He was a NASA astronaut, but his most terrifying experience was under the ocean

For astronauts, traveling into space can be the most extreme challenge of their lives . But for Garrett Reisman , an aerospace engineer and former NASA astronaut, the most terrifying experience of his life occurred not in orbit, but in the depths of the ocean.

Before embarking on space missions, many astronauts must undergo rigorous training in hostile environments . One such program takes place at the Aquarius Reef Base , an underwater laboratory located off the coast of Florida, United States. For two weeks, Reisman and his team lived in this habitat at a depth of 19 meters , where they simulated extreme conditions similar to those in space.

The goal of this training is to prepare astronauts for confined situations and working in an environment that does not allow for errors, just like on spacecraft. However, what Reisman found at the bottom of the sea surpassed any scenario he had prepared for.

During one of his days on the submarine, Reisman made his way to the bathroom chamber, an area where divers must go out into the open ocean to relieve themselves and thus take care of their work environment, without any waste contaminating them. At that moment, he illuminated the darkness with his flashlight and found himself face to face with a huge yellow eye. “I went downstairs, opened my eyes, and in the dim light I saw a gigantic eyeball staring at me without blinking,” he recounted in a 2020 interview with Joe Rogan.

The creature in question was a goliath grouper , a species of fish that can measure up to 2.5 meters long and weigh more than 360 kilos. Due to its large size and enormous mouth, this animal can become dangerous for humans. In turn, it is considered very territorial, so if it feels attacked in its environment it can bite people.

The scare was such that Reisman quickly returned to base and alarmed his team, who thought he had been attacked by a shark. “It was just a giant fish,” he said later, although he admitted that the experience scared the shit out of him.

But this wouldn’t be Reisman’s only terrifying encounter in the deep sea. Inside the underwater base, physiological needs became a challenge. To go to the bathroom, he had to go out into the ocean with an oxygen mask and swim to a designated area. What he didn’t expect was that the fish in the area had become accustomed to this process and saw it as a food opportunity. “As soon as you entered the water at night, it was like the dinner bell rang,” he explained with a laugh. Dozens of fish crowded around him, trying to eat his feces.

This caused him great discomfort when going to the bathroom, since in addition to having to relieve himself under great hydrostatic pressure, he had to use his hands to scare away small animals so that they would not approach him in these conditions.