Sooo...I went snorkeling yesterday
 

Off of Lanikai beach (included is a pic I took of that beach last month). I go snorkeling about once a week, sometimes twice if I have extra free time and the weather/surf is permitting. About a half hour into this snorkeling adventure, I came across a Whitemouth Moray Eel. Holy fuck those things are big. I can still see it in my head. It was just hanging out in it's little rock hole/crevice thing, but after about 15 seconds of just floating there roughly 8-10 feet from it, it came out and swam away. I got to see exactly how big it was, and I swear it was a full sized adult. About 4 feet long, and 6-8 inches thick.

Christ. Totally awesome and terrifying at the same time.

It's almost like you live in Hawaii or something!

Almost!

I'm including a picture so people get an idea of how sick one of these things look...

I've been snorkeling down in the Florida Keys quite a bit- one time I was on a reef and they had 2 moray eels, it was the only time I've seen them out there- but they just stuck out of their hole a few feet kind of floating with the mouth open, they are very creepy looking animals.

I'm incredibly jealous you live somewhere you can go snorkeling that much. When we visited Hawaii, that's all I wanted to do. I swear I'd do it at least once a week if I lived somewhere that I could.

That said, those things were the one thing I didn't really care to see up close when I went. They freak me out.

Saw a few along our deck when we stayed in Tahiti. They'll certainly catch your attention.

you should try getting bit by one, happened to me and my brother on the big island, but we went free diving quite a bit before and came across a shit ton of them. when they bite they clamp down like a pit bull would. You have to either chop the head off, of pinch a nerve by the jaw to get them off. It fucking sucked. I still have a baby scar by my left thumb, but this was maybe 10 years ago so its pretty much gone.

Have you seen any good sized centipedes yet?

Not yet...and I don't hope to either.

Had a blast snorkeling in Hawaii, if I lived there I would go at least once a week too.

We can all snorkle weekly in HI:

Homeless, But Enjoying Hawaii On $3 A Day : NPR