Northern Stargazer

Stargazer

Astroscopus guttatus

Size
to 22" and 20 lbs.

Description:
Don't expect to see these fishes very often - they live buried in the sand, with just their eyes protruding. The eyes are directly atop the flat head, and the mouth is almost vertical. Of course, they are ambush predators. If you flush one from its hiding place, it will clumsily swim a short distance, and then rebury itself in just seconds. Stargazers are capable of producing weak electric currents from organs located behind the eyes. I doubt that it is enough to be dangerous to a diver, although it might be startling! Midshipmen are similar but smaller, with a continuous dorsal fin and luminescent spots instead of electrical organs.

The way I came across one was that I was exploring out away from the wreck, and digging a furrow in the sand with my hand to mark my path*, and ran right into it, flushing it out into the open. Otherwise, it would have let me swim right over. I also saw one in the Shark River once.

* Note: this is a terrible way to navigate, and I am not recommending it. I was very familiar with the site, otherwise, I would have run a reel over the sand.


A Jon line is a cord used to secure yourself to the anchor line during your safety or decompression stops. This relieves you of having to hold on by hand, which can get tiring for long hangs in a strong current. You can also use a Jon line to get away from the crowd at 15 ft, while still being securely tethered to the boat.

There are a number of prefabricated Jon lines on the market that you can buy, along with several different gadgets to attach it to the anchor line, most of which are clever but not particularly reliable. For a few dollars, you can build a much better Jon line with parts from the hardware store. What you will need is:

  • 6 ft of bungee cord - the kind with a fabric casing
  • 2 brass snaps
  • 6-8 wire ties

Printed from njscuba.net