Got Chased Out Of The Shark Pit Today!!!

Well I feel like a 245 pound wimp! I've had to leave the Shark Pit before I wanted to many times over the past few years. I have left early for thunder storms, high waves, cold temps, darkness, dead batteries, broken scoop, the wife's plans! But I have never had to leave because of something that was swimming around me! I had this Sting Ray looking thing they call a Skate, refuse to leave me alone today! I have seen them out there before but it was always about 100 yards from where I hunt. Today this thing swims by right in front of me & sticks one fin up like a shark! I knew what it was & figured it would be on it's way soon. Wrong! This thing messed with me for 45 minutes! It would go away for a few minutes then brake the water with a big splash behind me or next to me or in front of me. It started to really FREAK me out. One time I poked it with my MD but that did not stop it. At one point I swear I had my scoop above my head with both hands & was going to chop the crap out of it if it popped up again!! Finally I could not take it spooking me any longer & got out the water. Don't you know that thing followed me about 20 feet toward land & splashed behind me one more time. I don't know if it was playing, eating what I was digging up or I was near it's nest or something like that. I need to find out if those things can sting you or not. I could not believe the whole thing. I wanted to stay about another hour! I will be back & this means WAR!
Anyway, I did find some stuff before I ran like a little girl!
I found 2 sharks teeth, 3 Sting Ray (skate?) teeth, one BIG cookie coin & five others, 3 V & 3 Buffalo nickels, 2 railroad tokens, a cool little brass button with what looks like the letters CP on it, 3 spoons & other Misc. stuff.
Thanks for looking!

To find out all the details about the Shark pit, cookie coins & to see more finds click here.
http://forum.treasurenet.com/index.php/topic,18502.0.html

Cool finds sissy ;)

Sounds Like A Job For BOOM Bait. trk5capt...

lmao,, like a little girl,, cool finds ,, ya gotta love a spot that keeps giving,,,

It is mating season for Skates they were in full dance at the beach this week. I watched them courting off the pier. They swim around each other in a circle and stick one fin out of the water. Sounds like this one thought you were cute. 

I can't say I wouldn't of done the same thing in that situation.Better to be safe than SORRY.Great bunch of finds again!   HH!

   ROTFLMAO! Great story! Nice finds as usual from the pit

                            HH  surfrat


                                     

Rtde,

nice finds.  

Wonder why it gave you all that attention?

Types of RaysThe rays, which form the order Batoidea, are divided into seven families. The largest are the mantas, also called devil rays and devilfish (family Mobulidae). These are top-swimming forms which may weigh up to 3,000 lb (1360 kg), with a width of up to 22 ft (7 m). Unlike most rays, mantas are filter-feeders; the manta uses a pair of horns at the front of the head to drive small prey into its mouth; there the prey is caught in a strainer and swallowed, the water passing out through the manta's gills. Electric rays, or torpedos (family Torpedinidae), have electric organs in their wings that generate electric current, used to immobilize prey and for defense. The current is strong enough to stun humans, and it is said that the ancient Greeks used these fish for shock therapy. Skates (family Rajidae), which are sometimes caught for food, are bottom dwellers with nearly disk-shaped bodies and short tails; some species have electric organs in their tails. The stingrays, or whiprays (family Dasyatidae), have rows of spines along their tails, which are generally much longer than their bodies. The stingray inflicts wounds by lashing with its tail; the spines contain a poison that causes pain and can be fatal to humans. Most of the eagle rays and bat rays (family Mylobatidae) bear a single poison spine on the tail. The guitarfishes (family Rhinobatidae) are sharklike in form, having well-developed tails used for swimming and smaller pectoral fins than most rays; however, the fins are attached, as in all rays, above the gills, giving these fishes a broad-headed appearance. Sawfishes (family Pristidae) are similar in body form, but have long, flat snouts with a row of toothlike projections on either side. Some species reach a total length of 20 ft (6 m), with snouts 6 ft (1.8 m) long and 1 ft (30 cm) wide. They use these ponderous weapons to slash and impale small fishes and to probe in the mud for burrowing animals. Sawfishes should not be confused with saw sharks, which are true sharks.
http://columbia.thefreedictionary.com/ray

I have no idea what type your dealing with.

have a good un............

Skate wings taste like scallops!

HAHAHA good one. 

Cool finds sissy ;)

Nice finds.  I bet that big cookie coin is a barber half.  Do your electrolysis thing and post again.  I'm dying to know.

Mirage

it was just watching over its ancestors  grave. cool finds

Maybe it was your guardian angel.   A girl was bitten by a shark in less than 2 feet of water last week near Hilton Head South Carolina.   You stayed in the water longer than I would have.

Way to go!  Like to see what that big coin is!  (GIRLY MAN)  but I have had my girly days too! A few weeks ago I was in the back of a castle site on a trail through the jungle going back to the truck after dark and my flashlight hit the eyes of a cat in the pathway and the hair on my neck went straight up along with some goose bumps!
Thanks for the story and pics...!

Wow!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You did good...but reading your posts from your other finds....you always seem to find some really nice and interesting items.

Are you on the Chesapeake Bay in Virginia or Maryland? (If I may ask). Can't wait till hubby gets his underwater detector...I can only imagine what he brings home (Fingers itching for a nice diamond )

He did bring up an old shell (big one!!) from one of his dives. It was empty, but still cool!! And a few starfish for the boys, which I made him put them back in the water!!!

But you won't catch me out in that PIT....I'm retired ....I'm a landlubber now. I like my feet planted firmly on dry soil. LOL

Good luck on your next hunt...and I hope the ray leaves you alone this time

      Still excellent finds!!!   Some how, I can just see his other school buddies just sittin back and laughing.  uh.....but not at you of course.   Honest!!
  Always enjoy seeing your finds.   WTG!!!       HH

Great finds as usual!  I too want to know what the big one is.

That skate is back there right now digging up coins.

Good thing you didn't get attacked, Art...

Nice story, I wouldn't have lasted that long, LOL!  Nice finds as well! HH, Mike

seems like you always find good things there ( and some bad,lol ). keep on digging...

Nice finds, & very funny story...
I wouldn't have stayed around as long as you did. I think I'd rather goto a bad neighborhood than go into the ocean. I couldn't resist looking up some info on the "Skate". Seems there are a lot of different types.
Here's a link to a page that list several different types:
http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/scripts/search/queryhit.idq?CiRestriction=skate&CiMaxRecordsPerPage=10&CiScope=%2Ffish&TemplateName=queryhit&CiSort=rank%5Bd%5D&HTMLQueryForm=%2Fsearch%2Fqueryhit.htm&x=31&y=6

Most of them state:

Danger to humans is extremely low. Skates lack spines like those found on stingrays, but do possess many thorns. These thorns could injure a person if they stepped on or picked up a skate

Also, Some of them have no thorns and are not harmful...

At least your running from something alive...
I was dig'n a target the other day and when I looked up to check on my surroundings there was a big 2 foot diameter, bright yellow, helium balloon just a few feet away coming right at me. Startled me, ( scared the pee out of me ) when I first looked up... lol

Good luck, & Happy hunting~

haha i can see where you would be freaked out but you dont have anything to worry about. skates are pretty much harmless and pretty docile. he was probably just curious and trying to figure out exactly what you were! they have a barb at the base of thier tail that can stick you if you pick one up, but as far as a skate attacking you, it aint gonna happen! we catch them in the surf at ocean city md all summer long. they are pretty thick in the surf down there and no one has ever been harmed........nice finds anyway! ;)

It is mating season for Skates they were in full dance at the beach this week. I watched them courting off the pier. They swim around each other in a circle and stick one fin out of the water. Sounds like this one thought you were cute. 

< to bad it didnt look like her

meow

Very funny replies guys!!

Cool finds sissy ;)

LOL!!

Thanks for the info. Sherm.

Hey swingingmydfx I did have on my nice looking black & blue wet suit!

Skate wings taste like scallops!

I heard that somewhere!

Nice finds.  I bet that big cookie coin is a barber half.  Do your electrolysis thing and post again.  I'm dying to know.
Mirage

Mirage, Dave N Japan and mlw67 I will make the big cookie coin part of the cookie coin contest I have coming up soon! That way everyone can guess & we will have some fun with it! Sound good?

ronandann, I am in Maryland.

Thanks Leon & hollowpointred, I do feel a little better now!

It is mating season for Skates they were in full dance at the beach this week. I watched them courting off the pier. They swim around each other in a circle and stick one fin out of the water. Sounds like this one thought you were cute. 

< to bad it didnt look like her

meow

If it did I would still be there!

Cant wait till todays adventure! What kind of aftershave do you wear? Maybe she (I am assuming it was a she) was attracted to your scent? ;) ;) ;) :)Can you get a picture of her today?

I'd bet it was a girl SKATE and she was trying to get you interested . For all we know she could be ugly and shy and you keep hanging around her and she starts thinken ; Well maybe he doesn't know I'm ugly . Maybe I should make the first move . You know how SKATES are !
   You must have broke her heart .

Rob my man you're no wimp. I'm even bigger than you and I wouldn't have stayed in that water 5 seconds after seeing that monster.

I think a chat with someone who understands these animals is in order.

Love your finds because they bring back many good memories. I hope you organize them and make a display designed for this site. It the future this could end up as a great museum display in your name.

It's fun to clean those "cookie" coins. I cleaned the coins from the famous 1734 Vliegenthart (Flying Heart) shipwreck and we called the encrusted Ducatons (Silver Riders) "biscuits."

These clean hard and most just turned to ash when we used electrolysis on them.

Happy hunting!

Badger

Hmmm,,,Maryland huh? Then I would suspect if hubby did some diving in the bay, in the area of the Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel....he should get pretty lucky. Unless all the good stuff shifted to your area .. Again .. .GREAT FINDS!!!! I am curious to see what you have in those crusted coins!!! Looking forward to seeing it!!!