Topic: Can you identify this?

[1fireball]

I was fishing on Santee last week and caught these images. The first pic shows a cormorant diving for food. If you look at the right side of the screen you will see a large figure coming into view. Yes the boat was moving look at the terrain. The second shot is full view of the "creature" You can see he goes right to where the bird was feeding. Actually there was hundreds of birds feeding.
Im 99% sure I know what it was. I want your professional opinions.
I wish I would have switched to si and di.
My first thought was sea monster lol.

[mako9man2]

I don't believe Santee has any Giant Otters so I vote for a small alligator?

[ITGEEK]

It could be a bait school packed up tightly together, and
they just happen to be in an elongated pattern.
It could also be an eel.
An alligator sounds good too.
God only knows for sure.

[slabbacks]

You did say that  cormorants were in the water, may have just been one going through the beam.

[1fireball]

Not a comorant look at the (disturbence) air bubbles from the diving comorant flapping and kicking. The large figure shows no water disturbance.

[Trytoofish]

I don't know what it is but I have seen similar sonar readings here. and it was from a good size fish swimming in the transducer cone at the same speed and direction as I was trolling. mostly carp . Do you know what it was?

[1fireball]

My friends told me about all the alligators in these waters so I have to say alligator. They spotted a 8 footer and 12 footer the day before.
I wish I would have switched to di si but didnt think of it at the time.
I guess we will never know for sure but im convinced.
boat was moving at over 2.5 mph the object was coming directly at me probably looking for one of the hundreds of cormorants for a meal.
Ive seen millions of bait fish and fish swimming through sonar...nothing looks like that. when a fish swims fast you can see the disturbance or air bubbles just like the cormorant.

Whatever it was cut through water like a submarine.

[1fireball]

One more thing look at the posture of the image...head up tail down just like a gator.

[ITGEEK]

I wouldn't fee comfortable fishing in a place
with 12 foot alligators.
What happens if you lose you footing and fall in?

[Trytoofish]

You learn to swim very fast. lol. sorry I couldn't resist.

[Humminbird_Greg]

I wouldn't fee comfortable fishing in a place
with 12 foot alligators.
What happens if you lose you footing and fall in?

Well the first thing you here is the music (queue music from Jaws)… then you learn to swim very fast!

In all my years on Lake Eufaula (okay, the Walter F. George Impoundment) I have never knowing seen an alligator on 2D, Si or DI sonar and I have spent many hours trying to do just that.  I have only a few images that others have sent me (Si sonar only) but know that we have many gators here and some are larger than 12 feet!

[ITGEEK]

That's very interesting Greg.
In my opinion, fishing in any water that contains alligators
is entirely for the birds.
Anything can happen:  A person could have a heart attack,
stroke, or have a dizzy spell, and the next thing they know
they're what's for lunch.

But, with the heart attack and stroke, it might not matter
anyway.

[Gimp]

Looks just like a Loon I marked last summer. My guess, a fish eating bird.

[Rotus623]

Not a comorant look at the (disturbence) air bubbles from the diving comorant flapping and kicking. The large figure shows no water disturbance.

I agree with everything you have said, especially the posture comment. You can tell that is not a fish following or staying with you, because of the hard red return in one spot. That to me means it is clearly a different density than the rest of the body (skull). I would imagine that if it were a smaller object staying under your boat, the red return would be throughout.

Also, like you said there is no turbulence, which to me means the creature is slowly lurking.

And lastly, this beast is headed straight towards the bird that just made its descent.

Its lucky that you were parallel with this creature rather than perpendicular because it would have looked totally different. Thanks for sharing, awesome image. Gator for sure!!

[slabbacks]

What was your scroll speed set at?