One of my most memorable fish stories dates back more than 15 years when Jill and I visited Australia’s Great Barrier Reef.
We dropped in on the popular Cod Hole dive site, home to an enormous grouper species known by locals as the ‘Potato Cod’.*
By the time we visited, hand-feeding by dive guides wasn’t allowed, but these 200 lb behemoths were still used to having scuba divers around. They’d follow you hoping you’d have a treat in your pocket and even lie on the sand like huge puppy dogs!
However after dark they were out and about, very active as we found out during a night dive at Cod Hole. The dive guide warned us not to shine our flashlights** too long on any fish life otherwise we were lighting up dinner for these guys.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, I thought! Typical Australian exaggeration.
I got down and moments after lighting up the first fish I see, I got shoved aside. A giant cod that seemed the size of a VW beetle rushed in and snapped it up. I was sent flying underwater.
I learned my lesson. The rest of the night dive I was aware of a presence behind me and a quick glance and flash would confirm one of these giants right behind me. A bit unnerving.
Here in Key Largo, we like to say that all the fish you see on Lucky Fish Scuba charters are ‘lucky fish’ because we only look and photograph. No fishing or spearing from our boat!
One of those lucky fish is a cousin to the Australian potato cod : the Western Atlantic Goliath grouper. Topping out over 8ft long and up to 800lbs, it’s the biggest fish on our Florida reef.
Jill’s most memorable encounter with this big fish came in June 2019 when she was working on her Divemaster course.
We were out at Key Largo’s Horseshoe Reef for a quick ‘search and recovery training dive’. While looking for the fake Rolex watch that I always throws overboard for these exercises, she ended up stumbling across a very large Goliath Grouper instead!!
Sadly, we haven’t seen that big guy in over a year.
But in recent months, Divemaster Stephanie has enjoyed checking in on the progress of a strapping young juvenile at one of our favorite dive sites.
Even as a youngster, it’s one of the biggest fish we can show you on the reef.
And the loss of even one of them leaves a big hole in the habitat.
Decades of overfishing almost caused the Goliath Grouper to go extinct. After an official designation as a vulnerable species, harvest and possession have been prohibited in Florida since 1990. The Goliath grouper population does seem to have grown, but scientists still have a lot of questions to answer before declaring that they’re out of the woods.
Unfortunately, last year the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), the controlling body for fisheries in Florida decided to move toward allowing a ‘limited harvest’ of the Goliath Grouper.
You can read more about that decision, and access important research carried out by our friends at REEF using data collected by divers across the state here.
This month FWC will hold online workshops to review the proposed draft rules for fishing for Goliath grouper. Up to 200 fish per year are at risk (including from the Everglades National Park !!!) if these rules are adopted.
Won’t you join us in participating in one of the workshops on January 11 or 13 or submit a comment?
Click here to get the meeting and comment links from DEMA, which represents the scuba diving industry — including a sample letter you can adapt with your own fish story.
Let’s help this big fish get away!
*’Potato’ because that’s what their spots look like. ‘Cod’ because…?
** Or torches as they are known to English speakers
– Theresa N.Oh my gosh! What a perfect day for a very very special occasion…a surprise, underwater proposal. They showed us a beautiful, private dive spot and made sure that the proposal went off without a hitch. The videos are perfect. Jill, Glen, and Stephanie, thank you. Thank you. Thank you!
– Em S.What an awesome time!!!! Every year for my birthday, I look for different things to do with my friends. This year, it was a sunset cruise, which far surpasses a dinner at yet another restaurant. … A plus is their actual head (toilet) aboard. Their cat is a perfect size for 6 passengers. It is well appointed, spotless and very stable. Highest praise for Jill, Glenn and Suzy!
– VijaiOMG. To be honest I booked this charter because the boat had a full functional bathroom. Luckily, I never needed it. … The boat was beautiful and immaculate. The little detail that was actually quite useful and made us all very comfortable was the fresh water shower after each dive. We got back to the dock feeling refreshed and not sticky and gross. Jill was responsive in following up with my initial inquiry and follow up confirmations etc. the dive sites were quite impressive. Overall an amazing experience and won’t be our last.
– Lance HLucky Fish Scuba is a top notch diving operation, very professional, and so much fun! Glenn & Jill made had everything prepared and ready when we arrived. Once we arrived at the dive spot, they were very helpful explaining where we would go, what we would see, and then proceeded to guide us through the dive. Since this was our first time diving in Key Largo, having a dive master guide us was very comforting. In between dives, they provided drinks and snacks. The boat is perfect for small groups and very comfy and it has a head if needed. In addition, Jill provided us with a short video of our dive a few days later. We loved it! This biz is a gem amongst all other dive operations in the Keys. You will not be disappointed booking here. We can’t wait to go back!
– Jose B.Lucky Fish Scuba is where you need to go in Key Largo! Both Glenn and Jill are extremely professional, courteous, and fun. They will keep you laughing throughout the trip while always being very attentive to your needs. The boat is super comfortable and they are able to make a customized plan according to what you want.
– Heather PHIGHLY recommend. 5 stars isn’t enough Took my 11 year old daughter diving. Jill and Glen are amazing- a hidden gem. They are extremely personable, the boat is phenomenal, and the level of customer service is top notch. Worth every penny. They will be my go to scuba diving resource from now on. And they are super kid friendly Thanks Jill and Glen we had an amazing time.
– David TWorth every penny. Great tour and super friendly and knew all the right dive spots. Look no further. Also took amazing photos for us.
– Linda KInclement weather in Marathon Key did us a great favor. Our trip with Lucky Fish Scuba in Key Largo surpassed anything we could have imagined…