Husband bit while diving on Venice Beach

[Divergirl4U]

It was a slippery dick. Go to this link and scroll down to the photo:

REEF at the Gray's Reef NMS | Reef Environmental Education Foundation (REEF)

This is what was after me .... lol a slippery dick

 

[CBulla]

Ah, the ever fun and aggressive sand perch! Without touching they'll attack. I believe it has something to do with mask reflection but hey, thats just me. I find fossil bone chunks and bomb them till they leave or other agressive moves towards them till they leave, I they're a pain in the hand.

 

[Walter]

I've never seen a Slippery Dick or a Rainbow Wrasse in Venice, but Sand Perch are everywhere.

 

[SCUBAJENNIFER]

I would not want to tell anyone I was bitten on the lip by a slippery dick!

Although I have been bitten on the lip by a paparazzi hating clown fish in the PI before...I bled!

 

[Scubadubes]

Thanks for all of the suggestions. I couldn't get the www.reef.org website to work, so I googled for a picture of a slippery dick (yes, I was VERY careful in my search terms with this one!). I also checked out the sand perch pictures. It definitely did not look like a sand perch to me. I think it was some type of wrasse; either a rainbow or a slippery dick. Let's go with rainbow b/c I don't have the heart to tell my husband it could have been the other one! Like ScubaJennifer said, that's not something he would want to publicize. Anyway, whether we inadvertently provoked this little feller or not, it is a lesson learned. We will definitely be on the lookout for biting creatures in small packages!

 

[Raintown]

I too, hafta agree with dkramer and sharkkboy. My guess is a rainbow wrasse. I have "pet" them, and rubbed their bellies also. To me, it seems some of them are "playful", and others seem downright aggressive or maybe, defensive. About 2 weeks ago, I was bitten also (several times), not on the lip, but rather, on my earlobes. There was a tiny one which just kept pestering me! Initially, it scared the @%$# out of me, until I realized (or thought) he was just being playful / friendly (?). I swam further, and so did he... Perhaps he (or she) was defending their turf? I'm 6"5" and about 255lbs. This fish was about 5". I'm thinking he developed a severe case of "Beer Muscles". Glad you wrote about it though, and glad all of the others did as well. I will not think they're so "cute" anymore, although the fish I was dealing with did not hurt. Next time, I'm bringing my speargun.

 

[mlynch21]

Yup... they have gone after my fingers before in Venice.

Pretty ballsy little fish going after your lip with the regulator and bubbles!

 

[dkramer]

Next time, I'm bringing my speargun.

I'd say that's a little overkill, wouldn't you.

 

[dkramer]

Just a thought, again I'm no expert, but is it possible that this is a juvenile wrasse & it was performing what he thought were his duties as a cleaner fish? I think that with this new reef that has been placed down, we are going to begin to see a whole lot more fish that we haven't seen before.

 

[Raintown]

I'd say that's a little overkill, wouldn't you.

Never bring a knife to a gunfight, right? LOL!