Goliath Groupers off of Jupiter

This past weekend I went on a dive trip to Jupiter, FL to see the migration of the goliath groupers. These gigantic fish migrate to their spawning grounds from August to October and the waters off of Jupiter are a known hot spot.

So with the Orlando Reef Divers we traveled down for what should have been two days of great diving with these fantastic beasts. As we were driving down on Saturday morning we were informed that the afternoon dives were canceled due to rough seas. This was very disheartening. So the rest of Saturday was spent around the Jupiter area killing time.

Come Sunday though we were able to get aboard the Republic VII at the Jupiter Dive Center with Captain Tim at the helm assisted by Troy and Brandon (or dive guide). Our first stop with a small wreck, MG 111, where we encountered our first schools of these giant fish.

Our second destination was a trio of wrecks called the Zion Train (or the Wreck Trek). The current was rather strong but we were able to hit the first two wrecks with little effort. At one point right after I got to the second wreck I was blown off of it and I slowly drifted off from the rest of the group. When the rest of the group finally left the second wreck I could barely make out their shapes but they caught up to me quickly. At that point the dive guide signaled that we would surface as we weren’t going to hit the third wreck. I was fine with that as going against the current was burning through my air.

But that was when the real fun began. As we started our ascent we were joined by two (so say three) very friendly lemon sharks and their entourage of remoras. It was a little bit harrowing as these sharks had zero fear of humans as they have probably been fed for years. They were really good models though.

I also took some videos and posted them on Youtube.