Bjorn Vang Jensen wrote:

> GROPER ATTACKS YONGALA DIVER - Giant fish grabs tourist by the head . . .
> A GIANT groper clamped its mouth around the head of a scuba diver at
> theYongala wreck off Townsville, leaving him with cuts to his cheeks, neck
> and shoulders . . . Mr Schiller said. But opinion is mixed on whether
groper should be
> considered dangerous to humans . . . A DPI website says Epinephelus
lanceolatus or the
> Queensland groper are curious but not dangerous and "will not attack
unprovoked" . . . . > Groper were considered by some to be gentle giants,
although Torres Strait
> Islanders considered them more dangerous than sharks. Mr Mayne believed
this
> was the first non-provoked attack by a Queensland groper.

Since everyone came out of this OK, I think it's OK to express my amusement
at the thought of someone sticking out of the mouth of a grouper.  I would
be willing to bet (might lose, but I think it's a good bet) that the grouper
in question had been fed.

Here in S. Florida, Jewfish, now know as Goliath Grouper, are considered a
significant risk to spearfishermen.  They are large enough to cause some
real damage and, at least partly because they have been protected for so
long, have little fear of humans.  A spearfisherman needs to be careful how
he carrys his catch when there's a Jewfish in the area.  There have been a
few reported cases of injury by Grouper, but not many.  The majority, by
far, have been cases where a Grouper that was being hand fed tried to take a
bit more than was intended.

Lee