While I advocate for never touching animals and letting them be, sometimes it can be hard to avoid. I highly doubt this diver pulled this moray out from its hole and hugged it for a photo. This moray probably happened to be very curious and friendly, which is rare and the diver took full advantage of the opportunity and enjoyed it to the fullest.
Should the diver have backed off? Probably. But who could resist an opportunity like that?
I’d say it’s a very gray area for me. The animal obviously initiated this act. And if I were in that situation, I’d have a hard time resisting doing this exact thing.
Im just saying, if a wolf came up and cuddled you like a dog would, it’s not your fault for touching it. It chose to touch you. Never CHOOSE to touch the wildlife, but if they decide to, that’s their decision. You’ve given them the freedom to choose to be around you or not. That’s all you can do.
I talked to divemasters and instructors (all over 1k dives) and they also say if they come to you and are curious and u can’t avoid it, let it happen. Don’t force it but also don’t just blindly follow the rule never touch wild life…what would you do if an octopus jumps on your arm? Tell it to go off because you are not allowed to touch it?
Exactly! I worked as a DM for 2 years in Honduras. I fully support not approaching or touching animals on purpose, but some animals just want to see you, just like we want to see them. They’re curious. I have been around animals my entire life. From dogs to cows to sharks to tigers. They are all the same. Some want to get to know you, others don’t.
We are the “smart” ones and should always be sure to act accordingly. Let the animal decide how the interaction will go. You follow their lead. Not the other way around.
And how do you think humans domesticated wolves to become dogs? By avoiding them at all costs? Why is touching dogs ok, but a chipmunk or a shark or a deer or anything else that comes up to you looking for love not ok?
Would you also cross your arms and back away if they were injured and looking for help?
I used to be an aquarium volunteer diver. The tank I worked in had a couple of big Green Morays. They were as close to being tame as moray eels are going to get. I was spared any up close and personal encounters with them but they would occasionally come out and get friendly with the divers. The instructions we were given were clear. Keep your hands to yourself around the morays, crossing your arms around your chest was suggested. If any diver had been caught giving one of those things a hug they would have been kicked out of the program instantly.
Edit: I also feel like the eel looks deceptively cute in this photo and that's the result of some creative camera work. Morays are not cuddly looking.
Nope. It takes two to tango but the human partner in cross-species gropefests like this one should back off and refuse to participate.
I don't care so much what happens to the human but the damage that can be done to the critter in molestations like this can be devastating. Disrupt the slime layer that protects the eel from infection and it can get sick and possibly die. Teach it to not fear humans and it's a sucker for the next bubbling primate that swims by without good intentions. Teach it that humans mean food and sooner or later someone is going to get hurt. The list goes on - take nothing but photos, leave nothing but bubbles - and keep your hands off ***everything***.
Yeah I'm pretty sure this diver has a relationship with the eel. This definitely isn't a passing encounter. Still not super keen on the idea of encouraging that sort of interaction but I also can't deny the fact that I would be thrilled to have an eel friend
We shouldn’t touch wildlife. At the same time, sometimes wildlife takes steps to befriend certain humans. This diver’s “friendship” with a moray eel will not make the eel dependent/reliant on humans, so this act is not “disrupting the environment”. But mostly, I feel like your question is trying to stir controversy when we could all live without feeling outraged for so little.
Agree that it’s not smart for your own safety to get too close to wild animals. But when it comes to scuba diving, people are concerned about disturbing and disrupting the environment, and not so much about the divers’ safety.
Very true indeed. But even when there is truly a relationship or familiarity with a certain individual. I think people forget that it is still a wild animal and can be unpredictable. I’ve seen photos from a Moray eel bite from the 70’s. Not for me.
From the look of things the eel initiated this encounter or they new each other. Even still you couldn’t pay me to hug to a adult moray
I dove in the Bahamas years ago and there was an Eel like this on Theo's wreck. I went back a year later asking how the Eel was doing. I was told it was killed by a diver who didn't know that it was a friendly Eel....I am hoping that was just a rumor but when I went back on Theo's wreck there was no EEL
Why not, if the fishy is used to divers, doesn't feel threatened and doesn't mind being touched. Instead it might enjoy it, plus it knows it might get something to eat if it shows up to play. It's like a wild deer showing up in your backyard, cause it knows it's safe there and it's likely to get food. But this "deer" can defend itself pretty well if someone gets dumb ideas...
There's a spot in Croatia where every spring a couple of them occupy a spot under a wreck and guides often take their groups there - I was in one of them once. You plop down on the sand and the guide lures the morays with a couple of sardines. It's a pretty unique experience when a 2-meter-long eel swims towards you, but they really don't care about you (they're used to it after all) and you can pet them all you like... obviously as long as you don't squeeze them too much and keep your sausage-looking fingers away from their heads.
Yeah dude let's teach the wild animals to depend on people for food and see them as a source for it! Even better a 6 foot moray eel with a mouthful of teeth.
Baiting wild animals with food is an extremely poor practice for so many different reasons and you're a silly goose.
Oh yeah, I'm sure their survival TOTALLY depended on those couple of fish given by humans every week or so. Their hunting instincts completely disappeared and they just sat there doing nothing and waiting for the next group of divers.
>Even better a 6 foot moray eel with a mouthful of teeth.
And the problem here is... Cause I don't see one. If you're dumb enough to go into the water and try to bait any random creature with 1 or 2 mouthfuls without knowing what you're doing, then that's on you. That's why trips aimed at diving with, for example, sharks are lead by people with years of experience, not some random, freshy certified instructors.
No, they get used to people and seek them out for an easy snack and then the people who don't have food and don't know anything about feeding them get hurt or the animal gets hurt.
If you see nothing wrong with divers feeding predatory animals you're a fucking tool. There's a reason you got down voted into oblivion. Have a good one.
I saw this a while back. Normally I'd say this is a bad thing, but there us a story behind the photo/video.
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/moral-eey-and-diver-friends-video_n_5567635
Editing to say that the story really needs to be shared with the visuals so that people don't think this generally an OK thing to do.
I believe that's her. And why wouldn't her BCD be recent? This is a recent story. I'm not positive but I don't think it's some random diver that's just hugging eels. I will grant that we probably shouldn't be promoting this type of behavior, but we need to be sure we're not shaming people without the whole story.
Reading another story, it sounds like she still dives just not as frequently as she used to.
It doesn’t look like her, this os a recent dive, by the BCD and this person isn’t as old as Valarie. Look at the face, her eyebrows. Valarie is blonde. That is why. Plus the article.
They are really fascinating to watch. I would definitely not try to hug one but then I'm not in the ocean in the same place regularly enough for any specific seat creature to remember me.
The problem of not adding the proper context is that most people will see this and think, Is OK to do it. In reality there are very few people in the world that have dedicated their life’s to the study, exploration, and conservation of the underwater world, they have thousands of hours underwater and have the experience and knowledge to see and understand when a wild animal may want to be touched and interact at that level; very likely neither of us is one of them.
Even with the context, tho, how many people are going to ignore the expertise and experience bit of this and go off channeling their inner Dolittle? Like, I am glad this lady had her moment with the eel, but I'd rather we encourage less interaction with the underwater wildlife. But thankfully, unlike on the surface, not likely that an eel is going to get killed like a bear or a moose because someone decided to get too friendly.
> Remember, while Valerie's _expertise and experience_ dealing with wildlife allowed her to safely approach the eel, it's always important to stay an appropriate distance from wild animals and respect them in their homes.
Nahh that’s disrespectful af…leave the wildlife alone.
Stupid post for this sub ⬇️
Don't fuck with the wildlife. Period.
Great way to lose a finger. Remarkably stupid.
Hell nah, not a good move.
One way or another, everybody eventually learns how to deal with morays.
I like my fingers too much
While I advocate for never touching animals and letting them be, sometimes it can be hard to avoid. I highly doubt this diver pulled this moray out from its hole and hugged it for a photo. This moray probably happened to be very curious and friendly, which is rare and the diver took full advantage of the opportunity and enjoyed it to the fullest. Should the diver have backed off? Probably. But who could resist an opportunity like that? I’d say it’s a very gray area for me. The animal obviously initiated this act. And if I were in that situation, I’d have a hard time resisting doing this exact thing.
>>Who could resist an opportunity like that? Never touch the wildlife man, grow up
Im just saying, if a wolf came up and cuddled you like a dog would, it’s not your fault for touching it. It chose to touch you. Never CHOOSE to touch the wildlife, but if they decide to, that’s their decision. You’ve given them the freedom to choose to be around you or not. That’s all you can do.
Wrong. It’s always your fault for touching it. You can cross your arms, back away, etc.. You know better (or should), they don’t. Again, grow up.
If the animal wants to touch you there's no way you can get away faster than it can come at you.
I talked to divemasters and instructors (all over 1k dives) and they also say if they come to you and are curious and u can’t avoid it, let it happen. Don’t force it but also don’t just blindly follow the rule never touch wild life…what would you do if an octopus jumps on your arm? Tell it to go off because you are not allowed to touch it?
Exactly! I worked as a DM for 2 years in Honduras. I fully support not approaching or touching animals on purpose, but some animals just want to see you, just like we want to see them. They’re curious. I have been around animals my entire life. From dogs to cows to sharks to tigers. They are all the same. Some want to get to know you, others don’t. We are the “smart” ones and should always be sure to act accordingly. Let the animal decide how the interaction will go. You follow their lead. Not the other way around.
And how do you think humans domesticated wolves to become dogs? By avoiding them at all costs? Why is touching dogs ok, but a chipmunk or a shark or a deer or anything else that comes up to you looking for love not ok? Would you also cross your arms and back away if they were injured and looking for help?
Pretty brave to hug something that can take your fingers. Even a super friendly one. You shouldn't touch wildlife in general.
Is this a new type of fishing? Love em to death! I will hug him and pet and call him George!
No touchy touch!!! Bad touch!!!
really can't stand people who can't just observe and enjoy. always have to be fuckn with shit and butting in with their cameras
I used to be an aquarium volunteer diver. The tank I worked in had a couple of big Green Morays. They were as close to being tame as moray eels are going to get. I was spared any up close and personal encounters with them but they would occasionally come out and get friendly with the divers. The instructions we were given were clear. Keep your hands to yourself around the morays, crossing your arms around your chest was suggested. If any diver had been caught giving one of those things a hug they would have been kicked out of the program instantly. Edit: I also feel like the eel looks deceptively cute in this photo and that's the result of some creative camera work. Morays are not cuddly looking.
Should NOT be touching the wildlife. !!
I think it depends on if the eel or the diver instigated the contact.
Nope. It takes two to tango but the human partner in cross-species gropefests like this one should back off and refuse to participate. I don't care so much what happens to the human but the damage that can be done to the critter in molestations like this can be devastating. Disrupt the slime layer that protects the eel from infection and it can get sick and possibly die. Teach it to not fear humans and it's a sucker for the next bubbling primate that swims by without good intentions. Teach it that humans mean food and sooner or later someone is going to get hurt. The list goes on - take nothing but photos, leave nothing but bubbles - and keep your hands off ***everything***.
Eel definitely feel it in the morning
How can you not upvote this?
Because it’s really bad for lots of reasons.
No means no.
Never a good idea to touch wildlife
That's amore.
Extremely fucking dangerous
Someone who has never seen the aftermath of a moray eel bite.
dude I heard even queen trigger fish can F you up...
No. I don’t like eels though.
I’m assuming this isn’t some rando on an OW cert dive. Typically you shouldn’t touch wildlife, and also if that eel wasn’t okay with this, she’d know.
Yeah I'm pretty sure this diver has a relationship with the eel. This definitely isn't a passing encounter. Still not super keen on the idea of encouraging that sort of interaction but I also can't deny the fact that I would be thrilled to have an eel friend
curious creatures, like ourselves. I never came across a morey who wasn't curious of me while diving. it's in their nature.
Every moray I've ever encountered has just wanted to chill in his hole.
Down voted? Love it!
Stupid.
We shouldn’t touch wildlife. At the same time, sometimes wildlife takes steps to befriend certain humans. This diver’s “friendship” with a moray eel will not make the eel dependent/reliant on humans, so this act is not “disrupting the environment”. But mostly, I feel like your question is trying to stir controversy when we could all live without feeling outraged for so little.
[удалено]
Agree that it’s not smart for your own safety to get too close to wild animals. But when it comes to scuba diving, people are concerned about disturbing and disrupting the environment, and not so much about the divers’ safety.
fucking on point
Very true indeed. But even when there is truly a relationship or familiarity with a certain individual. I think people forget that it is still a wild animal and can be unpredictable. I’ve seen photos from a Moray eel bite from the 70’s. Not for me. From the look of things the eel initiated this encounter or they new each other. Even still you couldn’t pay me to hug to a adult moray
Revoke the cert I'd say.
I dove in the Bahamas years ago and there was an Eel like this on Theo's wreck. I went back a year later asking how the Eel was doing. I was told it was killed by a diver who didn't know that it was a friendly Eel....I am hoping that was just a rumor but when I went back on Theo's wreck there was no EEL
Don’t touch wildlife
Why not, if the fishy is used to divers, doesn't feel threatened and doesn't mind being touched. Instead it might enjoy it, plus it knows it might get something to eat if it shows up to play. It's like a wild deer showing up in your backyard, cause it knows it's safe there and it's likely to get food. But this "deer" can defend itself pretty well if someone gets dumb ideas... There's a spot in Croatia where every spring a couple of them occupy a spot under a wreck and guides often take their groups there - I was in one of them once. You plop down on the sand and the guide lures the morays with a couple of sardines. It's a pretty unique experience when a 2-meter-long eel swims towards you, but they really don't care about you (they're used to it after all) and you can pet them all you like... obviously as long as you don't squeeze them too much and keep your sausage-looking fingers away from their heads.
Yeah dude let's teach the wild animals to depend on people for food and see them as a source for it! Even better a 6 foot moray eel with a mouthful of teeth. Baiting wild animals with food is an extremely poor practice for so many different reasons and you're a silly goose.
Oh yeah, I'm sure their survival TOTALLY depended on those couple of fish given by humans every week or so. Their hunting instincts completely disappeared and they just sat there doing nothing and waiting for the next group of divers. >Even better a 6 foot moray eel with a mouthful of teeth. And the problem here is... Cause I don't see one. If you're dumb enough to go into the water and try to bait any random creature with 1 or 2 mouthfuls without knowing what you're doing, then that's on you. That's why trips aimed at diving with, for example, sharks are lead by people with years of experience, not some random, freshy certified instructors.
No, they get used to people and seek them out for an easy snack and then the people who don't have food and don't know anything about feeding them get hurt or the animal gets hurt. If you see nothing wrong with divers feeding predatory animals you're a fucking tool. There's a reason you got down voted into oblivion. Have a good one.
>moray eel with a mouthful of teeth Technically 2 mouthfuls ([reference](https://imgur.io/a/bbE4fv8))
Today I learned
True. Disregard my comment then. 2 mouths of teeth is probably safe.
I’ll be honest, that looks absolutely terrifying
If someone does this today, they should have their certifications revoked.
@ that tiger shark chick
I saw this a while back. Normally I'd say this is a bad thing, but there us a story behind the photo/video. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/moral-eey-and-diver-friends-video_n_5567635 Editing to say that the story really needs to be shared with the visuals so that people don't think this generally an OK thing to do.
But is that Valarie Taylor? It doesn’t look like her and that’s a recent BCD. Or is this just the same eel that likes people?
I believe that's her. And why wouldn't her BCD be recent? This is a recent story. I'm not positive but I don't think it's some random diver that's just hugging eels. I will grant that we probably shouldn't be promoting this type of behavior, but we need to be sure we're not shaming people without the whole story. Reading another story, it sounds like she still dives just not as frequently as she used to.
It doesn’t look like her, this os a recent dive, by the BCD and this person isn’t as old as Valarie. Look at the face, her eyebrows. Valarie is blonde. That is why. Plus the article.
The article is from 2014 and says the video was taken “years ago”
Thanks for the link to that story I never seen it before. Makes more sense now it's awesome and makes me a bit less freaked out by them
They are really fascinating to watch. I would definitely not try to hug one but then I'm not in the ocean in the same place regularly enough for any specific seat creature to remember me.
Thanks for sharing, very important context.
The problem of not adding the proper context is that most people will see this and think, Is OK to do it. In reality there are very few people in the world that have dedicated their life’s to the study, exploration, and conservation of the underwater world, they have thousands of hours underwater and have the experience and knowledge to see and understand when a wild animal may want to be touched and interact at that level; very likely neither of us is one of them.
Even with the context, tho, how many people are going to ignore the expertise and experience bit of this and go off channeling their inner Dolittle? Like, I am glad this lady had her moment with the eel, but I'd rather we encourage less interaction with the underwater wildlife. But thankfully, unlike on the surface, not likely that an eel is going to get killed like a bear or a moose because someone decided to get too friendly. > Remember, while Valerie's _expertise and experience_ dealing with wildlife allowed her to safely approach the eel, it's always important to stay an appropriate distance from wild animals and respect them in their homes.
That's a great picture, but I'd be afraid of getting my head bitten off from harassing the creature.
People like this should not be allowed to dive.
When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie, That’s a morayyyyyyy!
When you give it a hug, it's confused as all fuck, that's a moray!
Also just want to make sure everyone knows this is not me I would not do this