To those who think triggers are harmless, you couldn't be more wrong!
Dorsetboy's stories about incidents on Koh Tao are legendary here! Divers have been known to have chunks taken out of their calfs, arms, heads, fins and knocked unconcious! No bull!
I started my DMT on Koh Tao yesterday, keen to make a good impression and all that, was shepherding some charters, the next thing I knew I felt something grab me round the ankle. Having worked at another dive centre, I thought it was someone pissing about trying to make me scared, the next thing I knew I was in excrutiating pain, I looked round and a f'ing big titan trigger (who is now known to me as Trevor) is having a human leg kebab for lunch! The pain was so intense that I bit the teeth grips off my mouthpiece. I horizontally started to swim away from trev, who took to work on my left fin whilst I'm trying to boot him and get away, he pulled the fin off my foot!!! I was holding my right leg with my left hand as my muscle was spasoming (well hurting like a bastard) and I didn't know the extent of the injury, he seemed to want some left foot toes for his desert!
I had to manouver with 1 arm and 1 fin in the weirdest of fin/arm strokes, whilst sticking my alternate in my mouth. Now I did have a knife on me, but I couldn't get to the bad boy as it was on my inner right ankle. If I stopped kicking with my fin, then my toes would be in trev's belly. This went on for around 2 mins, he just wouldn't give up, he just wanted me to suck my tank dry then eat me, he seemed to lose interest then and did one. Trevor is known not to be teretorial, just a devil worshiper. Scumbag. I refound the group whilst ascending and told the guide I was in the ****e and gonna head back. I was in agony. Using my new found fin/arm stroke, I crawled back to the boat to live another day. I couldn't believe that when I looked down at my leg there was just a little trickle of blood. He's bruised/damaged my muscle though. Then I realised he'd been chomping where my knife was! I was thinking of not bothering to wear it too!
What a first day for a DMT eh! I'm lucky that I didn't manage to get my knife out, Trevor is an international legend by all accounts and being stabbed to death by a DMT on his first day would've meant the same fate would have probably happened to him. If at not least, my bus fare home and a kick goodbye.
In all fairness though, apparently this was the first attack for some time now.