Incredible Underwater Encounters - Goliath Grouper, Reef Life & Ocean Camouflage

Meet Jonathan Bird, one of the world's top underwater nature cinematographers. Traveling the world on assignment for all the major networks, he is an Emmy Award winning authority on the underwater world. In freshwater or salt, reefs, wrecks or caves, Jonathan documents the world beneath the waves. To the Blue World. Goliath groupers. They are among the largest reef fish in the world. They used to be common throughout the Caribbean, but then their numbers started to plummet in the 1980s. That's because everybody wants to catch an 800 pound fish. So pretty soon, the Goliath grouper had been fished almost to extinction. In 1990, the U.S. government had to take drastic measures to protect these fish, so they passed a law that banned all fishing of Goliath groupers. Now, 19 years later, they are making a remarkable comeback. The Goliath grouper is still very rare. In fact, most divers have never even seen one. David Dubele, the world famous National Geographic magazine photographer, has invited me to join him and his wife Jen Hayes, who is also his photo assistant, on a Goliath grouper filming expedition. How could I turn down an invitation like that? So I head down to beautiful West Palm Beach, Florida in September on a mission to see one of these magnificent fish in person. We board the Shearwater, a large dive boat that will be our base of operations for a week. I'm really excited as we pull away from the dock. Captain Jim Abernathy is taking us to a shipwreck where the groupers are known to hide. It's not far from the sprawling coastline of West Palm Beach. Since it's only a 10 minute ride to the first shipwreck where we'll be looking for Goliath groupers, I get right to work putting my gear together. This is great. We're going to go find some Goliath groupers. Maybe they'll be bigger than me, which isn't really that hard actually. We've arrived at the wreck of the Mitzpah, which sits on the seafloor 80 feet below. The question is, are there any Goliath groupers down there? Let's go find out! After I get in, David and Jen follow with their still cameras. My cameraman Pierre and I start descending to the wreck. Once we hit the bottom, Pierre and I will stay out of David and Jen's way. We're greeted by a very strong current. I can barely hold my place in the sand. We struggle to make our way to the wreck where the Goliath groupers like to hang out. Shipwrecks are magnets for fish. That's because they provide a great place for fish to hide and rest on what might otherwise be a very flat, featureless seafloor. The shipwrecks off the east coast of Florida have become some of the best places to find Goliath groupers, but a typical shipwreck only has one or two of them hanging around. Things are different here in September. That's when the Goliath groupers get together in large numbers to spawn. We're thrilled to find some big Goliath groupers. David is getting up close and personal with some big fish. And it looks like he's getting some good pictures too. The groupers don't like the current much either, so they hide behind the wreck, the same way one might hide behind a large object to get out of the wind. An even better place to hide is inside the wreck. I make my way over to a doorway to have a peek into the dark interior. I can see a couple Goliath groupers in there. I swim inside to see if I can get some closer shots. They tolerate my presence until I get a little too close, then they swim away, spooked by a diver in such close quarters with them. But outside, they let me get really close. These groupers are surrounded by little silvery fish called cigar minnows. The minnows might look like they are hiding out of the current, but they are really aggregating close to the groupers. What could they be up to? The Goliath groupers look like they are just hanging out, but they are waiting for something, just like the cigar minnows. Later, when the current relaxes, dozens of groupers are gathering together in the water column above the wreck. What's going on? It's the mating season, and these fish are preparing to spawn, probably at dusk or after sunset. Unfortunately, I'm low on air and I need to head back to the surface. Pierre and I do a safety stop on the anchor line as we eagerly anticipate the next dive. That is incredible! Those fish are so huge! They're like the size of refrigerators! Unbelievable! As the massive fish gather into groups for their evening spawning, I'm up above getting ready. I hope I don't miss anything. These fish only spawn once a year, in September, during the full moon, at dusk, and they only do it for maybe one or two nights. We know they spawned last night, so this might be my last chance to film this. So as the sun gets low in the sky, Pierre and I jump back into the water. We head back down to the wreck. The Goliath groupers are all around the wreck in abundance. These groupers are so large that they don't need to worry about too many predators. With almost no current now, they head away from the protection of the wreck into open water. Clouds of cigar minnows stick to the groupers like glue, eagerly anticipating millions of delicious eggs that the groupers will release when they spawn. The medium-sized fish, called jacks, make runs at the cigar minnows to see if they can catch a meal. David is caught up in the action, photographing the cigar minnows surrounding the groupers. I keep looking for any kind of mating activity, but something totally unexpected catches my eye. It's a manta ray swimming among the groupers! I move in for a shot of the ray, but it doesn't seem afraid of me. I have to believe it's no coincidence that a manta has shown up here. Mantas are filter feeders and this one is probably hoping to join the cigar minnows and feed on some grouper eggs. The manta seems intrigued by our video lights and she keeps coming over to me. So I put my camera down and give her a little belly rub. And then the manta swings around and says hi to Pierre. What a thrill for both of us! Any dive with a manta ray and fish the size of refrigerators is definitely a good day at the office. Mantas are awesome, but I need to keep my attention and my camera focused on the big groupers so I don't miss anything. The cigar minnows are crowding in even tighter to the groupers. You can hardly even tell there is a big fish in the middle of all that! It's an amazing spectacle to observe. These enormous fish would make Michael Jordan feel small, and the cigar minnows are just magical to watch. We see a lot of what looks like cording, but no spawning. Maybe the groupers are more bothered by our presence than they let on. Or maybe they are just waiting until dark. But as it gets later and later, we are running out of light and air. Reluctantly, Pierre and I must head back to the surface. It looks like the spawning will happen later in the evening, and I'll miss it. Back aboard the boat, David and Jan are looking at their shots. Even though we didn't see the actual spawning, the dive was still well worth the effort. That was an incredible experience. Those fish are just majestic, covered with all those beautiful fish. We didn't actually see the spawning event. Not sure if they are maybe doing it now, but we finally had to come up. We ran out of time and it was really dark, but unbelievable. That was something I will never forget. The Goliath grouper is a spectacular example of successful marine conservation. This vulnerable fish was pushed to the very brink of extinction, but was saved at the last minute by laws to protect them. In less than 20 years, they have made a strong comeback. And although their population has not yet fully recovered, they are well on their way. The Great Barrier Reef. It's probably the most famous reef in the world, and the largest. It's not just visible from the air, but from space. You know it's hard to believe, I've been diving for over 20 years and I've never seen the Great Barrier Reef in Australia. But today I've made it all the way to Cairns, and I'm going to get my chance. Cairns is a city in Queensland, the northeast state of Australia. The Great Barrier Reef runs 1,600 miles along the coast of Queensland. It's made of millions of interconnected coral heads, forming the world's largest structure made by living organisms. To see the whole thing, you need to get pretty high up. This satellite image was made from 400 miles above the ocean. You can see the reef just offshore. For my first encounter on the Great Barrier Reef, I'll be making the trip out on a big catamaran operated by Sunlover Cruises. The crew unties the boat and I enjoy the scenery as we head offshore. 90 minutes later, I arrive at the Sunlover pontoon. I have never seen a dive operation like this before. The boat is huge, but we don't dive from the boat. Instead, we dock at this massive pontoon, sort of like a floating dive shop, and spend the day right next to the reef in a protected spot. Pure luxury! Time to check out the facilities. You don't have to be a scuba diver to enjoy the Great Barrier Reef. The reef is so shallow, you can snorkel! A lot of people who don't dive love to come out and get a first-hand look at the reef here. The water is clear and it's not too deep. But even people who don't like to get wet can see the reef on a submarine! Well I'll tell you what, this is the easy way to see the underwater world right here. Just relax, sit back, have a drink, watch the fish go by. And for a diving experience unlike any other, anyone can try the Sea Walker experience. All you need is a 40 pound helmet. I walk down the stairs into the water and the staff outfits me with the strangest piece of dive gear I've ever used. With no fins on, I just walk out to a massive school of fish. My hair doesn't even get wet. This is incredible! They've got about a thousand fish around here! I feel like Dr. Sylvia Earle, a deep sea diver. This is a very different way to go scuba diving. And this just goes to show you, if you don't want to wear a mask, and you don't wear a regulator, and maybe you can't even swim that well, you can do this! It's just like walking! You know, I've had a lot of water, and this is definitely one of the most unique. To demonstrate how this helmet works, I have an ordinary water glass, which obviously is full of water. But if I turn it upside down, I can fill it with air. And now you can see that it keeps that up. So we don't want to turn this right side up. I pose for a picture because you never know when you're going to get to do this again. Next, I meet Vance Fahey, who will be my divemaster for a scuba dive on the reef today. I can't wait, let's get suited up! Get right into it! Let's do it! Not only do I have a nice easy staircase to walk right down into the water, but a platform for putting on my fins. I can get used to this! On the platform is a group of new divers getting their first taste of the underwater world. At last I head out onto the reef to explore. I see many types of hard corals, beautiful pastel colored soft corals, and lots of fan corals. Near the reef I find one of the largest giant clams I've ever seen. I can't imagine how much this clam must weigh! The mantle gets its bright colors from embedded symbiotic algae that harvest the sun's rays for energy. I find a huge crack in the reef and have a little fun swimming through it. On the other end, I'm greeted by a sea turtle. She comes right over. There are lots of divers around this reef, and this turtle knows that the divers won't hurt her. Once she has decided that I'm not doing anything terribly interesting, she goes back to looking for her favorite sponges to eat. I turn and head back towards the platform across the shallow reef. At the platform I'm greeted by a friendly moray wrasse. This monster of a fish reaches both the length and the weight of a motorcycle. I'm just glad they prefer to eat crustaceans and mollusks, not divers. I think I've made a new friend. Unfortunately I'm low on air and it's time to head back to my habitat up above. As we head back to the dock, I reflect on a fun-filled day. It's amazing how many things I did in one day on the reef. Well, I finally did it. I got to see the Great Barrier Reef. And I discovered that of all the reefs I've visited, and let me tell you, that's a lot of reefs, the Great Barrier Reef is probably the most accessible for everybody, from certified divers all the way to people that don't even like to swim. There's something for every age and experience level out here on the Barrier Reef. Don't go away, Jonathan is about to find some of the most amazingly camouflaged animals in the sea. On a reef in the Pacific, a group of yellow-tailed blue damselfish hide near the coral, ready to duck into a hole at any moment. Between them all, watching and not moving a muscle, is a scorpionfish. His perfect camouflage is the result of skin that can change color to match the surroundings. The only thing that gives him away is the slight movement of his gills as he breathes. He's watching the damselfish. They are blissfully unaware of his presence. Soon, a damselfish comes too close. The scorpionfish is so confident in its camouflage that almost nothing can frighten it. Many animals in the ocean rely upon camouflage to hunt their prey, or to avoid being eaten. This crocodilefish is so well camouflaged that divers rarely notice them. Even its eye has camouflage because a round black pupil would give it away. Like the crocodilefish, the frogfish is an ambush predator that hides using camouflage to look like a sponge with algae growing on it. It doesn't swim very much. Instead, it walks on its foot-like fins. It moves slowly so it doesn't give itself away. The frogfish is watching a group of tiny antheus waiting for one to come close enough to eat. The frogfish hasn't eaten in days, but no matter how hungry she is, she must wait patiently for prey to come to her. She watches and waits. It may be hours before she gets a meal. Later, as the sun sets, she is still waiting in the shadows, practically invisible to the antheus. A frogfish has the fastest mouth on the reef. It can open its mouth so fast that it slurps up a fish in less than 1 60th of a second. That's literally the blink of an eye. Even in slow motion, the gulp is barely visible. Her camouflage has really paid off. Although sometimes camouflage is about blending into the bottom, other times a creature evolves to mimic another creature. This is called mimicry. Come check out this fish! On an Indonesian reef, I find a beautiful pink sea fan. At first glance, you would never suspect that it has tiny inhabitants. But closer inspection reveals a seahorse, no larger than my fingernail. It's a pygmy seahorse. The color and knobby bumps on the pygmy seahorse's skin perfectly mimic the appearance of the sea fan where it lives. A classic example of mimicry. They are only visible if they move. These animals live their entire lives in safety because they are nearly invisible to predators, and they never have to leave the safety of the sea fan because they feed on plankton drifting right by their home. Out on the sand, away from the reef, a pair of what are apparently leaves drift down current. But upon closer inspection, they are not leaves at all. They just look like them. They are robust ghost pipefish, mimicking harmless drifting leaves so they can float up and pluck shrimp from the bottom. The robust ghost pipefish almost perfectly mimics a piece of eelgrass. Its relative, the ornate ghost pipefish, has taken a different approach to camouflage. It mimics the appearance of a harmless and not very tasty feather star. This fish is a poor swimmer, but it doesn't have to swim well because potential predators just don't see it. The sandy seafloor has a surprising number of animals that hide by blending in, and few do it as well as the flounder. Except for its breathing, this flat fish is nearly invisible. With a quick rippling of its body, this flounder puts a thin layer of sand over itself and vanishes. Of course, blending into the bottom is one thing, but what about animals that live up in the water column? Can they be camouflaged too? Absolutely. Many open ocean fish are silvery in color. Why? So they reflect the color of the water around them. It doesn't make them invisible, but a lot harder to see, especially from further away. Many sharks have a form of camouflage known as countershading. The underside of a shark is white, while the top of the shark is darker. When seen from below, the shark's lighter coloring underneath helps it blend in with the lighter water above. When viewed from above, the darker dorsal surface of the shark makes it blend into the darker water below. Pretty clever, huh? Some animals have coloration that makes them stand out instead of blend in. For many fish, the brighter the coloration, the easier it is to attract a mate. And it would seem that finding a mate is more important for these king angelfish than avoiding predators. A regal angelfish takes this coloration to an extreme. This fish wants to be noticed. This long-nosed butterflyfish has a clever adaptation of color to help confuse predators. There is a black dot at the base of its tail called a false eye spot. Its real eye is obscured by dark coloration running right through it. This is meant to confuse predators. The nudibranch, also called a sea slug, has bright coloration that scientists call aposematic. These animals are basically snails without a shell. They might look like a tasty and defenseless little snack for a passing fish, but in fact many nudibranchs secrete a toxic acid that makes them inedible to virtually anything on the reef. Its bright aposematic coloration is a warning to potential predators that says, I don't taste good. Perhaps the most incredible coloration possessed by a sea creature is that of the octopus. An octopus can change colors. This octopus is moving from reef to rubble to sand. It changes color and skin patterns as it goes to blend in. There are almost as many camouflage and color schemes in the ocean as there are fish in the sea. I'm always amazed by the things I observe in the blue world, and fortunately, I get to see this stuff even though I'm not very camouflaged at all.