A Fast Walk, NOT!

Today, was another exciting day at the beach!  It was also another picture perfect day!

Today was a carbon copy of yesterday with one exception.  The water was not as still.  It was not smooth like glass as yesterday's water.  While it was calm, it was just full of ripples.

The water was very clear again today.  However, the ripples made it difficult to get good pictures of the fish in the water.

There were a few people on the beach today.  Stretch, again, was nowhere to be found!

This group of people were a friendly bunch. Three of them stopped and talked to me.  Very unusual.  For the most part people keep to themselves.  They all wanted to know what I was taking pictures of.

I'll get right to it!  As I got into the surf, the first thing I notice is a dead stingray.

 I snap two pictures and move on because a group of fish go flying by.

They are hard to capture on video.  They are moving so quickly.   While I can see them clearly, the ripples in the water make it hard to photograph them.  I take many pictures and videos of them on my walk with only a few turning out.

One of the friendly people on the beach told me that these fish are "Gar" fish.  They are long thin fish with a very long pointed nose.  They were from a few inches long to about 10" to 12" long.

They swim very fast.

Because they swim so fast and I want to make sure I get some pictures and video of them, I am practically jogging following them.  I did get my power walk in today.  Good thing there was nothing else around today, because I spent most of the time photographing these fish.

Every once in a while another group of fast moving fish would swim by.

I would chase them down to get pictures & video.

Occasionally, I look up and turn around and check out the beach to make sure I'm not missing anything.  There really isn't much happening here today except these fish.

These 4 little birds look cute walking along!  So I snap their picture.

As I am running through the surf to keep up with these fish, several times something hits my foot.  When I look down, there are these little fish that I have photographed before floating around my feet.  I think one time I stepped on one.

The seaweed is just in spots again today.

While they were swimming where it was shallow, it was hard for me to get near them.  In the picture below where the surf is breaking, right there the sand drops off about a foot.  So if I would step down into there, I would be totally wet when the occasional wave would come in.  Yeah, that wasn't going to happen!

I may be jogging with the fish, but I am not going swimming with them!

One of the friendly walkers today told me that she saw a small shark in the water.  So the whole time I am following these gar fish, I am also looking further out for this shark that she saw.  She said he moved fast like these fish.

Well, don't get excited, I didn't find the shark, but while looking for him I saw these 3 fast moving blobs.  I don't know what they were but I took a video of them.

They were moving very fast and went farther away from the shore.  So I never got to identify what they were.

I found that when photographing the gar fish, that they were easier to see when they were in the seaweed.  When they would swim across the seaweed, they would become a bright green.  They were very pretty.

While walking along looking in the water at the gar fish, I almost trip over these two fisherman.  On my way back up the beach, it looks like he has caught a big one.  

I linger around waiting to see what he caught.  It was a big one!

Well, I had a lot of fun running up and down the beach today following the gar fish!  As I get back to the pier, Stretch is waiting for me!  Good to see him.  I did see him fly by one time while walking today, but he did not stop.

I give one last look in the water and find these fish!

Well, it is another picture perfect day!

This is the view from the pavilion looking back up to the pier.  When, I turn around to go back, I always hate this view.  The pier seems so far away and some days I think will I make it back!  Well, so far I have with no problems!  

With all the jogging and power walking today to keep up with the fish and find more fish, I thought surely I hadn't spent much time at the beach.  I thought great, I will get back and get a jump on my day and get the blog done early.  Wrong!  

When I finished my walk, I was surprised to see that I had been there my usual two hours!  I thought surely with all that fast walking, I had covered the area in just a little longer than it would take for a normal power walk.  

Well, I guess the old saying goes, "time flies when you are having fun!"  Can't wait to see what tomorrow's walk brings!