Located approximately one mile off shore near Pompano Beach, Florida, lie two wrecks in close proximity to one another. The Sea Emperor and the United Caribbean share much of the same sea life: hundreds of varieties of fish, moray eels, and the occasional nurse shark. Another thing they have in common are resident goliath grouper. Because I live locally, I dive these wrecks approximately twice a week. I recently had an encounter that seemed to have sparked a connection with a certain goliath grouper.

I was diving with my camera set up for wide-angle images. I tooled around the Sea Emperor for a few minutes and I happened to see a grouper nestled toward the bottom of the wreck, just peeking out enough for me to get a good picture (I hoped). I steadied my camera and clicked, expecting to hear a loud bark and for my subject to retreat into the wreck. Instead, he swam slowly toward me, seemingly interested in my camera. At first I was stunned, the sheer excitement of the moment overshadowing my awareness that I had my camera. I came quickly back to reality, and I was just hoping to capture a fleeting dive moment others may not be so quick to believe. That wasn’t what happened! The gentle giant continued to follow me as I swam backward, even pulling my dome back to keep him from nudging it. I was lucky enough to spend almost 10 minutes and get several amazing shots.

Since that occurrence, I’ve encountered the same grouper on several dives. He’s very docile and curious, allowing some divers to hover near the sand with him (never making contact). The grouper never puts on a “threat display” of barking, shaking, or opening his mouth wide as if he feels in danger. His eyes follow the diver’s eyes and for a brief moment — as he did with me — he gives the thrill of a lifetime.

Craig Dietrich is the photo pro for Pompano Dive Center.