-
New York, New York, United States
-
From the bank, you would probably never guess there is so much to see here. Gar, cooter, pickerel, musk turtles, pan fish, hordes of tadpoles, an occasional visit by a grass carp or a softshell... who would have thought it's one of my favorite spots now.Spotted GarLepisosteus oculatusBlue Springs Recreation Area Econfina Creek Water Management Area Northwest Florida Water Management District Washington County, Florida Olympus OM-D E-M5 14-42mm II Lens PT-EP08 Underwater Housing, PPO-EP01 Lens Port & 14-42mm Zoom Gear
-
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
-
Along the egde is where most of the gar congregate. It gets a little gloomy in the shadows, and disturbing the surface algae and debris doesn't help.Florida GarLepisosteus platyrhincusSilver RiverMarion County FloridaOlympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II14-42mm II LensPT-EP13 Underwater Housing, PPZR-EP02 Lens Port & 14-42mm Zoom Gear
-
New York, New York, United States
-
In this scene, the fins are posed at a completely different angle, so it changes the whole story...Spotted GarLepisosteus oculatusBlue Springs Recreation Area Econfina Creek Water Management Area Northwest Florida Water Management District Washington County, Florida Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark IIOlympus 14-42mm II R LensPT-EP13 Underwater Housing, PPZR-EP02 Lens Port & 14-42mm Zoom Gear
-
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
-
Florida Gar are plentiful in the Silver, and they tend to congregate among the reeds along the banks.They hover near the surface, but If disturbed, they vanish into the stalks.Florida GarLepisosteus platyrhincusSilver RiverMarion County FloridaOlympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II14-42mm II LensPT-EP13 Underwater Housing, PPZR-EP02 Lens Port & 14-42mm Zoom Gear
-
New York, New York, United States
-
-
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
-
On our second encounter of the day, this big gar spotted me approaching, and then it made an easy, slow pass instead of bolting. This time, I had to move out of the way to get in focus.Alexander Springs Recreation AreaOcala National ForestLake County FloridaOlympus OM-D E-M514-42mm II LensPT-EP08 Underwater Housing, PPO-EP01 Lens Port & 14-42mm Zoom Gear
-
One of the resident gar along the bank of the spring run shines against the blanket of green that covers the bottom. Spotted GarLepisosteus oculatusBlue Springs Recreation Area Econfina Creek Water Management Area Northwest Florida Water Management District Washington County, Florida Olympus OM-D E-M5 14-42mm II Lens PT-EP08 Underwater Housing, PPO-EP01 Lens Port & 14-42mm Zoom Gear
-
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
-
In fact, and I'm sure it doesn't want to come off as greedy, but it would probably really like it's whole upper jaw back.I've seen a few bigger gar here, and a monster out in the run, but they don't seem that common in Alexander. I have seen one about this size a few times, as recently as May 2016, in this same area, so I don't know if this is the same one or not. I bet there's a good story behind it...Alexander Springs Recreation AreaOcala National ForestLake County FloridaOlympus OM-D E-M514-42mm II LensPT-EP08 Underwater Housing, PPO-EP01 Lens Port & 14-42mm Zoom GearSea Life Sea Dragon 2000 Underwater Light
-
It's a little green in Econfina Blue Springs, but that doesn't stop these brownies from blending in along the bank.Spotted GarLepisosteus oculatusBlue Springs Recreation Area Econfina Creek Water Management Area Northwest Florida Water Management District Washington County, Florida Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark IIOlympus 14-42mm II R LensPT-EP13 Underwater Housing, PPZR-EP02 Lens Port & 14-42mm Zoom Gear
-
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
-
Christmas, Florida, United States
-
I guess it figures if it can't see you, you can't see it. I thought that only worked for ostriches. Spotted GarMcCormick SpringEconfina Creek Canoe Trail,Northwest Florida Water Management District NWFWMDBay County, FloridaSeaLife DC1400
-
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
-
This impressive gar spotted me approaching, and then made an easy, slow pass instead of bolting out of sight. Maybe my hair was all messed up on our first encounter of the day.Alexander Springs Recreation AreaOcala National ForestLake County FloridaOlympus OM-D E-M514-42mm II LensPT-EP08 Underwater Housing, PPO-EP01 Lens Port & 14-42mm Zoom Gear
Phil's 1stPix on 500px
-
This gar is snuggled in tight and isn't coming out to play anytime soon.Spotted GarLepisosteus oculatusBlue Springs Recreation Area Econfina Creek Water Management Area Northwest Florida Water Management District Washington County, Florida Olympus OM-D E-M5 14-42mm II Lens PT-EP08 Underwater Housing, PPO-EP01 Lens Port & 14-42mm Zoom Gear
-
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
-
I'm usually pretty good at sneaking up on these gar, but this one in particular was very wary. I spotted it earlier inside the vegetation, but it bolted. Luckily, on a subsequent exploration along the bank, it came back out, and wasn't so touchy.Alexander Springs Recreation AreaOcala National ForestLake County FloridaOlympus OM-D E-M514-42mm II LensPT-EP08 Underwater Housing, PPO-EP01 Lens Port & 14-42mm Zoom Gear