Goliath Grouper Aggregation
I just finished 11 days of diving, mostly to play with the Goliath Grouper. I made 24 dives on the Castor, 21 with Kevin and Underwater Explorers, 2 with Starfish, and 1 with Loggerhead. It's not the best aggregation year, that was 2 years ago, but it is absolutely fantastic. The conditions were quite variable, sometimes a north current, sometime a south, sometimes a very brisk current, sometimes almost none, sometimes poor viz, sometimes quite good, the water was always warm, 82-84 degrees. There are many Goliath Grouper on and around the wreck. When the current is brisk they will be lined up on the bow or stern into the current, depending on the direction. When there is less current, they will be off the wreck a bit, often east of the bow or stern. There was often many bait fish and hunters putting on a great show. There are schools of beautiful Horse-Eye Jacks. There are 1 or 2 Bull Sharks cruising the wreck, most commonly on the east side and on the stern. The 2 best dives were yesterday morning, Sept 20.
I also did 2 dives in Jupiter with Jupiter Dive Center, 1 on the wreck trek (Zion Train, Miss Jenny, Esso Bonaire) and one on the MG-111. There was a moderate number of GG on the Esso Bonaire and the MG-111, but the sites paled before the Castor.
@uncfnp, you will have a great time on Sept 25 afternoon. Looks like 2 others have joined you so far. The afternoons were often better than the mornings. There is a relatively tame smaller GG on the Castor named Wilbur. He will approach you and pose for pictures. If DM/guide, Alex Borsuzky, is on the dive, he will bring Wilbur to you while cruising around on his DPV.
Alex is available as a guide on the Explorer, for those that might be interested, now or in the future. He knows all of Boynton Beach like the back of his hand and is an excellent photographer. I would recommend him very highly.
Good diving,
Craig
