Robbie Williams plans to search for underwater aliens. credit catzi/Wikipedia
A Chinese restaurant has been criticised - for keeping ornamental fish in a urinal.
A lucky lizard has escaped after being caught with a fish. credit: Al Simson
Florida-based Smokin 'em Charters featured topless deck hands for fishing trips
Florida biologist Adam Warwick saved a drowsy black bear that went for a swim
What do mutant catfish, Robbie Williams, Chinese fish urinals, a lucky lizard and topless fishing all have in common? They all made the list of the weirdest underwater stories from 2008.
The year's weird underwater news proved once again that reality is stranger than any fiction. From the editors of UnderwaterTimes.com, here's a selection of the weirdest underwater stories of the year.
For even more weird underwater stories, check out the Underweird news section.
Something's been eating me
- Scientist: Mutant catfish may be eating humans in Indian river; 'elongated pig'
- Lake 'monster' suspected in disappearance of swimming dog 'King'; 'there was no struggle'
- Giant catfish terrorizes swimmers at Berlin lake; 'I only felt something huge and slippery'
- Boy in bizarre 'fish in penis' accident
Lost and found
- Mysterious severed feet wash ashore along Canadian coast
- Robbie Williams to look for underwater aliens; 'this is mental but I don't care'
- Chef finds 26 pearls in a single oyster; 'like a bunch of grapes'
- Boy, 10, finds missing diamond rings in toilet; family heirloom missing for 12 years
- Bulova: Watch that's back from the seabed... and it's still working, after 67 years
- Fisherman finds long-lost class ring in 8-pound bass
- Husband dives into sewage to save wedding ring; 'there's actually fish down there'
Sounded like a good idea at the time
- Chinese firm: Fish tank toilet 'will cut water use'
- Artist to feed murderer to goldfish; 'the real problem is legally killing people'
- Chinese restaurant criticized for keeping ornamental fish in urinal; 'not much different to a fish tank'
- Florida topless fishing company under fire; 'bikini girl' charters draw 'a lot of calls'
- Brit brewer creates fishy-flavored 'scallop stout'; beer has 'a slight taste of the sea'
- A threat to Coca-Cola? Japan sips 'broiled eel' flavored cola
Dubious records
- Dutchman aims to break record with 2 hours in freezing bath
- Ex-Olympian smashes fish throwing record: 196ft 9in
- Aussie divers set underwater ironing record
Leap of faith
- 'Leap of faith' at Bahamas resort: Captive shark jumps tank, rides water slide into pool, dies
- Leaping 9-foot dolphin knocks woman unconscious, injures boater off Florida coast
- Dolphin dies in mid-air collision after performing trick in front of spectators
- Florida officials: Woman dies after stingray strikes her
Animals behaving badly
- 'Otto' the octopus wrecks havoc at German aquarium: juggling crabs, smashing glass, shorting out lights
- Fussy seal pup 'goes berserk' without 'fairy liquid' cleaning
- Ouch: Boy hospitalized after angry puffer fish goes nuts
Catch of a lifetime
- Fisherman catches record-setting catfish with Barbie Doll rod
- North Sea fishermen catches dog a mile out to sea; 'I knew he hated water'
- Kiwi woman walking dog lands monster fish...with leash
- Swedish fisherman reels in elk carcass; 'no one believed me'
- Fisherman hooks drowning man, reels him in; 'I was meant to be here'
- Giant catfish dies trying to eat football; 'I've never seen anything like this in 30 years'
- Kiwi lands barracuda using his cell phone as bait
- Angler lands fish, partially digested lizard crawls out of mouth; 'wow man, it just blinked'
- Bass fisherman snares scuba diver; 'he never knew he was hooked in his wet suit'
- Mind blower: Aussie angler finds lost nose stud in a fish
Rescue Me
- Shipwrecked Kiwi survives sharks, wild seas, lands on Robinson Crusoe island
- Florida biologist saves drowning bear in the Gulf of Mexico; 'I wasn't sure what I was going to do'
- Hero dolphin seen trying to rescue Filipino fisherman from drowning; survivor swears off dolphin meat
- 'Dead' swimmer resuscitated, 'feels great' after dying for an hour