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How dangerous are conger eels?

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Last weekend we saw a fairly sizeable conger on the St Dunstan. It's head must've been at least 15cm in diameter! We didn't poke it or anything and it just looked at us. But what if we had done? I have poked a smaller conger in the head a bit and it just retreated into it's hole but what if you really wound one up, would it bite you? We have all seen the moray biting off the mateys finger who was feeding it sausages, have congers got teeth like that? Has anyone ever been bitten by one?
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stevechesh
A certain skipper in Newquay has a missing big toe due to catching one on a fishing line and landing it on the boat. They generally don't bother people too much and are curious but keep out of the way. We had one swimming with us last year around this wreck off Portland

YouTube - Unknown Coaster Wreck off Portland, Dorset - Scuba Dive
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A
I've seen a conger bite the solid rubber heel off a fisherman's Wellington boot. He had caught it on a line while we we out diving with him. However, I've never had any problems with them underwater. I once swan into a wreck where I could see a clear exit and when I got inside and shone my torch around, there were about a dozen large congers in it! My buddy and I swam quietly through and they showed little interest in us.

I once had a very overconfident trainee who when I pointed out a conger, proceeded to whap it across the head with his lobby hook. We didn't hang around to find out how it responded - I grabbed him and rapidly dragged him clear.
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PeeBee
I had one leave a scratch on my camera housing when I got a bit too close to him on The Robert in Lundy, by too close I mean that the lens was about 3 inches from his nose and he clearly felt that I'd invaded his territory. It's the only time I've ever found one aggressive but unlike the Dude I do treat them with a little respect normally. :D
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Mark Chase
I have stroked them and prodded them to try and get them out of a hole and they didn't seem to want to move. The Dude prods them with drain rods to get them out and they just swim away.

I have to say on some of the deep wrecks I have seen unbelievably big conga. I swear 18" diameter and 10ft long monsters.

I haven't stroked one of them :D

ATB

Mark
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stevechesh
The largest conger i've seen is just off Portland on the wreck of the Anworth. It's HUGE and about the same size as Nelsons column ;)

I was on air at the time, but the guy on mix next to me didn't hang around either, so i couldn't have been that far out :D
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diving fred
I have had a six footer appear from between my legs whilst removing a fish from my spear with my back to the wreck!!!
after alot of flapping about by my self the conger very gently went for the fish i had. so i held the fish by its eye sockets and the eel reared up like a cobra and took its first bite tail to dorsel fin 7" or so and i felt nothing it was so gentle. then i heard a crumping sound as it crusched the fish and still felt nothing,
At this point i let go just as it swallowed the fish with its second bite the only thing sticking out of the eels mouth was the mullets lips!
As the conger swam away some 5 meters again i heard the crumping crushing sound. WOW..
I checked my air and i had seriousley guzzeld it so i surfaced.
N.B, All of this was done years ago well before i had any dive certs on the J.E.L Oops naughty me. :D :D
True story, And the are very gentle and sometimes inquisitive.
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Divemouse
I saw an absolute monster while waiting for Rob to photograph something tiny in Loch Hyne. (that doesn't look right - the place in Baltimore, Ireland) He didn't see it for ages because he was concentrating and it reared up out of its hole so it could peer down at what he was looking at. For 10 mins, the two of them sat nose to nose, staring at some tiny nudi, Rob completely unaware and me swimming round in circles, wondering what to do. I think we were at 20-30m and I was a bit narked. Finally, Rob looked up, locked eyes with it, and tried to take it's picture with a macro lens! It did its best to pose for him! We then left, backwards, very slowly.
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Letz
diving fred said:
I have had a six footer appear from between my legs whilst removing a fish from my spear with my back to the wreck!!!
after alot of flapping about by my self the conger very gently went for the fish i had. so i held the fish by its eye sockets and the eel reared up like a cobra and took its first bite tail to dorsel fin 7" or so and i felt nothing it was so gentle. then i heard a crumping sound as it crusched the fish and still felt nothing,
At this point i let go just as it swallowed the fish with its second bite the only thing sticking out of the eels mouth was the mullets lips!
As the conger swam away some 5 meters again i heard the crumping crushing sound. WOW..
I checked my air and i had seriousley guzzeld it so i surfaced.

True story, And the are very gentle and sometimes inquisitive.
Click to expand...
What a fabulous story :thumbsup: Nice one
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MRKYMARK
diving fred said:
I have had a six footer appear from between my legs whilst removing a fish from my spear with my back to the wreck!!!
after alot of flapping about by my self the conger very gently went for the fish i had. so i held the fish by its eye sockets and the eel reared up like a cobra and took its first bite tail to dorsel fin 7" or so and i felt nothing it was so gentle. then i heard a crumping sound as it crusched the fish and still felt nothing,
At this point i let go just as it swallowed the fish with its second bite the only thing sticking out of the eels mouth was the mullets lips!
As the conger swam away some 5 meters again i heard the crumping crushing sound. WOW..
I checked my air and i had seriousley guzzeld it so i surfaced.
N.B, All of this was done years ago well before i had any dive certs on the J.E.L Oops naughty me. :D :D
True story, And the are very gentle and sometimes inquisitive.
Click to expand...
interesting you mention the JEL
i have news, your conger friend is still there! and a few mates too!
seen one the other day, and i promise you, his head would not of fitted in a bucket! he just stared at me, i reckon over 10ft long. 100lb+
that beastie would take a fair chunk from you if he wanted too!
so poke? nope!
i think the conger record was near by, and when i seen the congers on the Layne, i know why!

i wind my dive buddy up that if we see a conger i am going to poke it, but i would not be that silly really! ;)
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NotDeadYet
A well known delusional Glasgow diving nutcase appeared on 999 with Michael Buerk claiming to have been attacked by a conger eel, dragged from 12m down to 65m where he bravely fought it off and then swam up the other side of Loch Long where he passed out and was found the next day. Said delusional nutcase also ended up in the paper after turning up in a Marseille petrol station having been missing for a couple of days claiming to have been abducted by Corsican gangsters (or some other such shite) but amnesia prevented him from remembering any more. He even managed to get shot in Marbella, similarly unable to explain what happened (see a theme?). Draw your own conclusions about the veracity of the conger tale.
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Letz
NotDeadYet said:
A well known delusional Glasgow diving nutcase appeared on 999 with Michael Buerk claiming to have been attacked by a conger eel, dragged from 12m down to 65m where he bravely fought it off and then swam up the other side of Loch Long where he passed out and was found the next day. ...
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Did he start off in Loch Ness ? ;)
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diving fred
MRKYMARK said:
interesting you mention the JEL
i have news, your conger friend is still there! and a few mates too!
seen one the other day, and i promise you, his head would not of fitted in a bucket! he just stared at me, i reckon over 10ft long. 100lb+
that beastie would take a fair chunk from you if he wanted too!
so poke? nope!
i think the conger record was near by, and when i seen the congers on the Layne, i know why!

i wind my dive buddy up that if we see a conger i am going to poke it, but i would not be that silly really! ;)
Click to expand...
Did this beastie have a big white scar running from right eye to the left of its snout? I still get shivers thinking of him appearing between my knees and knuts.
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MRKYMARK
diving fred said:
Did this beastie have a big white scar running from right eye to the left of its snout? I still get shivers thinking of him appearing between my knees and knuts.
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dont remember, but i will look next time, i dive the JEL quite often, if i see him, i will photograph him for you :)
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NotDeadYet
Letz said:
Did he start off in Loch Ness ? ;)
Click to expand...
:D

Might as well have done. He was an absolute buffoon, the Baron Munchausen of diving in Scotland. He was trying to make a name for himself as a big time instructor. I suppose "arse" is a big name... if you get a triple word score or something...

DIVER'S 5-DAY KIDNAP AND TORTURE ORDEAL; Scot is snatched in France. - Free Online Library

I seem to recall another incident in which the Dunoon ferry was forced to divert and pick him up.
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NotDeadYet
Letz said:
Did he start off in Loch Ness ? ;)
Click to expand...
:D

Might as well have done. He was an absolute buffoon, the Baron Munchausen of diving in Scotland. He was trying to make a name for himself as a big time instructor. I suppose "arse" is a big name... if you get a triple word score or something...

There's a good description of the conger "attack" here:

DIVER'S 5-DAY KIDNAP AND TORTURE ORDEAL; Scot is snatched in France. - Free Online Library

I seem to recall another incident in which the Dunoon ferry was forced to divert and pick him up.

Complete tit but a comedy genius.
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722
I've never seen one carrying, so I assume they are not dangerous at all.

We on the other hand...
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C
NotDeadYet said:
:D

Might as well have done. He was an absolute buffoon, the Baron Munchausen of diving in Scotland. He was trying to make a name for himself as a big time instructor. I suppose "arse" is a big name... if you get a triple word score or something...

DIVER'S 5-DAY KIDNAP AND TORTURE ORDEAL; Scot is snatched in France. - Free Online Library

I seem to recall another incident in which the Dunoon ferry was forced to divert and pick him up.
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.thefreelibrary said:
"The gas in my tank meant I could not go below 30 metres without the risk of going into convulsions
and drowning. So I held my breath."
Click to expand...
That should work !!!
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NotDeadYet
Capt Morgan said:
That should work !!!
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It's pretty impressive. Loch Long is about half a mile to the other shore where he was diving. Held his breath as he was dragged down from 30m and then managed to get up the other side... better than Jacques Mayol.
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ray
Hi.
Congers are pussy cats the ones that do want to beat you up are Wolf fish!.

We were diving on Craster Skerries near the Farne Isles mooching about near the base at what must be 50 meter plus looking for crunchie fish, we were not alone there were dozens of Wolf fish as well.

My dive buddy the one who ate the innards of the big cod and of which I wrote a piece about a few weeks ago decided he wanted a wolf fish for the pot.

In those days we didn't have goody bags as such but an old fishing keep net cut down to about 3 ft long. As I watched him he got his snorkel (yes we all had them) and started tapping a quite large Wolf fish on its tail and tried to Shepperd it into the net, but at the last minute it would veer off, this went on for quite a few attempts until the Wolf fish got bored with his antics and charged at him and he dodged the thing in alarm and a few feet further the fish came to rest on the bottom again, by this time with the laughing gas I was breathing I was laughing my head off.
Not to be put off my mate swam over and started the shepherding all over again with the fish veering off at the last minute, until yes you have guessed the fish got bored with this game again and went for him even more aggressively, my dive buddy held the only thing that would save him from this angry fish his keep net, the fish grabbed it ripped it out of his hand and swam off at speed shaking the net like a dog with the postman's bag disappearing into the distance never to be seen again.

The laughing gas was really working now and I was in danger of drowning as my sides were hurting with laughing hysterically and I couldn't make a seal on my valve and water was flooding in nearly choking me... Ah happy days.
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