content is high and welcomes many types of salty critters.
Being on the water at night with the silence of civilization is a fantastic and overwhelming sensation. You hope to experience a once in a lifetime thing. I saw a whale come completely out of the water once, down in Fl. I almost caught something that I wasn't sure I wanted to catch, it made the water boil and chased my line upto the boat.
I love it out there but ocean dwelling is an expensive hobby and my age range doesn't yet qualify me for the hobby. Meaning, I am not old enough to have my bills paid down enough to indulge full scale. I would live on the water, if I could. But things I have seen have always been in schools, dolphins, flying fish, whales, sharks...
Seeing something different on a cloudy dark night definitately spooked me. I am going to go to BC on the next full moon and hope to see moon fish in schools.
The pictures you posted are beautiful. It would be incredible to be a diver and see this as well as the other things divers see and experience. My husband has been trying to get me diver certified for 15 years. I am envious and want to but my fears about diving aren't easy for me to overcome. I did learn to snorkel a few years ago. It's great and I'm told it only gets better, hint hint.  I am a good watcher, though  
Thank you Salty for everything. If you decide to venture to BC on a full moon and see a short person with long blonde hair completely in awe, you found me, close by will be a group of "tall" people endearingly laughing at my fascination and cowardice


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## Salty (Jan 10, 2000)

Sounds like the jelly theory has been accepted. I'm just glad that fears have been alleviated. I really hate to think that there is anything out there in the water that would keep anyone from heading out there- except maybe Chessy  . 

Being a member of the scientific communitee myself- though I admit not a biologist (at least not of living organisms). Things like this keep me interested. Its always a wonder what kind of things are out there in the water, and there is always something out there waiting to be explored. It really is a world full of fascination.

Tight lines and blue skies, 

Salty


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## CritterGitter (Apr 27, 2002)

Salty,
I wanted to tell you what happened to us out at Brady's this past Friday night.
It was a dark and beautiful night and I have no knowledge of or explanation for what is going on out there.
I reached into the water and as it splashed it lit up! The water was smooth and all around us these lights in the water were going off, they looked like fireflies! If you took your fishing pole and used it to splash the water, the disturbed water lit up! The water around the anchor line stayed lit up, the current was swift and as the water cut through the anchor line, it lit up, like a firefly will. When a fish was caught, the splashing made the water light up. It was a sight, I was a bit spooked but was more curious and willing to make the water light up than I was about getting out of there. I don't know what is going on in that particular area and not knowing does scare me, but there were about 6 more boats out there and I know they too were aware of this event. We didn't see anything baseball sized but if you could imagine being in the woods after dark and being surrounded by hundreds of fireflies, you can imagine what we saw in the water. I thought you would be interested in knowing our newest findings with the strange waters at Bradys Marina.
We stayed out there until about 1:00 am. On the way home the field leading to or from Bradys was lit up with fireflies. It was a spooky spectacular night. I just wish I knew what was happening out there, it's amazing.


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## Salty (Jan 10, 2000)

Those were more than likely little snells- little comb jellies. They are probably about an inch across, and don't sting. Next time you are out there take a little net or something and you can even scoop some of them up. They are interesting to watch out there though, especially when you whip your rod tip around in the water or such. 

Tight lines and blue skies, 

Salty


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## Dr. Bubba (Nov 9, 1999)

yup, must have been a regional event. While I was up on the Eastern Shore, that same friday nite, the little green guys were thick up in Church Creek behind my friend's house! 

We saw em so thick out at the CBBT one nite, you could see fish chasing the lure right up to the boat!


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## Galveston (Mar 7, 2002)

Good Ole Salty! Always with the good advice and if all else fails set a hook in it! Love your logical explantion. His fears weren't the only one alleviated! Thanks!

Galveston


Strong Hooks and Bent Rods!!


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## alphadog23451 (Jan 4, 2002)

Hey ya'all don't you know anything....It's gotta be "Chessie" our own bay monster...LOL...Tight lines ya'all


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