While the rest of Florida gets ready for school to begin, divers grab their cameras and begin planning their Goliath Grouper aggregation dives! Each year, between August and September, Goliath Groupers migrate in by the hundreds to spawn around the wrecks and reefs surrounding Palm Beach County. South Florida is a special place for these fish, as this is the last known aggregation site for this species.
Experience the excitement firsthand with us! We have trips planned to our beautiful local reefs and wrecks throughout the month of August to get you up close, swimming among huge schools of these magnificent fish.
Sat, Aug 18 – 1:30 PM Departure
Thurs, Sept 13 – 10 AM Departure
Special Charter: 1-Tank Full Moon Goliath Grouper Night Dive
Sat, Aug 25 – 7:30 PM Departure
Dive depths range between 70 – 100 feet, depending on the location. To book your space aboard any of the upcoming charters, click here or contact us at 561-840-8750 or info.pvd@puravidadivers.com.
Learn more about Goliath Grouper:
Growing up to 8ft long, and weighing around 400 lbs, Goliath Groupers are the gentle giants of the sea. Goliaths primarily feed on crustaceans, but they’ve been known to steal an opportunistic meal from an unsuspecting angler or diver, especially during mating aggregations. Historically, fishermen loved to catch Goliath Grouper as they were considered to be of fine food quality. However, research now shows that the flesh of Goliath Grouper is too high in mercury content to be edible to humans. Even juvenile fish are demonstrating levels too high for consumption.
Because they are relatively curious fish and unafraid of divers, they are easily harvested, especially around aggregation time. This led to a severe decline worldwide in the goliath grouper population. To attempt a population recovery, a harvest ban was put into place in 1990 in Florida, in 1993 in the Caribbean, and is still in effect. The goliath grouper is considered critically endangered by the IUCN and a long recovery time is suspected as these fish exhibit slow growth rates.
So what does that mean for divers in Palm Beach County? We celebrate the season of the goliath by photographing and diving with them as often as we can. We look forward to celebrating the return of the Goliath Groupers with you!
