Nassau Grouper’s Hiding Place
While this young Nassau Grouper thought it was in a narrow hiding place, the fish was quite visible to us as we finned by. I had never seen a grouper use a gorgonian coral as camouflage before, and when I swam around to get a face shot, it backed out and exited stage right. Still, it gave me a careful look before deciding to leave!
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LargeSelf 
What a cutie! I would have tried for a grouper hug! 🙂
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He is such a cutie, Jennifer. And a grouper hug would be great! Interestingly, we encountered Nassau groupers in Little Cayman last year who loved getting hugs! They were very tame and liked being petted. The only downside was that I noticed that my hands smelled very fishy when I got back on the boat…
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Oh well, you know what they say – smelly hands, warm heart. Or something. 😉
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LOL!
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He looks quite at home in his seemingly protected environment. Good pick for the theme!
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Thank you, Frank. I had never seen a grouper do that before. It certainly made for an interesting shot.
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Cathy, I think that might have been the first grouper I’ve ever seen up close and personal that wasn’t on a plate alongside some rice pilaf and mixed vegetables. Handsome critter!
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They are very handsome and seem quite intelligent. This particular species was fished almost to extinction, V. and it’s so great to see them coming back. We saw many of them in the Caymans last fall. I love the coloring and striping patterns on the Nassau Grouper.
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[…] LargeSelf Weekly Photo Challenge – Narrow […]
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So beautiful to see a grouper in its natural habitat. A few decades ago, I worked on some tourist fishing boats in Florida and the Bahamas and saw many grouper on the end of fishing lines. The largest was a 60 lb. black grouper. The smallest, a strawberry.
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The Nassau Grouper was fished almost to extinction a few years ago, Susan, and fortunately they are now coming back. It’s really exciting to see them in their natural environment. We saw quite a few in the Caymans last fall and they were downright friendly. They liked being petted and followed us around on the reefs like dogs!
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Underwater creatures are fascinating via your lens. Thank you so much for sharing your adventure and educating us the beauty of these creatures. 🙂
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Thank you, Amy! I feel blessed to have a worldwide platform on which to share my adventures. And to be able to see the world through your lens, my friend!
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Wow! It’s hard to believe these colors and patterns are real, Cathy; they are so mod 70s! (which of course is dating me 😉 ) You see groupers in some Disney movies, but how wonderful to see them in the wild! You know I love your photos; this is just fabulous!
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Hey Dawn! This was one of my favorite shots from our Roatan trip in June. I thought this guy was so cute! Thanks so much for checking in – I’ve been really busy with the kitchen remodel and it’s almost done! And I know you’ve been really busy this summer too. So nice to hear from you!
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