#garfish

My collection of vintage fish imagery is swimming along.

Les Portes-en-Ré, France | August 19th 2024

Tropical north queensland mermaid

It is a species of needlefish found in the Atlantic Ocean, Baltic Sea, Black Sea and Mediterranean Sea! Because their migration patterns are similar to mackerels', they used to be believed to be guiding or protecting the mackerel! This would give them names like mackerel guide or mackerel guardian.

Still dripping wet from having just taken a dive in the crystal clear waters of the Juniper springhead, I direct my kayak, sitting up on the edge of the “cockpit” while camera equipment, a life jacket, and some dive fins fill the hollow hull up to the seat. A thick jungle-like scene surrounds me as I drift under a canopy of overhanging palm trees. I don’t really have to paddle - just steer - for the bubbling current of the creek pushes my boat along at a steady pace. The occasional alligator may be seen resting in shallow water, as well as turtles lined up sunning themselves on logs and downed cabbage palms and every now and then a gar - a large, somewhat freaky-looking fish that really is quite harmless - may glide under my kayak. The best word I can think of to describe this land is “magical.” I see now why it is thought of as the best paddling in Florida, and even considered one of the most amazing kayaking destinations in the United States.