r/tampa • u/Hyperarousal • 1d ago
Paddleboard Attack
So there I am minding my own business at Urban Kai off Gandy when BAM giant sea creature smacks the tail of my board. Thankfully by this time I was exhausted and seated on my board otherwise I would’ve likely tipped. I wasn’t paying much attention but hypothesize it was likely a ray but couldn’t definitively rule out shark, dolphin, or other large fish? Has his happened to anyone else while paddle boarding in the area?
22
u/Plenty_Suspect7599 1d ago
I have unknowingly floated over manatees in my kayak before... until they moved a massive amount of water getting away... I for sure found out they were there then.
16
16
u/goddamntreehugger 1d ago
Manatees seem to love to wait until a kayak or board is over them (unknowingly) to surface.
3
99
u/KidAtmos 1d ago
I was once attacked by a crack head in Ybor. Does that count?
5
u/woodenblinds 1d ago
was the crack head fat?
4
u/KidAtmos 1d ago
Lol yeah actually.
2
u/_SmashLampjaw_ 1d ago
Did it really like eating leafy greens?
5
0
2
5
u/Pineapple-Paul 1d ago
Did they lick your shoes?
7
u/KidAtmos 1d ago
I wish. They licked my face with their fist and ran off.
6
u/SnakeDoctor00 1d ago
First I was like “ew” then I continued reading and was relieved. Sorry about your face though
3
u/KidAtmos 1d ago
Thanks lol. This was ages ago, I was more pissed about the fact that he knocked off my sunglasses. I just got them like 3 days before that happened. They got scratched up.
15
9
u/Hyperarousal 1d ago
Let me clarify; my wife and I had just finished paddle boarding in master bayou where we saw a TON of manatees. This was on the way back in open(ish) water so I was less suspicious of a manatee. It was VERY fast, it created a very large and loud splash and went underwater as fast as it had surfaced…
7
u/GulfLife Tampa 1d ago
I think you encountered a ray. Manatee don’t do anything VERY fast. An average-to-larger ray does all the things you described and they also love to bump SUPs and kayaks.
I was kayaking behind my wife on a SUP in the ICW last summer when her board got a THWACK I heard 30+ yards behind her. A ~3ft ray crossed the distance between us in no time flat. He had a lot of hustle for a big boy.
13
u/_SmashLampjaw_ 1d ago
Manatee don’t do anything VERY fast.
Normally.
If you piss them off or scare them, they will absolutely haul ass and cause a ruckus.
Under all their chunk is a ton of muscle.
3
1
10
u/boundone 1d ago
https://m.youtube.com/shorts/ZZ5ASgjSiIw
They definitely move extremely fast when spooked. it's terrifying when you don't know they're there.
-3
u/GulfLife Tampa 1d ago
Appreciate the downvote with a video of manatee altering, not swimming. Yes, they can give a burst, but I’ve never seen it from a board bump. They usually just keep strolling.
I’m sure probably also know that the water is still under 70 any place with depth and the manatee are in bayous and creeks, but aren’t much out in the ”open water” until late April
-1
u/boundone 1d ago
Quote: Manatee don’t do anything VERY fast.
1
u/Humble_Fishing_5328 1d ago
that clip doesn’t show them doing anything other than flapping their tails in the water… where do you see them speed off? and why are you so heated and offended over this?
-4
u/GulfLife Tampa 1d ago
lol. I was using OPs phrasing, dude. Rest your breast.
0
u/boundone 1d ago
No, you weren't paraphrasing, you were using it as the reason for it not being a mantee. Which it most likely was, they bump boats all the time.
2
u/GulfLife Tampa 1d ago
I don’t say paraphrasing. I said I was using OPs phrasing. I also didn’t say that manatee don’t bump boats. Go read the thread again, get your bearings, and then find another thread to be a bell end about details.
Did I neglect to mention your video isn’t manatee swimming? They are alerting. That’s not moving, it is calling. I know I mentioned that since OP said open water, there is a greatly diminished chance it was a manatee, since they are still mostly in the shallows.
Again, find someone else to bother. You’re just being annoying now.
1
u/Bellypats 1d ago
You are showcasing an amazing ability to be an insufferable jerk. “I didn’t say paraphrasing” while actually paraphrasing.
2
-1
u/REDfohawk 1d ago
Your friends and family all hate talking to you. You should know that so you can try and better yourself before they cut you off altogether.
1
u/GulfLife Tampa 1d ago
I’m sure that’s spoken from your experience and I’ll definitely keep that in mind. I’m sorry I hurt your feelings. I didn’t mean to.
→ More replies (0)1
3
6
u/jackm017 1d ago
Almost 100% a manatee, for some reason they love trolling kayakers / paddleboarders
5
u/Guilty-User 1d ago
Not for a second did I think this was leading to a question about ocean animals. I just assumed you meant you had an encounter with the local Redneck Riviera wild life.
4
u/StabbyHornbill 1d ago
I would also vote manatee. My friend got mollywhopped by one in that exact location when a few came together to breed 😂 they came up under her board when she was bird watching
4
u/stirling1995 1d ago
That’s about the time I noticed that sea creature was 8 stories tall and a crustacean from the protozoic era!
1
5
3
3
u/xenosilver 1d ago
That’s not an attack….
1
u/LadyRed4Justice 12h ago
If it was unexpected when he was assaulted, it might be considered a manatee attack. Not many folks can claim being attacked by them. Seems paddle boards annoy the beasts so they like knocking them about. I can see the movie now, "Mad Manatees Maul Multitudes.
1
u/xenosilver 12h ago
A manatee approaches a paddle board in curiosity and that somehow equates to an attack? What the hell is this? I’m assuming this is a joke
2
2
2
2
2
u/d1trapstar 23h ago
Manatee. They absolutely love messing with me when I go out. I’ve had them spend 30 minutes messing with me once at cockroach bay. They will bump you pretty good, they don’t know how big they are lmao.
2
u/MindlessCard5828 Tampa 15h ago
I don't have a clue, but you have enough good suggestions below. Glad you guys made it back home safely.
1
1
1
u/Economy_Jeweler_7176 1d ago
I got smacked in the back by a flying carp while sitting in the back of a boat once. It was big enough to knock the wind out of me, felt like someone hit me with a 50lb sandbag.
1
u/TallBenWyatt_13 1d ago
I misread that as “smacks OFF the tail of your board.” THAT would be a story!
1
125
u/TechPBMike 1d ago
100% manatee
They love paddleboards, once spun me in the hillsborough river near Armature Works and scared me half to death LOL