I have heard you have to watch out for lots of eels whenever you swim in Indian waters. Does anyone know if they are of the dangerous type, or is it just that there are a lot of eels, in general? Or does it only apply to certain parts of the country?
I don't think there are any more eels in Indian waters than anywhere else. You should educate yourself on the lacation where you wish to swim. Every place is different, and the natives should be able to tell you what you need to know.
I believe there are eels everywhere, however, there are usually one sort or another that frequent certain areas. It's always good to know before going in. I agree - checking with the natives about any possible dangers of the local waters is a good idea.
Most eels live in coral areas and hide. When snorkeling you can normally see them inside the coral sticking their heads out. I have come across them any times. I have taken some wonderful pictures of eels. I have even caught a few eels fishing. When this one happens I don't try to get back my fish hook. Normally my BF will do this one for me. We don't want to cut the nylon and leave the hook in their mouth. I personally don't find them dangerous and have never been attacked by one yet.
I had never heard about that either. Usually, when there's something to be wary of in the water, there's usually signs. At least in my experience, countries which have things to be wary of in the water have signs posted up. And even if you can't speak the language, it's usually in picture form. One place I remember was Australia - even though the signs were in English they had big diagrams of crocodiles and jellyfish and warnings about swimming.
I'd be more worried about jelly fish than I would worry about eels. If your just swimming around or going snorkeling you shouldn't have an issue. Now on the other hand if you want to do some scuba diving then you might need to keep your eyes open for a few eels lurking in what looks like small caves or in the coral.
