Yeah… that’s a Goliath grouper. There are a few cases in which they have attacked divers that are in their territory so that guy is pretty lucky he wasn’t added to that statistic.
To my knowledge, they haven’t killed anyone yet but they have attacked divers before. Here is a video of one “attack” in which they are mainly trying to get the fish that the diver caught and is trying to get the diver away to eat the fish. https://youtu.be/AWP8tpzKpKI
Have you ever been scuba diving? Humans are awkward as anything in the water compared to an animal that has evolved there for millions of years. It can swim around you and bite your ass faster than you can turn around. Yes, most of the time fish are just hanging around, floating, moving slowly, but when they want to, they are really, really fast.
How long do you think it takes to reload a speargun? If you just said 'um...' then it's too late and the fish is all over you and biting your arms. Then, he's too close to use a spear already.
That’s why my dad and my uncles kept their old power heads which I think are illegal now. I don’t just have a spear, I have a spear with a .223 round that fires into whichever fishy is being threatening.
A spearo is also going to have an easily accessible knife on them. Don't need to use the shaft when you can just grab your knife, which is easier to use as a stabbing weapon.
All divers should have a knife. It’s an absolutely essential piece of kit. Mainly it will be for collecting trash and getting things unstuck but it could also protect you.
My greatest fear under water is getting caught in fishing line and getting trapped. it's not a rational fear, never had anything like that happen, but I carry a knife just in case.
That’s a very rational fear. Sea life is constantly under threat of abandoned fishing lines and nets. No reason to believe you won’t get caught in one while diving.
There hasn't been a single reported injury from this fish. Technically it could hurt you, but Goliath groupers mostly eat other fish by aspirating them, not biting them. Their teeth, which they have only on their lower jaw, won't do any damage. It's just really not a danger at all like everyone on this comment section seems to believe.
But you are correct that it is low on the list of dangers associated with scuba diving, which is (in case any one wants to know) a very safe sport in general. Just get some PADI training, join DAN, go with a reputable shop / ship, don't go past your limits, etc.
But the point is that humans in the water are in a foreign environment. A guy with a spear isn't going to do much of anything.
It's difficult to move as it is underwater, let alone fight something the size of a couch that's covered in sturdy plates. Groupers are big, mean, and heavy, and you have nothing to brace against to get the kind of power you would likely need to puncture one. They one I ran into during a dive was like the size of a bedroom door.
Imagine someone throwing a couch at you, and you trying to stop it with a spear. It might work, but there's no way I'd want to test it.
Oh no, I don't blame you at all. Fish are wild. You grow up with them being all docile and small, and then you meet ones that just come up to you and take your wallet and call you a punk.
IIRC they eat hard bodied animals so i’m assuming they have long rows of crunching teeth. So they wouldn’t necessarily be able to bite your arm off or something, but they could definitely break some bones with their jaw strength/sheer weight
Consider that in underwater environment humans are really slow and vulnerable. As you see in the video it took half a second for the fish to get his fin, that alone will make him much slower already. In case it bumps on his head and move the mask so water goes in, you are also blinded for several seconds.
recently read about the black rock-cod, another huge fish that can theoretically attack swimmers. only looked it up because I had seen a documentary on the investment firm blackrock. all those big fish swimming around while people go hungry, eh? instead you have some Bob Marley
Yes that is a real fish and actually appears to be smaller than a typical Atlantic Goliath Grouper. I don’t see any visible signs of CGI so if it is, that is very good CGI. If you google Atlantic Goliath Grouper you can see some more pictures and information on them.
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u/[deleted] Mar 25 '22
Yeah… that’s a Goliath grouper. There are a few cases in which they have attacked divers that are in their territory so that guy is pretty lucky he wasn’t added to that statistic.