Swarmed by Bees on Gulf of Mexico

[Eclipse1701d]

Hey, all. Hope all is well. My wife and I decided to take a little cruise yesterday... Left our channel and decided to check out some small reefs about 3.5 miles off the coast. We lifted our canopy, cracked open a cool one (water that is), and started to settle in to the peace and quiet of still seas, crystal clear water and what looks like a dense flock of birds in the distance...

As it moves closer, a faint buzzing, and then, WTF a swarm of bees. As I sat still, reliving the horror of being 10 years old and running through the woods as a swarm of bees chased a friend and I, remembering the 21 times I was stung back then...

My wife and I remained calm as they started bouncing off the canopy, my hat, freakin' everywhere. I started the boat, drove about 2 miles away. They were gone... Or so we thought, because after a few minutes, there they were again!

Lesson learned. When being chased by a swarm of bees, at sea, you have to put at least 5 miles between you and the last known location... Interesting weekend.

 

[ID62]

I can imagine, but thrust me, French mosquitoes are also a nightmare and when you go out of the water too late you are their dinner *lol*

 

[go_panthers]

Dang! Make sure you don't have the queen in your boat...

http://www.smh.com.au/environment/a...-in-pursuit-of-queen-bee-20160525-gp4021.html

 

[Eclipse1701d]

When I first left the marina, I pulled into a wet slip, checked my oil levels and replaced my strut support bracket. No bees... Then, we drove straight out to our destination. So, I have NO IDEA why they picked us. It was just surreal, seeing this swarm come towards us. I gave the shortened version above, as I jumped into the water, up to my nose, and pulled my hat down as far as I could. My wife, being raised on a farm, just sat still, on the boat, as they buzzed around. When it started to thin out, I army crawled up the back of the boat and into the drivers seat. I am not embarrassed to say that I was hunched behind the steering wheel, my hat pulled down as far as it would go, and just looked straight ahead while trying to get away...

 

[rcguy]

So that's where all the bees went. All kidding aside, happy you guys made it out alright.

 

[Matt Braley]

This story blew me away. I live out here not far from the Gulf and I never even saw that as a potential threat/hazard.

 

[Eclipse1701d]

In retrospect, it is something I never considered, either. I mean, we're on a boat, in the ocean, almost four miles from shore. I realize, now, after replaying this in my head, that it could've turned out very badly. Be safe, and keep an eye out for swarms!

 

[go_panthers]

The closest I ever came to your experience was on the LRV over 15 years ago when a wasp flew up my trunks at 50 MPH. That sting was a little too close for comfort, if you know what I mean.

Glad you knew how to handle the situation. I would have been freaking out!

 

[Eclipse1701d]

Oooh. Sorry to hear that!