menacing fish

[Rod Rucker]

I was recently diving at Point Lobos in California at a dive spot
called Coal Shute. It is a wonderful place to dive with a
multitude of sea life. Coal Shute is interesting diving because
of the many caves in the area. In one of the caves that my dive
partner and I entered, there was a large animal.

Its head was as big as my chest, and the body extended back into
the dark. We approached within 7 or 8 feet and put a light on it.

It had many smiling teeth, and light from its eyes shown back reflected
from the dive light. I was lucky enough to have my nikonos with me and
took a couple of pictures.

I thought it was a variety of grouper that had strayed into the area
because of its size, but it had the head of a California Moray.

Does anyone know how big these things get? Its body was hidden behind
rocks and difficult to see in the dark, but the head of this monster
was awesome.

Rod Rucker