Grouper Attack

[Walter]

How big is your daughter? How big was the grouper?

 

[kgcase_4]

I was in Little Cayman in early July and we were warned prior to one dive that they had been experiencing some aggressive behavior from at least one grouper that resided on that site, can't recall which site though.

I had several close encounters with groupers that week that were not by my choosing, usually them swimming just below my stomach and me not noticing until I bumped them while reaching for my computer. Luckily for me I didn't experience anything aggressive, that doesn't sound fun.

 

[carriemak]

Wow. There are quite a few friendly groupers in the Marine Park. Sounds like this one is a little too friendly.

 

[thetedinator]

<snip>...I was diving with my daughter at Jackson's Wall, part of the Bloody Bay Wall on Friday, 8/27...
Dive Safely!

Diving in the future?

 

[Qnape]

Wow.

What did the DMs say about that? Any other such incidents?

The DMs had forewarned us only about the groupers being a bit "touchy-feely"; that we were of course to touch nothing in the marine park except the grouper, because they touch you. Nothing about aggressive behavior. They did warn of grouper fights if one grouper followed you into another grouper's territory, but we did not see this.

 

[Qnape]

Diving in the future?

The dive was on course on 8/20; sorry for the error - I will correct my post tonight.

 

[Qnape]

How big is your daughter? How big was the grouper?

My daughter is 16 yrs old and perhaps 5' 5" - not tiny but an XS BC size. The grouper was perhaps 30", possibly a bit smaller but one of the bigger ones around at the time. I posted a photo of the incident on the duplicate thread along with the two previous images which I am certain are of the same fish. I am at work so cannot repost them here right now.

As kgcase_4 indicated, there were lots of grouper encounters with all divers throughout the week in the marine park. We became used to them, which made what occurred on the 6th day of diving there all the more surprising.

 

[Hetland]

might he have been going after the tag end of her mask strap, thinking it was food????

 

[Qnape]

might he have been going after the tag end of her mask strap, thinking it was food????

Possible, I guess, but I don't think so - See the photo of the attack on the other thread - I will repost it here later - it shows her mask strap up over the top of her head / face after the grouper took it off. She wears a yellow and black hair band over the back of her mask strap.

 

[carriemak]

One of the divers on our trip also encountered the "friendly" grouper. He tried to bite her do-rag. Then he proceeded to get in everyone's face.