Divernet News, dateline 19 July 2004
Wreck diver attacked by 12-foot conger
42-year-old George Telfer suffered bite marks and bruising to his face after a large conger eel bit his hand and dragged him into a wreck, slamming him against the structure.
Telfer was diving the wreck of a WW2 trawler in 30m, eight miles off the coast of St Andrews, when the attack happened.
The Angus-based diver claims that the attack was sudden and unprovoked, and believes that the conger acting in defence of its young. The 12-foot-long eel was estimated to weigh 250lb and was powerful enough to drag him forwards, causing him to collide with the wreck’s superstructure. Telfer managed to grab hold of the eel with his free hand, squeezing until it released its grip.
Congers are common in UK waters and often adopt wrecks as home. While congers are generally docile unless provoked, staff at marine aquariums often regard them as more dangerous than the sharks sharing the same tank.
Relevant links...
The Conger file
Diving with congers in Spain
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