Shock as diver drops a GoPro on a deep shipwreck in the dead of the night and “the big fish found it”

The depths of the ocean floor holds many secrets, especially after dark, and scuba diver, filmmaker Barny Dillarstone has made it his mission to discover them.

Last month he dropped a GoPro on a deep shipwreck in Indonesia overnight to see what fascinating sea creatures patrolled the wreck when nobody is watching.

“We added some bait to draw in the big fish,” he explains on YouTube, “and dropped in the camera in a shallow cave, on the sandy slope, and on the deep drop off. It didn’t take long for the big fish to find it…”

On his YouTube channel he writes, “I’m exploring the remotest and deepest parts of the ocean and showing you all the best bits. This channel is full of adventure, education, and experimentation. If you love scuba diving, marine life, science, travel, or technology, make sure to hit that subscribe button!”

Dillarstone dropped his GoPro in a cage along with some bait in three different locations around the wreck, Shallow Cave, the Sandy Slope, and the Deep Drop Off “where the ocean plummets down to absolute nothingness,” says Dillarstone in the video.

“It’s the middle of the night and we’re all alone on this deep shipwreck. Now, at nighttime, this wreck is covered in big predators. But they’re often pretty secretive and elusive.”

“I’ve got no idea where I'm going,” he says during a harrowing moment on the dive, “the viz is so bad. I’m completely lost. I’ve lost my bearings.” Until he says, “Oh, I can see the shipwreck. We found it. Yes.”

I Dropped a GoPro on a Deep Shipwreck at Midnight (The Big Fish Found It!) - YouTube

Watch On

“If you've watched my previous baited camera videos, you might have noticed we've made some adaptations to the set up. We've now got this epic bait cage made of galvanized steel mesh. So now the big titans won't be able to come in and chomp through this, that's the plan anyway. We’ve also added a light mount to illuminate the scene. But in typical fashion, nothing ever goes according to plan. This is a nightmare.”

One hiccup was the ball mount coming off underwater.

“A major unknown was whether the predators that patrol this reef will be disturbed by the light at night. And as we finalized the setup, I couldn't help but worry that there was a strong chance we'd record absolutely nothing. Only time would tell.”

“So one of the spookiest things about diving on these wrecks at night is that you are almost always being followed. And shortly after leaving the camera, a dark shadow drifted past in the distance. Now, the problem with using lights at night is that they are absolute magnets for planktonic creatures that can make it impossible to film.”

Soon, a giant moray eel appears and seems to attack the camera cage. “So this is a giant moray eel, and these guys can reach lengths of up to three meters and weigh over 30kg. Now they are formidable nocturnal hunters, but they don't have the best eyesight, and this one seemed a little unsure as to where his nose was taking him,” said Dillarstone.

Other creatures included a huge brown marbled grouper, trumpet fish, more groupers and multiple different types of snapper.

“As the light dipped, sudden flashes of red started to appear on the screen,” explained Dillarstone. “These guys are soldierfish. A small to medium sized reef predator, perfectly adapted to hunt at night using their absolutely humongous eyeballs. This proved an important point, which is that some reef creatures definitely don't like being dazzled by the light.

“Right guys, I have just nipped home and got some more batteries because we're going to try something a little bit different now, watch this. We're going to try the red light. Given little red light actually reaches the ocean floor, many predators don't actually have the necessary photoreceptors to perceive red wavelengths properly. The plan was that by using red light, we could convince some of these nocturnal predators to come closer.”

It quickly worked, and “a huge school of soldierfish immediately swarmed towards us as we swam off. And they seemed a lot more confident coming closer to the camera, as did a few monocle breams that seem to spend most of the time sat underneath the bait cage.”

“I'm still looking for that five meter hammerhead. We'll definitely be trying these night drops again, although next time we are going to go way deeper,” he finished.

One viewer on YouTube commented, "Holy moly this content is so underrated. I honestly expected less from this channel but it suprised me that he actually had fun ideas and that legitimately deserves a sub."

Another wrote, "I just found your channel and man you are crazy and I LOVE IT, you got a new sub here! You deserve at least a million subs."

Interested in filming in the depths? Take a look at our guides to the best underwater casings for cameras and phones, the best GoPro camera, the best action cameras, the best waterproof cameras, and the best underwater drones.