Triggerfish Attack Head Count

[FredT]

Some of the trigger fishes perform a community service to divers - they feed on crown of thorns.

ctopus:

I did a fair amount of research on the COT many years ago. Anything that eats them can't be all bad.

OTOH we don't have the COT in the Atlantic, Carribean, or GOM, yet.

FT

 

[H2Andy]

never been attacked by a triggerfish, though been around them lots here in NE
Florida and the Caribbean.

was nipped once in the hand by a bicolor damselfish. it scared the crap out of me.

 

[Vie]

Here’s a sequence I shot (these are captures from a .mpg video file) near “D-Wall,” Layang Layang, earlier this year. Yellow margin triggers Pseudobalistes flavimarginatus were everywhere and would charge anything that invaded their “space”; divers, other fish, anything. The Yellow margins were not as persistent or determined as Titans Balistoides viridescens and nobody was bitten (that I know of). They didn’t patrol/swim circuits around their nest sites like Titans but would just lie in wait. Sorry about the low picture quality.

I’ve been charged by a Titan near Puerto Galera, but the Titans I’ve encountered in Thailand (Ko Tao and the Similans) have not been too aggressive so far—they do patrol alot and I do watch out for them.

 

[MoonWrasse]

I did a fair amount of research on the COT many years ago. Anything that eats them can't be all bad.

OTOH we don't have the COT in the Atlantic, Carribean, or GOM, yet.

FT

Best be safe and import a whole lot of titan triggerfishes ahead of time. Good entertainment for divers as well

 

[Albion]

Here’s a sequence I shot (these are captures from a .mpg video file) near “D-Wall,” Layang Layang, earlier this year. Yellow margin triggers Pseudobalistes flavimarginatus were everywhere and would charge anything that invaded their “space”; divers, other fish, anything. The Yellow margins were not as persistent or determined as Titans Balistoides viridescens and nobody was bitten (that I know of). They didn’t patrol/swim circuits around their nest sites like Titans but would just lie in wait. Sorry about the low picture quality.

Looks like the bugger that chased me down in LL too, also had an attack in Tioman here I was forced to the surface (didnt know about the 'cone teritory' thing then)

There was a photo posted on here a while ago showing a guy who had the nose pocket of his mask bitten clean thru by a Titan, drawing a considerable amount of blood :11:

 

[crabball]

Titan triggers are a common sight in Pulau Tioman,Malaysia. where i go diving almost every weekend. They are very aggrressive during breeding season. When out of season, they are usually quite safe.

The worst result of titan trigger attack i saw is a 7 stitch on the forehead of a fellow DM. He has to stay out fo water for a week.

The most common way of attack by Titan triggers is....
1. Attack fin.
2. If diver does not response, they will attack the thigh.
3. No response they will go for the head.

The best defense is to get your knife ready and get out of their territory fast, using your knife and fins to keep them away.

 

[saildiver]

I had an interesting experience with the same (I believe!)triggerfish over a one month period.
The location was Hideaway Island, Port Vila, Vanuatu and I had dived on this site (a coral reef) about twenty times in the past year. There was one particular area (18m depth)where there were always two triggerfish. In November though, they became very inquisitive - so much so that on one dive a lady I was diving with was bitten on the leg (drawing blood) and I was bitten through my Tusa fin and booty. They continued to attack for about three minutes until we had swum about 50m away. I returned to the same spot about a week later, knife drawn! Again they were very inquisitive, but didn't attack. This was repeated for another three weeks (four dives), before they didn't come close again. Now, I am always wary of triggerfish!!!

Regards,

vmf

Aloha VMF-I've dove in the tropics and studied fish behavior for over 30 years,4000+ dives and have never been attacked by a trigger fish-but I believe you. Damsel fish can be pretty aggressive and they have "attacked me" but nothing to worry about. Do you know what species of trigger fish it was?...Peace...Saildiver.

 

[saildiver]

Here’s a sequence I shot (these are captures from a .mpg video file) near “D-Wall,” Layang Layang, earlier this year. Yellow margin triggers Pseudobalistes flavimarginatus were everywhere and would charge anything that invaded their “space”; divers, other fish, anything. The Yellow margins were not as persistent or determined as Titans Balistoides viridescens and nobody was bitten (that I know of). They didn’t patrol/swim circuits around their nest sites like Titans but would just lie in wait. Sorry about the low picture quality.

I’ve been charged by a Titan near Puerto Galera, but the Titans I’ve encountered in Thailand (Ko Tao and the Similans) have not been too aggressive so far—they do patrol alot and I do watch out for them.

Great pics and post Vie...Peace...Saildiver

 

[dive_lover88]

I was charged by a Titan Triggerfish in P.Aur, on my 1st dive of the day. It charged at me twice but i did not seethe 1st attack but saw the second time when it charged at me. Iflipped onto my back and quickly finned out of the bugger's territory,luckily it was not really agressive...otherwise i would have been in the hospital after the 1st attack...it was full grown(big bugger)

On another ocassion(same trip), i was doing my safety stop and was upside down, i was looking at the fishes when i suddenly saw this titan trigger rite below the group! i signaled my instructor and the whole group zoomed out the area fast!!

At yet another dive site, my instructor was attacked by 2 titan trigger when we accidentally went into a nesting site, the group finned away while the instructor was fighting the buggers...

I was told by my instructor that another instructor's mask cracked after he had been attacked by those buggers...

 

[Evil]

My 2 encounters with the titan trigger:
(1) Never had a close up view of the titan trigger before my 1st Pulau Perhentian trip in Malaysia...shortly after descend, I thought I kicked a fellow diver behind me, so I turned around wanting to tell the diver sorry. When I looked at where my fins were, there was no diver, just a fish that kept knocking my fins...didnt know what fish it was at 1st until I remember my instructor telling me titan triggers go for the fins 1st. Tried kicking it with my fins but it kept coming back, so I just swam away & the trigger left me alone...lucky!
(2) This time round it was at Pulau Tioman, Malaysia as well. Was looking down at the corals & reef below me & when I look up, I saw the titan trigger charging at me head-on! I dodged & it went behind me...tried swimming away like the previous encounter but it didnt work...I got hit right on the back of my head & I could hear a loud "thong" sound like I was hit by another diver's tank! Promise u u'll stars after that! The bump on my head stayed for almost a wk after that!!!