Dangerous Critters To Avoid?

[Rogersea]

Kiridashi,
last year I posted a video clip of an aggressive Titan Trigger Fish you can find it here:

ScubaBoard Gallery - Killer Trigger Fish .

COne Shells can be learned about at this link: Killers cones I believe in addition to Textile and Geographus we also have Striatus.

In my opinion the biggest cause of injuries to new snorkelers and divers are Coral Scrapes and to a less degree the Sea Urchins you already mentioned especially Diadema(long thin black spines).

I also live in Cebu down in Moalboal.

Cheers,
Roger

 

[shugar]

As Matt says most of the 'dangerous' critters tend to be bottom dwellers, the main fish to look out for would be the titan Triggerfish during Nesting Season (usually July/August). They become very territorial and supposedly the territory is marked out by a cone which gets bigger as the water gets shallower. This seems slightly odd that at the depth of the the nest it is protecting the territory is the smallest but I can vouch if you go upwards they definitely follow you! Hopefully you won't encounter any at snorkeling depths but if you see one swimming on it's side I'd recommend a hasty get away as the last thing you want is a trigger fish attack from below when you're snorkeling

Other than the trigger fish the main 'bite' fish have to be clown/anenomie fish and sergeant majors - those things have an evil streak in them!!! Luckily it's just a slight nip but can be a bit of a shock and occasionally can draw blood. Anyone who has been happily engaged in taking a photo of something and had a nearby clown fish take a disliking to any exposed skin will know what I'm talking about

been there, done that... nasty clown hahahahaha

Jag

 

[boljakool]

if the critter is very colorful, do not touch... poisonous!
if the critter is well camouflaged, do not touch... poisonous!
if the critter is very beautiful, do not touch... dangerous!
if the critter is very ugly, do not touch... have potent stingers!
if the critter is not moving, do not touch... they bite!
if the critter is moving very fast... you can not touch because they move faster than you.

i don't mean to scare you. but basically, one of the first lessons you'll learn from scuba diving is to be careful about touching anything underwater. yes, even those cutesie little 'nemo' would bite if you go near their territory. there are some techniques that you can learn to interact with most marine life. don't be shy to ask your questions, i'm sure these guys are very much willing to be of help to answer them.

 

[jlovold]

Clownfish are EVIL!

Thanks to Matt, I had an encounter with a really nasty one!

Well, the poisonous sea-life I could PID in the Philippines on my trip there was:

Blue-ringed octopus, lionfish, scorpionfish, box-jellyfish .

 

[Karl_H]

Well, the poisonous sea-life I could PID in the Philippines on my trip there was:

Blue-ringed octopus, lionfish, scorpionfish, box-jellyfish .

Box jellyfish in the Philippines?!!! Yikes! I didn't realize they were this far up! :shocked2:

 

[CODMAN]

Just don't touch or go near enough to touch anything. That will save you from 99% of what can be dangerous. And it's the most respectfull way of seing marine life. Appart from a few very aggressive species (Titan triggerfish is one of them), nothing will "Go after you"...

Now if you prod and probe them (or strobe them)... you will get what is coming to you...

It can really be that simple and you won't need to stress about danger all the time.

Just my 0.02$

 

[jbb]

hmmmm, sea nettles. Well not dangerous, kill you but uncomforable and avoidable. I just steadied myself with my finger on a piece of dead coral to take a photo and ouch it got me. Stung a little and died down but it was still working with blisters rising up filling with liquid. I got some benedril ointment on it but it took several days for the blisters to go away and more to heal.

Stick to the shuffle dance step when walking thru shallow water you can't swim in. For night dives I recommend staying face down in the water until you are on your knees because that last bit can have some of the most remarkable critters to see. I've seen wonderful sea hares, eels and nudibranchs in inches of water.

 

[broadreach]

Add to your list:
Hydroids (look like ferns) not deadly but very painful

Mantis shrimp - will usually run back to their burrow, but can cause serious harm if cornered

bluering octupus are quite rare and will most likely run as way as soon as they see you coming. If you spot one, consider yourself lucky.

 

[Zippsy]

I'd rather step on a stone fish to be able to reach into the mouth of a reef shark to pull out a blue ring octopus with my bare hands that to be in the close vicinity of a titan trigger fish when they want to be aggressive (which is often around these parts). Nothing scares me underwater except monofilament nets, bad divers and titans.

 

[Web Monkey]

Hi Guys,

I'm an American that has spent his entire life living a thousand miles from the sea and about 7 months ago I moved to Cebu. So I have almost no experience with marine life and I am wondering if anyone has a site/thread, or any recommendations of species I should avoid.

I know this sounds a little too "Politically Correct", but it's easy: "Don't touch or annoy anything."

Everything you see underwater that hasn't been eaten by something else has a way to protect itself. This generally involves hiding, running or being dangerous.

If you see it, it's probably not hiding; if you can get close enough to touch it, it's not running, which only leaves "dangerous".

Terry