How dangerous are triggerfish?

[wmag3]

I wouldn't say that triggerfish are completely harmless. I have had them latch on to my hair serveral times and I once had one on my stringer repeatedly grab hold of my leg which hurt a little but was good for a laugh from my dive buddy. I do suggest that if you are going to string one up you string it through it's mouth or cut its bottom jaw to prevent this from happening to you. I would like to share a great way to get a hold of the tasty little critters without wasting a shot from your speargun. I have found the best way to get them is to knock a few barnacles off of a rig leg (or any thing that will stir up a cloud ) and in no time you will be surrounded by them. Once you have them in your sites just grab hold of your dive knife and a quick thrust into the side of the toothy fish will stun it long enough for you to grab hold and string it up.

happy hunting
WM

 

[dazle]

Sounds like the beginning of a beautiful friendship between you and Trev the Trigger.

I've been diving since, but not at the particular site. In true wuss fashion, that's what I've been thinking too! Let's hope we're both wrong for my sake!

I don't know about stabbing them as suggested. I'm not into killing **** when I'm in their home. Would've happily of stabbed the bastard the other day if I could've got me knife out

 

[MikeJacobs]

... they completely disappeared a few months ago from the reef and I finally saw one yesterday - a juvinile. My buddies saw others in different places. I suppose they like the cooler water, or at least like something that likes the cooler water. Winds/current have been northward the last couple of days, however, so it may be a temporary setback.

 

[BacardiSpice]

Did anyone catch that piece in one of the UK dive mags that suggested silver triggers are beginning to show up in greater numbers in UK waters? Still got quite a few degrees to warm up before they start regarding this as good breeding temps - as in *quite* a few degrees - but they've been spotted in schools up to several hundred in late summer/early autumn. Anyone noticed a trundling trigger while diving off Cornwall at any time?

 

[DORSETBOY]

Just spoke to a DM who works down West Wales, she did a dive a few weekends ago just off skomer island and had a triggerfish attack on one of her divers she was leading.
Hopefully they'll be making their way up north to scotland as it'll be nice to have some interesting things to see in the waters up here.

 

[Genesis]

are no big shakes - unless they're particularly large.

Some of the larger ones have gotten aggressive with me, but none have tried to bite me.

However,a spearfishing buddy of mine DID get bit. He shot one and had strung it through the eyeballs. Unknown to him it wasn't quite dead, and on the safety stop woke up and bit the closest thing - which happened to be the spearo's azz

He emerged from the water with a flag waving off his butt, and many interesting words coming from his mouth..

It removed a nice chunk of wetsuit along with a small chunk of him.

Moral: If you shoot triggers, string them through the gills and mouth.

 

[DORSETBOY]

Sounds good advice, just a pity I guess that the HSA are so funny with their rules about not mixing divemastering and spearfishing together!

 

[Genesis]

and likely never will be a "dive professional."

I like driving my own boat, diving where I want, when I want, filling my own tanks, and doing my own thing.

It gives me great joy to not have to put up with the pure crap that is often spewed by those who want to "make rules."

You never know if you'll find me shooting the fishies with a camera - or a speargun. They don't know what to expect either I figure keeping 'em guessing is good for my luck on both accounts

 

[DORSETBOY]

Fair one! Just so long as you can distinguish between a diver shaped silhouette and that of a fish underwater, or if you can't I'm not to bothered as long as I'm not that diver shaped silhouette!

 

[cdiver2]

In PNG a couple of weeks ago nearly to my regret.
A coral head slopeing down to about 70ft then a sheer drop too 1000ft, I was going along the edge of the drop when I saw a big fish about 2ft long, he was ahead and above me siting in front of a six foot wide sea fan, hmmmmm this would make a great photo. Slowly along the ledge then up the slope camera up to my eye all of a sudden he starts darting from one side of the fan to the other, I think he's p****d at me !!! ? so I start to back away and he follows. Im now over the drop and this fish is swimming spiral circles around me at a very fast rate of knots this is when I see THE TEETH and it dawns on me sh*t its a titan trigger. I keep twisting around in a circle keeping him in sight holding the camera at arms lenght in front of me to take the brunt of the attack when it comes, a good 100ft from the fan he brakes of and go's back to the fan. You can have it bud:tongewag: