The 1-5 m shear and strain spectra from a neutrally buoyant float reveal more strain in the near-inertial band (f<ω<2 f~M2) and more shear in the continuum internal wave band (2 f<ω<N) than can be accounted for by linear internal gravity waves. The shape of the 1-m shear spectrum can be reproduced by vertically advecting low-frequency ~2-m wavelength fine structure past the float sensors with the observed displacement time series. Advection smears the encounter frequency across the internal wave band, aliasing and Doppler shifting some low intrinsic frequency variance into the continuum band and some high intrinsic frequency wave variance into the near-inertial band. Past observations of the excess shear variance at high frequencies led to speculation that it may be stratified two-dimensional turbulence having the same spatial scales as internal waves but carrying fine-scale potential vorticity anomalies (Holloway, 1983). The high shear relative to strain (Vz/(N¿&zgr;z)=2.2) and high Froude number (Vz/N¿=1.23) would restrict stratified two-dimensional turbulence to having average relative vorticity more negative than -f. This limitation makes a stratified turbulence explanation for the fine structure impossible. On the other hand, the shear and strain characteristics are consistent with the Garrett and Munk (1979) internal wave model and could easily be explained by near-inertial internal waves. There may be no efficient means of generating potential vorticity anomalies away from boundaries. ¿ American Geophysical Union 1990