Has anyone seen an Ocean Sunfish?

jiminiŽ

Jim, saw one off Palm Beach Florida while fishing on a head boat.It was about38 years ago, but the memory is still fresh.I remember thinking "what happened to the rest of it"?

I've only seen pictures of them but it's funny that you should mention this because...

I was just planning another holiday for later in the summer and I was considering going to Newfoundland, Canada. The website of this coastal safari vacation company shows pictures of icebergs, whales, caribou and puffins, all the usual things that you would expect but they also showed Mola mola!!!

Wow! I never knew they could go so far north. The website said that they often float on their sides at the surface and sometimes they leap out of the water. Neato!

Lisa in Montreal

Jimini, they are seen frequently in Southern California waters...we have seen them on the surface from dive boats, and quite a few divers see them on dives...

http://diver.net/ross/Chamber_day_03/chamber_day_03.htm

Still, the weirdest looking fish in the sea!

Those were some nice pictures Cynde- hey, ya glad to be back to reality?

So what's my best bet to spot Ocean Sunfish, Southern Calif? Thinking about traveling to San Diego next year to revisit my old navy ship when it finally becomes a floating museum (USS MIDWAY-41) what would be the best month for chances to see these critters? I really want to capture one and put it in my aquarium at home, may have to remodel the glass walls some???

jiminiŽ

Jim,
I was on the Nekton pilot Cay Sal banks trip last summer and saw Ocean Sunfish on several of the dives. The seem to be pretty common in that part of the Bahamas

Jim

Amazing creatures!

I saw one here, while snorkeling at Sand Dollar, about 15 years ago. It was the size of a garbage can lid. No one knew what it was, and the guys at the dive shop just kept looking at me strangely (it's easy to draw a picture of one). I found out its identity much later when I saw one at the National Aquarium in Baltimore. Way cool.

Here's a snap of one I saw in Bali a couple of years ago. Size wise, I'm not too sure of the garbage can lid equivalent, but it was big ... very big.

Great picture Keely

Hey, there, Fancypants! Good to see you again. Thanks for the pic. Impressive.

How are you staying cool over there? Or dare we ask?? LOL. Carole

Pants, Carole. Lots of pants!

Seen the Mola Mola on Bali end of september!

We saw 3 of them on one dive...!

Size was something like 10 feet from fin to fin, Together with the Manta's Ray's and Sharks the most impressive fish i have seen...

The divesite was "Toyapaka" at the Island of "Nusa Penida" 45 minutes by boat from Bali.
a divesite where they are seen frequently is called "Crystal Bay", the fish seems to be found in cold-water-currents.
The Diveorganistion i dived with overthere on Bali was BIDP = Bali International Dive Professionals ( http://www.bidp-balidiving.com/ ) they can not garantee, but try to do everything to find them. I think when go for two weeks diving the change of seeing a Mola is 80-90%.

Also this organisation BIDP is the best diveoperator i have ever dived with. They had only to arrange our first week diving, but also the second week they took care arranging things for us, they even brought us to the airport in no time when we found out we had to catch the plane back to Holland just 1 hour before leaving the island (normally a 20minutes drive). Really Great Guys, and after 2 days already feeling like being with friends!

I saw one off the cast of Vancouver Island BC, Canada in August of this Year. He was finning on the surface and was is shallow water. The last time i saw one was in September 1996. They are amazing looking fish and i have video of the last encounter, too bad i was on the surface and not under water.

They are seen in So California waters, mostly out in the open ocean. Occasionally they have seen on shore dives at LJShores or LJCove in San DIego. This is a photo of some a friend of mine sent me taken out under a kelp paddy some number of miles offshore here in So Cal.

Brain, are you from So Cal? Scroll up on this post and I have a link to some other great pics of Mola Molas We actually see them quite frequently around Catalina Island as well

/image{mola}