My family and I started opening or backyard swimming pool today and as my father began to clean it out, i saw one of these large, strange looking "beetles" swimming towards him. We fished it out and i took several photos of it to examine. I came to this site to look it up and, what do ya know? I found it! I just have one question...what exactly is this bug. You know, like what is it's true common name. Does anyone know?

There are two species recorded in NC, B. flumineum and B. testaceum. B. testaceum is pale and less than 20 mm, while B. flumineum is darker and more than 20 mm. Based on the color in the photo I would go with B. flumineum.

This is not a beetle, but a giant water bug in the genus Belostoma (family Belostomatidae). Never heard of them in salt water, either! An interesting aside, females lay their eggs on the backs of males, and he "incubates" them, keeping them aerated, free of fungal growth, and defends them from predators. They get the name "toe biter" from folklore, as they supposedly have a fetish for nipping your tootsies:-) They do bite, though, as they are predators.