Slimy fish encounter in Hua Hin

[Foreverford]

I was swimming this morning in Hua Hin at a very sandy beach area and had the experience described below. Has anyone experienced anything similar in the Pattaya area?

I was swimming about one mile out from the beach today basically across from the Bangkok Hospital. I ended up being somewhat molested by some strange type of fish. They were rather slimy type of fish similar to maybe an eel or a snake. they ranged in size from about 3-4 inches long to almost a foot long and one seemed even longer than that. They came to me instead of me swimming into, say, a school of these things. I swam to shore and then thought maybe almost just my imagination so just stay docile in the water and again a few would come to my body and wiggle and proceed along. It almost seemed like they could have been some kind of lamprey eel type of sucker fish eel or whatever.

I have been swimming in this area for nearly 15 years and have witnessed many jelly fish of all shapes and sizes and schools of small fish but nothing even close to something like this. there weren't more than a few dozen that i came in contact with but they were there as if following me all the way to very shallow water and then the contact stopped.

I talked to kite surfers and they didn't know what it might be or have experienced anything similar.

Anyone have any ideas?? Thanks for your thoughts. peace and love

[sonos99]

Could be remora. I've had them follow me a few times when I've been diving.

[Rimmer]

If you are wanting to know what fish you saw in Hua Hin then best to post in Hua Hin, Pattaya really has nothing to do with it.

[Rob13]

Box jelly fish.

[JHolmesJr]

Maybe they were the parents of those little ones that suck the crud off your feet in the fish spa.

[rodcourt49]

Box jelly fish.

..One mile out..geez!..nearly in International Waters...see any subs?

[cat funt]

so you swam 1 mile out and 1 mile back in the ocean.

even in my very fit and competition swimming youth, i wouldnt have attempted this.

not only that you are at risk of being hit by fast moving boats.

anyhow perhaps you could draw the shape to help id. did they have large stripes/bands?

no never encountered this

also it is very unusual for fish of a single species to congregate in anything other than their year classes, so the amount of variation in size you mention is highly irregular

Edited April 14, 2016 by cat funt

[Rob13]

I missed that '1 mile out' part. Pretty stupid thing to do; even if the boats miss you if the tides changes and you're pretty well <deleted>.

[Foreverford]

Thanks for the replies as didn't get a thing from Hua Hin Forum and Remoras could be it. Nothing to do with jellies as these beasts wiggled and scooted along quite readily. I often go out to the fishing boats before sunrise at about 6 am and see what they bring up in their nets and the fishermen enjoy a bit of diversity and welcome me aboard. We have no issues with high speed boats zooming around Hua Hin only traditional fishing vessels and the four mighty Naval War Ships, even with the maybe dozen jet skis for a couple of three four miles of beach front that do their business they are basically non-existent 98% of the day and many days you don't see even one doing business.

Can't enjoy swimming laps and miles in swimming pools. That said I decided to stay closer to shore today and take a break until a little more feedback. i do have two different jelly fish suits but no issues (not many) this time of year, though other times unable to enter the water due to the quantity. One purported and first incident of Box Jelly around here this past year but what is worse those odds or the odds of putting yourself on ANY motorcycle in Thailand.

Again thanks for the responses as the remoras (or some other kind of sucker type fish) seems to be a good possibility as most smaller fish never attempt to go after the body of a bigger beast in the water.

note i do a very slow and even breast stroke as i choose to not put my head under the water in the gulf. This also helps to sight Jellies during the beginning of their season. Always a pleasure over the last decade and a half to see the sun come boiling out of the water over near you folks on the other side of the gulf and maybe it isn't a mile maybe just a kilometer and a half. yuk yuk

[Foreverford]

If you are wanting to know what fish you saw in Hua Hin then best to post in Hua Hin, Pattaya really has nothing to do with it.

Really i thought it was all the same water in the gulf therefore there may be links. You might say Jerry Garcia isn't a Blue Grass music player because he was part of a San Francisco Psychedelic Rock Band but by the replies we have gotten here you might say that you would be wrong on both assumptions. The responders from Pattaya helped in regards to the fish issue. Maybe this might help you in regards to seeing a music analogy.

1973

1969

1964

So maybe you can see that an SF Electric Guitar Slinger may have something to do and say about Bluegrass AND people from Pattaya with knowledge of the Gulf of Thailand might be able to assist a person in Hua Hin in solving an issue. Seems like the spirit of the Grateful Dead in music was to incorporate any and all forms of music to get their final product. Here with Thaivisa I tried my best to get an answer and it was obvious with 8 responses here from Pattaya compared to none from Hua Hin that maybe you don't need someone from Singapore trying to tell what the waters may hold.

Maybe as Dylan said

Come writers and critics

Who prophesize with your pen

And keep your eyes wide

The chance won't come again

And don't speak too soon

For the wheel's still in spin

And there's no tellin' who that it's namin'

For the loser now will be later to win

For the times they are a-changin'

[55Jay]

Did it look something like this?

Edited April 14, 2016 by 55Jay

[Foreverford]

It was remoras and only encountered one other since then and never before. here it is in a very nice video, they are no problem for people also.