Been around for a while but I still enjoy seeing this one.

So....I'm admittedly not an "ocean" guy. The extent of my ocean experience...other than flying over it....consists of playing in the surf with my kids. But would that fish eat a human if they were swimming around out there around the boat? I assume they would if the person were the size of that shark (or smaller)?

I was at Sea Center Texas down in Lake Jackson one time and got to see them feed that 300lb Grouper they have. For a bigass fish that just lazily meanders around that tank all day long it was shocking to see it jet up to the surface and hit its dinner so fast. I had to apologize to the family next to me afterwards because as it happened I blurted out, "Holy F***!!! Did yall see that?!?!" But it was pretty f'ing amazing to see an animal that big move that fast.

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But would that fish eat a human if they were swimming around out there around the boat? I assume they would if the person were the size of that shark (or smaller)?

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Do you really want to know the answer to that?

Odds are that the grouper followed the shark up to the surface. Grouper like that are lazy. Seriously they can be lazy lazy. The odds that one would swim to the surface to attack something of that size aren't too high. Assuming the water wasn't too deep and something (someone) was thrashing about (playing) at the surface it might come up to investigate what might sound like a wounded fish.

Honestly I trust shark more than I do grouper. I fish in the water all the time around shark. I regularly have them swim within 10 feet of me while I'm out in the surf. I promise you that if you have spent any amount of time in the surf you have had them swim that close too. That goes for pretty much all beaches that don't have shark nets around them.

There are tons of shark out in the water close to shore. When I fish for shark from the beaches I often times will make a drop 3-800 yards out but often times can catch them within casting distance from the shoreline (75-100 yards). Not trying to scare you but the shark are out there everywhere. In Florida we would catch decent sized ones around 7-9 feet within 20 yards from shore.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/07/30/goliath-grouper-attack_n_5632612.html

^ - Bingo

It happens fairly often actually to divers. You just rarely hear about it for some reason.

Oh and 3-400 pounds is just beginning reaching maturity. The one that attacked the diver was still fairly young. They get bigger.

Why wouldn't I want to know the answer?

I know of the shark world close to the shore and I'm not naive enough to think that there aren't any around.

I was honestly just curious because like it was said above, I've never heard of a grouper attack. Shark bites someone? It's regional news if not national. But never heard the grouper thing so thought I'd ask.

I was kidding about not wanting to know.

Yes they can and do attack but it isn't too often. Grouper are usually in areas that people aren't going to be swimming. Deeper areas and around structure.

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Shark bites someone? It's regional news if not national. But never heard the grouper thing so thought I'd ask.

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Because one is scarier looking than the other....







What you cant see though is all the teeth that the grouper actually has. They are of decent size and could
definitely do some damage if it were to bite you.

Grouper jaws....
Needless to say don't ever lip a grouper.

I saw a 6-7 foot grouper in the Everglades last year. The alligators and sharks didn't phase me, but seeing a monster grouper right next to the boat was unnerving. The thought of a stray tree branch knocking me overboard put me in my seat real fast.

Difference is that a goliath grouper has a ton of tiny little teeth, not big-ass sharp ones like a shark.

A grouper would drown you before you died of traumatic injury. Their teeth/mouth would be like taking a belt sander to your skin though.

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Difference is that a goliath grouper has a ton of tiny little teeth, not big-ass sharp ones like a shark.

A grouper would drown you before you died of traumatic injury. Their teeth/mouth would be like taking a belt sander to your skin though.

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Those teeth are much MUCH larger than they appear. I can assure you of this.

Easily half of the tooth or more is hidden under their gums.

I had my arm shredded years ago when one shook its head while I was trying to remove a hook. It just barely grazed my arm and still managed to leave quite a few decently deep cuts. The bite is way worse than taking a belt sander to your skin.

Traumatic injury? No. It can still mess you up a fair bit though.

There is a video of two young guys in FL I believe catching a massive grouper on a hand line (100-300lb test and a tow strap) they hooked him and then just walked him to the boat ramp and got in the water with him.

#dadjokes

Had a huge one run into my fin in cozumel. Charging a fish. Scared the hell out of me, and spun me around. He followed us around at night, used our lights to hunt by

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I'm man enough to say that the ocean scares the crap out of me.

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You got that right!

I fish the surf a lot in the summer and have been swimming in the ocean since I was a wee lad. There has always, always been a very distinct point where you get far enough from shore and your subconscious tells you that if you go any further you're gonna drop a rung or two on the food chain.

I know I've been in very close proximity to sharks on many occasions. Same with big-ass moray eels in coral reefs. None of them has ever truly scared me but there's always the thought in the back of your mind (or depending on how big & close that shark is, right at the front) that you're taking a risk and need to be cautious.

Groupers don't scare me.

Sharks generally don't scare me, although I'm not gonna be surf fishing waist deep in waters where I know there are bull sharks, and I'd just as soon avoid a tiger shark if I had the choice.

Barracuda - the big ones - on the other hand, freak me right the hell out.

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Groupers don't scare me.

Sharks generally don't scare me, although I'm not gonna be surf fishing waist deep in waters where I know there are bull sharks, and I'd just as soon avoid a tiger shark if I had the choice.

Barracuda - the big ones - on the other hand, freak me right the hell out.

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If you're wading the surf damn near anywhere in the world bull sharks will be there.

And even though I know they're not usually aggressive I don't care to be in a kayak around gators in deep water. That skeeves me out.

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Groupers don't scare me.

Sharks generally don't scare me, although I'm not gonna be surf fishing waist deep in waters where I know there are bull sharks, and I'd just as soon avoid a tiger shark if I had the choice.

Barracuda - the big ones - on the other hand, freak me right the hell out.

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That would be everywhere along the coast and 10-50+ miles up most rivers that touch the gulf or bays here in Texas.

Exactly. Which is why I fish in a boat or from the shore, as God intended for me to do.

Tagguy is exactly right.

There was a good sized bull shark caught behind the Lake Livingston dam a few years back. I think it was 50 lbs. They pulled it up on a sand bar before the line was snapped.

I have read of them being caught by commercial fishermen on the Mississippi as far north as St. Louis.