Ouch - Bitten by a turtle....

During my Australia trip in October, I actually got bitten by a turtle.

On a dive on the SS Yongala wreck I came across the big Hawksbill Turtle that lives there. You can't miss him - he is several hundred pounds and covered in green algae.

I was lucky to come across him at the top of the wreck in the middle of a feeding session on several sponges and corals. I found a nice dead spot to help steady myself in the current, and settled down for some serious image taking.

He started to come closer and closer (which is great), til a point where he was basically on top of me as I looked through the viewfinder of my housing. Looking for the shot of him close up, biting into his food, I saw him move down for a bite.

"Great" I thought as I moved the camera for the shot.... and then I felt one of my fingers being shaken slowly side to side.

The thought that he is actually biting me went through my mind as I pulled my hand back quickly.

Considering the can opener on the front of a Hawksbill, I was fortunet it was just an investigative bite (as evidenced by the fact I still have the finger involved).

No one believed my story when I surfaced from the dive until later that evening when this image leaves no doubt of its truth...

Yes those are my fingers. And yes he did apparently close his eyes as he took his nibble.

This was a very photographic turtle, despite this bite, and you can see some great ones at the Hawksbill Turtle Gallery at DSI

Enjoy,

M

An amazing photograph! And you're right - no one would believe it without the photo.

Glad he didn't take your finger. You might have become like Captain Ahab looking for Moby Dick!

Hey, I'm just reading that classic.

Turtles do nibble digits when someone sticks them in their mouth - No accident, and the picture just proves the fingers were put there intentionally to grab a photo, either that or you have a strange way of holding the housing

Also the turtle is just sunbathing and nowhere near food, had it been eating there would be shit floating everywhere.

Chill, Bob. Take a couple more vasodilators and a Demerol.

Jim, I too was wondering how he still composed the shot yet, was bitten unexpectedly by the turtle. ("The thought that he is actually biting me went through my mind as I pulled my hand back quickly.")Yet he still had time to take a composed shot.

Heck when one of those damn damsels nips my fingers while I am trying to take a shot I tend to jump back a bit in surprise as opposed to being able to compose the shot. If I was startled I would have had a shot of the coral or the surface but not a composed turtle shot.

I was not there so I am only speculating based on what I see and he explained.

Jim, I too was wondering how he still composed the shot yet, was bitten unexpectedly by the turtle. ("The thought that he is actually biting me went through my mind as I pulled my hand back quickly.")Yet he still had time to take a composed shot.

 

Heck when one of those damn damsels nips my fingers while I am trying to take a shot I tend to jump back a bit in surprise as opposed to being able to compose the shot. If I was startled I would have had a shot of the coral or the surface but not a composed turtle shot.

Well I have an easy answer for this one. My finger was already on the shutter waiting to take the image of the turtle biting into the sponge/coral that he had been chomping on while I was taking his images.

So when he came up to my dome, and started downwards to take a bite I was ready to shoot the shot - in fact if you go to my webiste you will see at least two others from this sequence. I had no idea it was my fingers he was after, but I was already pushing the shutter taking shots looking for the 'moment' to happen (i.e. the turtle biting the sponge)

I had no idea 'the moment' was going to involve my hand.

And let me tell you now, it took a second or two of him shaking my finger for me to figure out what was going on. It was actual quite gentle and I had no marks on my finger afterwards.

M

P.S. If you think I would intentionally put my fingers in the way of the can opener on the front of a Hawksbill you are nuts.

P.S. If you think I would intentionally put my fingers in the way of the can opener on the front of a Hawksbill you are nuts. "

Hey, to take a quote from Jim, Chill!

Apparently I had the wrong forum as I thought this was photo critique not gallery.

I did not realize you were not asking for peoples critique of what was posted.

The other day a number of people posted that they did not feel it was appropriate for a guy to shoot 184 frames of a delicate pygmy on one dive. The individual did not respond with a rude reply.

I called it as I thought it read and saw it, and sought clarification from you. It was you that stated "as I pulled my hand back quickly." and titled the picture as "Ouch". I would say that is extremely misleading by what you have now clarified in your response... that it was "quite gentle". And, thus I was not out of place in asking for clarification.

If you go back and read my response it was not rude. I gave an example of my personal experience that made me wonder how it would happen and finished by stating that I personally was not there so I really don't know.

I did not ask for such a rude reply.

I called it as I thought it read and saw it, and sought clarification from you. It was you that stated "as I pulled my hand back quickly." and titled the picture as "Ouch". I would say that is extremely misleading by what you have now clarified in your response... that it was "quite gentle". And, thus I was not out of place in asking for clarification.

If you go back and read my response it was not rude. I gave an example of my personal experience that made me wonder how it would happen and finished by stating that I personally was not there so I really don't know.

I did not ask for such a rude reply.

Sorry if you think it was rude - it was not intended that way. If I was rude it was only because even the thought that I had 'set this up' goes against everything I believe in when it comes to nature photography.

I thought I had provided clear clarification of what happened on the shot in my reply.

I apologize if you took it differently - it certainly wasn't meant that way.

M

No problem, it can be a hazard with email and internet.