Stone
Contributor
I took my boat out for the first time since returning from Key Largo and Pompano Beach. Although my local reefs and wrecks cant compare with south Floridas, I was looking forward to spearing a couple of snapper or triggerfish. We came up empty on the first dive (liberty ship in 80 fsw), but on the second dive (barge in 70 fsw), a baby goliath grouper (3 ft and 50? lbs) swam out to meet me and proceeded to tag along everywhere I went. . . under the bow, over the top, and under the stern. Just as we were about to ascend, my buddy (the diver, not the grouper) speared a triggerfish. As we swam off the wreck to the anchor line, the grouper tagged along. My buddy pulled the fish off his stringer and gave it to the grouper. Its always an amazing sight when a groupers jaws pop out of his head to grab a fish!
We had one more surprise just as we were getting back on the boat. I was standing on the dive platform waiting for my buddy to hand me up his fins when he poked his head out of the water and said there were baby sharks under the boat. I figured no big deal until he told me I ought to put my mask back on and get in. What we saw were at least 20 young reef sharks (2.5 to 3 feet) swimming to and fro about 20 feet below the boat. For about 5 minutes, we watched them circle and take turns swimming up to investigate us.
No fish for the dinner plate, but a nice afternoon of diving.
We had one more surprise just as we were getting back on the boat. I was standing on the dive platform waiting for my buddy to hand me up his fins when he poked his head out of the water and said there were baby sharks under the boat. I figured no big deal until he told me I ought to put my mask back on and get in. What we saw were at least 20 young reef sharks (2.5 to 3 feet) swimming to and fro about 20 feet below the boat. For about 5 minutes, we watched them circle and take turns swimming up to investigate us.
No fish for the dinner plate, but a nice afternoon of diving.
