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One of the bigger long noses, one with a peculiar color pattern, is tucked away under the strainer near the spring head. Every time I've slipped in under here, I find something interesting.Longnose GarBlue Springs State ParkOrange City, Volusia County Florida, USA Olympus OM-D E-M514-42mm II LensPT-EP08 Underwater Housing, PPO-EP01 Lens Port & 14-42mm Zoom GearSea Life Sea Dragon 2000 Underwater Light
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One of the larger gar hanging around the rim at the head spring seems a little worried that it might need to floss.First thing in the morning, you can usually find a small pack around the head spring, but as soon as people start making a bunch of racket, they slip down the run to join the others.Longnose GarLepisosteus osseusBlue Springs State ParkOrange City, Volusia County Florida, USA Olympus OM-D E-M514-42mm II LensPT-EP08 Underwater Housing, PPO-EP01 Lens Port & 14-42mm Zoom Gear
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There are so many Longnoses in this stretch of the run, at times they don't have the room to turn or surface without some fancy fin work.Longnose GarLepisosteus osseusBlue Springs State ParkOrange City, Volusia County Florida, USA Olympus OM-D E-M514-42mm II LensPT-EP08 Underwater Housing, PPO-EP01 Lens Port & 14-42mm Zoom Gear
Phil's 1stPix on 500px
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While it might be a little murky, as far as spring fed rivers go, there's no shortage of things to see... Ideally, you want to spot it, before it sees you, just in case. Longnose GarLepisosteus osseusSilver RiverMarion County FloridaOlympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II14-42mm II LensPT-EP13 Underwater Housing, PPZR-EP02 Lens Port & 14-42mm Zoom Gear
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Of course it's common to see baby and small fish school in groups for safety, but for some reason, these gar also stick together. Not only do they congregate in a certain area in the run, they huddle closely at times and move around in large groups.Longnose GarLepisosteus osseusBlue Springs State ParkOrange City, Volusia County Florida, USA Olympus OM-D E-M514-42mm II LensPT-EP08 Underwater Housing, PPO-EP01 Lens Port & 14-42mm Zoom Gear
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With so many gar congregating here, you couldn't swing a dead cat in here, and not bump into one... If for some reason, you had a dead cat, and needed to prove or disprove the old saying. I'm not sure you can even swing a cat underwater, for what it's worth.Longnose GarLepisosteus osseusBlue Springs State ParkOrange City, Volusia County Florida, USA Olympus OM-D E-M514-42mm II LensPT-EP08 Underwater Housing, PPO-EP01 Lens Port & 14-42mm Zoom Gear
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"...To Have"This monster Longnose wasn't very cooperative, but the regular sized Gar on top was more than happy to pose for some shots while it made itself scarce. I would think that anything this big would have little to fear from little ole me.Florida GarLongnose GarAlexander Springs Creek Alexander Springs Wilderness AreaLake County FloridaOlympus OM-D E-M514-42mm II LensPT-EP08 Underwater Housing, PPO-EP01 Lens Port & 14-42mm Zoom GearSea Dragon 2000 Underwater Light
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The big noses in the Rainbow tend to stick to a particularly deep bend where they can hover in peace.Longnose GarLepisosteus osseusRainbow RiverMarion County, FloridaOlympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II14-42mm II LensPT-EP13 Underwater Housing, PPZR-EP02 Lens Port & 14-42mm Zoom Gear
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The water clarity at this end of the spring run isn't the best to begin with, and on a busy day, it doesn't take long for tubers, waders, and assorted splashers to muck it all up. Normally, the canopy in this section casts sunbeams down into the water, and there are usually big blotches from the dappled light.With hundreds of gar all around, not to mention some bruisers, I'm not complaining though...Longnose GarLepisosteus osseusBlue Springs State ParkOrange City, Volusia County Florida, USA Olympus OM-D E-M514-42mm II LensPT-EP08 Underwater Housing, PPO-EP01 Lens Port & 14-42mm Zoom Gear
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You can see gar throughout the spring run, but they congregate in the hundreds towards the bottom of the swimming area, where water from the St. John's starts to blend in.Longnose GarBlue Springs State ParkOrange City, Volusia County Florida, USA Olympus OM-D E-M514-42mm II LensPT-EP08 Underwater Housing, PPO-EP01 Lens Port & 14-42mm Zoom GearSea Life Sea Dragon 2000 Underwater Light
Phil's 1stPix on 500px
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Christmas, Florida, United States
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Of course, one or two Longnoses just have to be different and want to face downstream; it takes all kinds to make a world.Longnose GarLepisosteus osseusBlue Springs State ParkOrange City, Volusia County Florida, USA Olympus OM-D E-M514-42mm II LensPT-EP08 Underwater Housing, PPO-EP01 Lens Port & 14-42mm Zoom Gear
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Blue Springs grows 'em big. On any given day there are anywhere from 50 to well over 500 longnoses in the upper stretch of the run alone, usually congregated around the tube take out point. Longnose GarLepisosteus osseusBlue Springs State ParkOrange City, Volusia County Florida, USA Olympus OM-D E-M514-42mm II LensPT-EP08 Underwater Housing, PPO-EP01 Lens Port & 14-42mm Zoom Gear
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The water clarity in Alexander Creek downstream from the headspring isn't great, but there is plenty to see, if you can find it.This huge Longnose Gar was hiding out in the shade under some overhanging branches along the bank along with some smaller Florida Gar.Longnose GarAlexander Springs Creek Alexander Springs Wilderness AreaLake County FloridaOlympus OM-D E-M514-42mm II LensPT-EP08 Underwater Housing, PPO-EP01 Lens Port & 14-42mm Zoom GearSea Dragon 2000 Underwater Light
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People go up and down the Blue Springs run on a daily basis, right through the main area that these gar tend to congregate. They tend to stay just out of reach, but as more and more boaters and floaters splash through, these Longnoses get less and less wary of the stealthy, and will hover near and pass right by.Longnose GarLepisosteus osseusBlue Springs State ParkOrange City, Volusia County Florida, USA Olympus OM-D E-M514-42mm II LensPT-EP08 Underwater Housing, PPO-EP01 Lens Port & 14-42mm Zoom Gear
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Despite their impressive size, it's easy to see how these gar function in stealth mode.They must be doing something right, what with the 500 or so huge ones that populate the run. Not to mention they've been around for over 100 million years. Longnose GarLepisosteus osseusBlue Springs State ParkOrange City, Volusia County Florida, USA Olympus OM-D E-M514-42mm II LensPT-EP08 Underwater Housing, PPO-EP01 Lens Port & 14-42mm Zoom Gear
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Grosse Ile, Michigan, United States