The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1952-07-07
REPORTER LOOKS
BUT DOES NOT
PARTICIPATE
In SPORT OR ART
By SUSAN MeAvoY

Feet away rom where / swan.
These two experiences were
mine yesterday out at Western
Dry Rocks, two miles west of
Sand Key Light.
The yellow green moray one
Of the most vicious inhabitants
Of these seas, was spotted by the
men Ed Gibson, Sam Shakels-
worth and Eddie Ciesinski,
slithering THROUGH q large niger
head coral. Ed had his under
water camera, Sam and Eddie
their spear guns, ! wore my
snorkel, flippers and mask.
Sam took Q shot at the moray
with his -un. He made hit but
his spear with the eel hooked on
It caught In the hard coral rock,
Taking turns the men dived
down to try to disengsge the
spear and bring out the esl. ]
lowered at q safe distance above
them in the water watching, but
not going any nearer than neces-
sary.
Finally Ed Gibson got a gait
from his boat some Is yards
away, and came back and started
poking around to try and get the
spear loosened.
glo-...v
He succeeded. San dove down
and pulled out the spei with
the undulating four foot long
snake-like creature.
He was about ten inches in
circumference. His mouth was
still swapping showing his ugly
little teeth as Sam towed him To
the surface. Ed took color pic
lures Of the episode and mo-
toned to me to hold on to the
line attached to the spear at
tached to the moray eel. ] did
not trust the creature even
though 1t was dying, so begged
off holding him even in such an
indirect fashion.
The beauty Of the coral out at
the Dry Rocks was heightened
by the magnificent brilliant blue
parrot fish, polly fish and others
who cruised through the SIN
clear water.
Ed suggested swimming over
TO the marker where he could
get even more pictures and pos
sibly one Of q shark, which Is
his goal.
Eddie Ciesinski, Ed anC ! took
off. I stayed in the middle fear
ing as usual the arrival OF a
barracuda.
/ didn't have to wait Ions. We
were looking through our masks
at the big crevices and sheer
cliffs OF coral when suddenly .
school of about twenty barracu-
da of all sizes cruised nonchan-
lantly by.
Ed was delighted. II was q
ready made picture for him. He
tread water with his flippers and
took pictures steadily with the
underwater French camera sus-
pended around his neck.
Eddie was In back OF Ed, ana
/ was in back o. both OF them.
l was feeling fairly safe having
the two men as protectors, until
/ looked at their hands and
realized neither Of them had
guns. AS though responding 70
the fear that suddenly went
through me. my left foot began
to cramp up. II became stitt and
painful. ! found footing on The
coral rock avoiding the long
treachereus spInes OF the sea
urchin, and an. contact with The
infectious coral on my bale heels,
and nied TO work out the crasnp,
Although | could stand with my
head above water. / preferred e
keep il under so that ! could
watch for the ubiquitous harra'
/ ducAed my face under while
trying to stamp out the erarap
Jus, then / saw the biggest bar
raeuda SO far, about five feet In
front Of me. | nudsed Eddie who
took his snerkel out of his mouth
and said:
aHe's .een about three feet In
back Of you all the time"
That dldn't make n1c feel one
bit happier about IL 80 ] swan
away from the black spotted
creature.
.He isn't afraid Of anything
that barracuda Eddie sad. lie
shouted 10 Sam who was or The
boat Bring . gun ever, we have
0 whole school Of barracuda
here"
Sam didn't hear, he was too
Ear away, about zoo yarda
By this time even ] was ret.
ting used to the psesence of Tia
barraeuda. The crsnsp In nS
foot had responded 10 the lessen.
Ing Of my FEAR and the three O.
us swan slowly back 10 The
boat.
Ia returned with Ronnie cies-