Goliath Grouper! (Yes, they are bigger than me!)

The Goliath Grouper is one of the largest bony fish in the world, and this made it the target of intense fishing efforts for many years. After nearly becoming extinct, the fish was afforded legal protection enacted in 1990. Twenty years later, the protection is finally starting to pay off. Jonathan joins famous National Geographic photographer David Doubilet as he visits a shipwreck in Florida where Goliath Groupers gather to spawn every year, and meets dozens of these massive animals!
#underwater #scuba #scubadiving #goliathgrouper #daviddoubilet #florida
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Goliath Groupers! They’re among the largest reef fish in the world. They used to be common throughout the Caribbean, but then their numbers started to plummet in the 1980s.
That's because everybody wants to catch an 800-pound fish, so pretty soon the Goliath Grouper had been fished almost to extinction. In 1990, the U.S. Government had to take drastic measures to protect this fish, so they passed a law that banned all fishing of Goliath Groupers. Now, nineteen years later, they're making a remarkable comeback.
The Goliath Grouper is still very rare. In fact, most divers have never even seen one.
David Doubilet, the world-famous National Geographic Magazine photographer, has invited me to join him and his wife Jen Hayes (who is also his photo assistant) on a Goliath Grouper filming expedition.
We board the Shearwater, a large dive boat that will be our base of operations for a week.
We've arrived at the wreck of the Mizpah, which sits on the sea floor 80 feet below. The question is: are there any Goliath Groupers down there?
Once we hit the bottom, Pierre and I will stay out of David and Jen’s way.
Shipwrecks are magnets for fish. That's because they provide a great place for fish to hide and rest on what might otherwise be a very flat, featureless sea floor.
The shipwrecks off the east coast of Florida have become some of the best places to find Goliath Groupers. But a typical shipwreck only has one or two of them hanging around.
Things are different here in September. That's when the Goliath Groupers get together in large numbers to spawn.
The groupers don’t like the current much either, so they hide behind the wreck the same way one might hide behind a large object to get out of the wind.
But outside, they let me get really close. These Groupers are surrounded by little silvery fish called cigar minnows.
The minnows might look like they are hiding out of the current, but they are really aggregating close to the groupers.
Later, when the current relaxes, dozens of groupers are gathering together in the water column above the wreck. What’s going on? It’s the mating season, and these fish are preparing to spawn-probably at dusk or after sunset.
Unfortunately, I’m low on air and I need to head back to the surface. Pierre and I do a safety stop on the anchor line as we eagerly anticipate the next dive.
I keep looking for any kind of mating activity, but something totally unexpected catches my eye!
It's a manta ray swimming among the groupers!
I move in for a shot of the ray. It doesn’t seem afraid of me.
And I have to believe it's no coincidence that a manta has shown up here. Mantas are filter feeders and this one is probably hoping to join the cigar minnows and feed on some grouper eggs too.
The manta seems intrigued by our video lights and she keeps coming over to me. So I put my camera down and give her a little belly rub.
Mantas are awesome but I need to keep my attention and my camera focused on the big groupers so I don’t miss anything.
The cigar minnows are crowding in even tighter to the Groupers. You can hardly even tell there’s a big fish in the middle of all that!
It's an amazing spectacle to observe. These enormous fish would make Michael Jordan feel small. And the cigar minnows are just magical to watch.
We see a lot of what looks like courting, but no spawning. Maybe the groupers are more bothered by our presence than they let on. Or maybe they are waiting until dark.
But as it gets later and later, we are running out of light, and air. Reluctantly, Pierre and I must head back to the surface.
It looks like the spawning will happen later in the evening and I will miss it.

[@williamwiese9963]

As an ex/commercial diver that got burnt out of diving, this video makes me want to return...love the ocean

[@aicelpolo49]

William Wiese How i wish i can dive like of you guys can , but I can't swim 😁😁😁 , I've get drowned at a pool twice 😂😂😂.

[@kari7403]

@@aicelpolo49 You can always learn! Once you get the hang of it, its like second nature. ☺

[@nadstengco2591]

@@aicelpolo49 I know this reply is late but I just want to share that its also the drowning twice for me that motivated me to learn how to swim.. just as the comment above states.. it's actually 2nd nature once you learn it..

[@proudconservationistconser4212]

Aicel Polo oh how I do hope you make the effort to learn! I promise you- once you know how, it’s so easy! Just think of it as like when you were a baby and learning to walk. It’s basically the same theory... you just need to learn HOW to navigate your surroundings. I can also promise you that once you’re comfortable with it, it will be most thrilling! Good luck on your adventure! xoxo

[@jlwashington929]

Yttgghfyhg

[@laurabodie6794]

I love how in almost every episode where theres a manta ray, as soon as the ray enters godly/angel music starts playing haha, the editor definitely thinks mantas are extremely majestic

[@BlueWorldTV]

Well, our composer does!

[@blairansellfraser]

No coincidence here...I hear the Manta had a 5 series contract to make ‘unexpected cameos’.

[@stormysampson1257]

Watch the episode on Zimmy! The guy that composes the score of music for the entire series! Hey, even Jonathan is a musician. These videos are made by a TEAM belonging JUST TO BLUE WORLD. The editors are Jonathan himself, as well as Zimmy! TONS of editing by the entire team including Jonathan's wife, Christine! This team KNOWS the Mantas, the SHARKS, groupers...octopuses!

[@ziziflor9019]

I love the music. This is so relaxing

[@epiclifemovement2924]

Kudos to those who do the risky work to provide insight into worlds we can't explore ourselves. Thanks

[@contentmachineabstractions3136]

This is the cleanest and most positive comments section in the history of KZbin

[@BlueWorldTV]

+Guardian_Guy_33 I am so proud of that!!

[@TheThundershock100]

That makes me want to stay here forever... Seriously

[@JA-re8gi]

SNOWFLAKE!

[@connorallen9398]

Thot patrol kkkkool

[@darylgarnica5703]

BlueWorldTV how could they mutiply if their eggs will be eaten by the other fish?

[@saucecutely7042]

I watched this as a 5 year old and now i am watching it again. *_THIS IS LIFE WHEN IT IS GOOD_*

[@strangethingstruther]

Channels like these deserve a lot more attention, some great content and footage, very interesting 👍🏻

[@dannyduge5154]

That's what exactly in my mind.

[@moalzaben5554]

Tell me bout it

[@somnuswaltz5586]

Goliath groupers are one of my favorite fish, I love how their face looks, and they seem to be gentle giants 💕

[@GudaGudaPaisen]

Name: Bird. Favorite place: the ocean. Yeah!

[@user-ue5up3tw6v]

Cool.b

[@user-ue5up3tw6v]

Olsen beach

[@tachimesan6133]

So.. a penguin?

[@wickandde]

This is honestly my favorite channel on KZbin

[@YurMom68]

I was born and raised in SW Florida. They were/are EVERYWHERE. I have gone down many times to a reef, and all that is there are Goliaths. They eat anything that swims in front of them. I am glad they have made a come back. They are far from rare in my neck of the woods.

[@Caun-88]

I like how docile and even a bit curious of people they seem. They sort of chill and get a look and hang out.

[@creatureconnor]

Why does it seem like a bunch of animals were on the brink of Extinction in the 19 hundreds but laws were passed at the last second and are now making a recovery! They should've passed laws before they even got anywhere near that close to extinction! 😡 Anyway, I loved this video Jonathan! It was beautiful!

[@kari7403]

People didn't start stidying the animals as much until then, and didn't notice the impact or decline until it was drastically low. I'm just proud of humanity for doing the right thing, and trying to turn things around, and try to better thr natural world.

[@christianphillipampoloquio6484]

It's human nature to only act when it becomes urgent

[@alienlv426ify]

Thank you so much Jonathan to share with us the wonders of marine life.

[@SkyScourgeGod]

Have you ever been interested in filming the Coelacanth? They're one of the oldest fish species around, considered "living fossils" even. They're also the most endangered order of animals in the world with only two types of Coelacanth species alive. I bet that would make for a great episode if you managed to find some! :)

[@maggot1917]

Beautiful video. I especially loved the shots of the grouper inside the shipwreck!!! So gorgeous 😍

[@dancing13kytn]

Oh wow. The up-close of the grouper's mouth and the cigar minnows is amazing.

[@debrataylor1813]

I saw a huge Goliath in the Bahamas that a diver knew stayed in the same area. He had been going there so long that if the grouper saw him it would swim over and he would feed it. Beautiful amazing creature

[@theresapepanio3819]

Wow, wow, wow😱😱😱 Huge thanks Sir Jonathan Bird's and to your team 😘😍 Iloveyou your chanel so much!

[@fishingtravelmusicandsport4002]

Fantastic! This is one of the biggest fish of our planet !

[@user-ho9cz7iq8z]

This clean, interesting and cool content is rare on KZbin now- ThErEyE ThE sIzE oF rEfRiGeRaToRs!

[@notq7123]

Finally, somebody actually showing underwater footage more than Me Me Me footage on deck. Too many think we click to see how amazing THEY are. subbed.

[@ryonichino1575]

This is so GREAT !! Thanks for having BlueWorld for the world to see what are under there.

[@gregoryedwards3467]

Thank you so much Jon for doing these. It gives me hope to see people like you and your team so invested in educating people about the beauty this world has. I can tell you love what you do, it gives me this Steve Irwin vibe. I wish you guys the best success and look forward to more of your videos!

[@learningwithtara6148]

Love to watch each and every show of blue world.. you are great sir. . by your eyes I'm and we are able to watch the beauty of nature.. thank you so much

[@BlueWorldTV]

Thank you so much 😀

[@glenstuart7823]

One of the best speices come back stories of the state of Florida

[@besmillahsharifi4607]

Unbelievable episode jonathan! That Goliath grouper was amazing!!!

[@BlueWorldTV]

Thanks!

[@conquer6347]

Everyone i am proud of us we get together to watch a truly beautiful channel

[@riproar11]

2:38 LOL! The way you growled "Goliath Grouperz!"

[@joshuashepherd37]

You are the best diver in the world serially

[@0oidiedinatimemachineo024]

I love these fish. They look like some old wise ancient fish to me lol

[@doreenhesterberg7144]

Hallo Jonathan, danke und wiedermal eine supergute Sendung! 👍🍀

[@shellmadeofbee]

This show series has made me want to become a scuba diver

[@miker6570]

Your not alone, me also.

[@Jack-je8zu]

it makes me to

[@ocean_dreamseeker]

I'm a scuba diver!

[@mentosbob1943]

Shell Made of Bee I am a scuba diver

[@samward2920]

Shell Made of Bee h

[@whoeverwhoever400]

Thank you John for risking your life diving down there so we have an opportunity to see the ocean world.

[@BlueWorldTV]

I don't know if I'm exactly risking my life, but you're welcome!

[@whoeverwhoever400]

Well, going deep is dangerous you know.

[@gonza-fish5280]

Nice video, wonderful views. Like

[@elaineb7065]

Sharky says one of those groupers would make a great sharky meal by himself!!! I just say wow, even though you didn't catch the spawning itself, the build-up was impressive!!! Also nice of the manta to say hi!!!

[@llaptoo]

Fantastic footage 😍😍😍

[@cl3ar]

I love your videos! I watch them all the time now. Thank you for filming such great footages.

[@shenlumpeng3503]

amazing.thanks blueworldtv big fan here👌

[@BlueWorldTV]

Thanks for watching!

[@shweyioo4839]

I wish i could hit like button a thousand times.

[@assasinooman1085]

Great series! I will spread the word to others! Keep up the good work!

[@robbinstaup7469]

That was soo cool ! Plus you got to see a Ray , Wow !

[@Indystv_26]

I once saw a baby grouper while diving, it was hanging on the rocks and making a "party" with jellyfish, there was alot of jellyfish on that part of the sea, i really liked to touched them, i was not shocked by the jellys, and i waved a goodbye for that one baby grouper then i saw a flounder, but it wasn't for that long because my dad pushed me really fast, i was so confused because i never saw that guy in my life, and now i know it was a flounder buth thought it was a monkfish, something i never knew i would ever see in my life :) Bro , i rocked this story B)

[@austinacmes]

This is without word magnificent to watch. This is what dreams look like. I once dove among the minnows so I can imagine what a great experience this could be. Just breathtakingly beautiful nature.

[@stevenphelps7929]

It needs to be more Sanctuary, where they can hide and less fish eggs are eaten by predators. I hope the organization will push to do a lot more work in that area. Love podcast and was very informational

[@BlueWorldTV]

The problem is that these fish (like most fish) are broadcast spawners. That means that the eggs scatter and float in the water for a few weeks before they settle down in a new home. This is how fish spread themselves around. While they are in the planktonic phase, they are eaten by a wide variety of animals, which of course depend on those eggs for food. So there is no way to really protect the eggs. Fortunately, in the ten years since we made this video, the protections have really worked and Goliath Groupers are are the rebound big time. It's one of the great success stories of the ocean.

[@pwrplnt1975]

People catch them all the time nowadays, catch and release and you can't take them out of the water. Awesome Content!!

[@vicentelopez443]

Now David and Goliath Had finally Meet to each other!

[@chamunorwasilasndari2667]

Wooow looking good ❤️that fish

[@riaruben5487]

Waiting for more of this

[@TzadikTheManic]

Fascinating footage, not to mention breathtaking to behold! Thank you 🙏🙏🙏

[@never2old-sd638]

I was just there last Sunday and saw a bunch of groupers , they were bigger than me 😂

[@nini9946]

this guy is so cheery its lovely

[@40footgiantowl]

what an amazing channel!!! i cant stop watching! thanks : )

[@sharimaepangog5538]

Their videos are all awesome..😍 i love it so much...

[@OceanPictures]

Groupers are very cool to see underwater, especially when theyre giant! Ive only ever seen two while diving

[@tinglesrosyrupeeland]

This is so cool!!!

[@hotenhitonokoe2848]

Wow Amazing

[@David-bc4rh]

When I was a kid, I heard a stoy about a man and an old giant grouper being best friends, just like Chito and Pocho the aligator. One day I suddently remembered this story and ventured to look up videos of grouper. This was my first JBBW video.

[@Nick-wx3fl]

My favorite Channel :)

[@scv9891]

Nice to see different fishes

[@SpaceStickwithSpaceTick]

I went on a dive once where the groupers loved to come out and hang out under the boat. Amazing experience. They sure are goliaths :).

[@Dr.Sky501]

I love this

[@coralpilled]

I know I'm a bit late to this video but I saw a seven foot Goliath grouper on my very first ocean dive. That was quite a sight! I thought it was part of the wreck at first lol

[@BlueWorldTV]

Great thing to see on any dive, but pretty awesome on your first. Now you are going to be spoiled! Ha!

[@RC-rj7nn]

Everytime I see Mantiray butting in in your videos I feel like they are the angels in the sea. So beautiful 😊

[@onionsnevercry4685]

probably my fav of your videos:) amaazing

[@sanaall3436]

Wow!

[@roryvonbrutt7302]

Re-watch awesome again..... and again ! ! !

[@earlandreiluisluis9231]

Intro Never Gets Old .. NC VIDEO I LIKE IT ONE DAY I'LL BE SWIMMING WITH YA YOUR SO COOL

[@chamathlasantha4787]

Continue the great work, truly wonderful

[@venkatakishor5496]

The best episode by u Jonathan😍 the most beautiful shooot its sooo attractive

[@AndrewWang.]

I started watching this when I was 4.

[@PatrickSeward35]

Go to Jupiter, Fl and dive threw Scuba Works dive shop. I saw a dozen in June while diving, they were just about everywere.

[@willbergie55]

Beautiful!

[@roryvonbrutt7302]

Wow just stumbled upon Mr. Bird the other day what I find thank you sir

[@glowiever]

they even eat small sharks wooo! pretty cool fish.

[@shaikhaleem1244]

Great ✌️✌️✌️

[@ErebusFOG]

I am SO happy that your reuploading in HD (as I am a bit of a graphics freak :p)

[@DANISHXxABRAMSx]

+Fan Of Gamez yea same i dont mind reuploads at all :)

[@dragon_slayer7919]

Me neither

[@rebruisinginart2419]

Fan Of Gamez you're*(as I'm bit of a grammar freak)

[@azfarabas7248]

truly majestic

[@dreia29]

David met Goliath. That was so cool.

[@mansor795]

Awesome

[@spicat16]

This is now a life goal! 😊

[@overtext]

wow awesome job guys! the cigar fish are mesmerizing! i really appreciate the government stepping in to save wildlife :)

[@miggyenjambre8735]

I love this video clip making me wish we have that kind of majestic creature over here...

[@Clambelly]

Incredible underwater videography

[@titosdiving2402]

So beautiful video

[@BlueWorldTV]

Thank you so much!

[@georgekoroneos3892]

Marvelous grouper ...came closely & just checking things out since its not entirely sure of the diver's intentions then quietly carried out on his business the view is spectacular just looking at it moving so slowly & it's so peaceful & I'm glad did work well the law of their protection & as we heard the population slowly but surely starting to come back & of course the government guarantee that nothing bad is going to happened ..

[@wavemaker2077]

With that many cigar fish, will there be any grouper egg left after laying them? Those cigar fish will gobble up all the grouper eggs with no problem.

[@carloszamora4969]

Grandioso video saludos desde Costa Rica!!

[@davidvonch8223]

The manta rays look like a sea angel.

[@Mariabatool786]

Very nice

[@aicelpolo49]

I love your channel ! Its amazing !♥️♥️♥️♥️

[@crazyking3765]

Nice ♥️♥️♥️♥️

[@shoanblevins922]

I'm watching and writing at same time! I'm amazed at these adorable big fish. And you can even touch them! Wow! That's a pretty Ray too. Do you ever get scared? I would! I'd try it, but it would be a lot different then watching it on my sofa. 😆

[@meeravalielchuri527]

Nice video

[@nikiniki3623]

Ur shows are extremely beautiful and so clean I just love ur show

[@CarlosDiezAquatics]

So every september there are some more of this majestic animals. That´s great!

[@BlueWorldTV]

+Carlos Díez Yes!

[@marianafigueroa40]

+BlueWorldTV Come to my house

[@noraloreto5822]

+BlueWorldTV y

[@philipmateotv7576]

Cant stop watching your videos sir

[@BlueWorldTV]

Glad you like them!

[@godfathermorningstar5704]

Amazing 😀😀😀

[@richdb3800]

Some amazing footage right there!

[@seashurjewelry]

Awesome!

[@mfcfish8079]

Those goliath groupers are beautiful!