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 It
was just a medium size Gray Triggerfish but it behaved like a
self-appointed guardian of the reef. We were diving on a really nice
pile of rubble somewhere west of Redfish Pass in a 3-person buddy team.
Two of us were toting several pounds of camera equipment – one a video
camera in a bright yellow Ocean Images housing and another, a digital
still camera in a gleaming, clear Ikelite housing. Our buddy, Carol, was
exploring the many holes and crevices that are home to a variety of tiny
marine critters on this artificial reef. When we have cameras in hand,
most of the time it seems, we don’t travel far and are generally content
to plunk down on a nice spot and wait for something interesting to
happen. Ivan nibbles on Gary's camera housing - Photo by Cherri Wood
The artificial reef we were visiting was loaded with small and medium
sized grouper and other assortments of typical Gulf sea life, in
addition to the lonely Triggerfish who became extremely interested in
our activities as soon as we approached the 55’ bottom. My lens was
focused on a tiny, deep blue and bright yellow Florida Regal Nudibranch
when I glanced toward Gary and saw the Triggerfish following him and
posing for some interesting video shots. The curious fish would dart
right up to the lens and peer in to the reflection, and then try to
nibble on the black edges of the lens port and some of the knobs on the
camera housing. He quickly became a nuisance and attempts to shoo him
away were useless until he spotted me on another section of rubble and
suddenly became my new best friend.
 I thought he was kind of cute and as I pivoted around to try for a good
angle, he (or she) swam circles around me and then started bumping my
camera housing and sometimes my shoulder or elbow. It was difficult to
get a good shot because he would get so close that my lens couldn’t get
a clear focus on him. I tried pushing at him with my housing and then
with my fin to get him to back off and he headed back to Gary for a
while and then back to me. By this time, I was interested in other
subjects and I moved to different areas of the reef to avoid the pesky
critter. My initial thought was that we had invaded a small area this
Triggerfish considered home but it quickly became obvious that he
considered the entire reef private territory, and it is quite an expanse
of rubble that could keep him very busy.
Ivan the Terrible, a name that seemed to fit this ferocious denizen of
the deep, just wouldn’t go away. I wasn’t really worried because I had
never heard of a Triggerfish attack on a diver but I wasn’t wearing
gloves and suddenly considered the thought that he was now bumping me
very close to my bare hands. Suddenly he darted off behind me and the
next thing I felt was a set of sharp teeth digging into the upper part
of my ear. Ouch! I yelled through my regulator and waved my arms wildly
trying to scare Ivan away. He didn’t seem to be the list bit intimidated
by my waving or the noise I was making and I spent the next 10 or 15
minutes trying to avoid him. I moved closer to my fellow divers to see
if he would be less aggressive with a group, but at that point, he was
king of the hill and never strayed far. Ivan takes a turn posing for
Cherri - Photo by Gary Wood.
We finally began our ascent, making our safety stops on the way up and
keeping a watchful eye out for Ivan the Terrible but to our relief, we
only had the company of a school of barracuda that always seem to hang
around the surface. I asked someone to check my ear and make sure a
chunk wasn’t missing and although it was bleeding, it was still in one
piece.
 We moved away from the area and headed to a popular site that has
several rusting boxcars scattered along the bottom. The visibility on
the first dive had been excellent for the Gulf, about 30 feet, and it
was only slightly less on the boxcar area. We were greeted by two
Volkswagen size Goliath Grouper as soon as we neared the bottom but they
soon drifted off to a hiding place under some of the debris. There were
also some very nice Amberjack swimming glistening circles around our
bubbles. The boxcars are covered in growth that looks pale and colorless
until a beam of light or a camera strobe brings out the bright reds,
oranges and purples that twist together like an alien landscape. At the
right time of day, even at the depth of 70 feet, light glows through the
vertical beams creating a mystical effect as fish dart across your line
of vision. Too quickly, we are forced to return to the surface and begin
the journey back to land. A view of the Boxcars - Photo by Cherri
Wood
By the time we rinsed the boat, the dive gear and cameras and hit the
shower, I had almost forgotten my Ivan the Terrible encounter. While
drying my hair, I rubbed the towel across my ear and realized that it
was still sore and in fact even 8 days later, it remained tender and
itchy. It seemed like a good idea to do some research on my little,
grouchy pal. Our library includes several good books on fish
identification. One that is well known to divers is part of a series by
New World Publications. The first version that most divers in this area
buy is “Reef Fish Identification” for the Florida, Caribbean and Bahamas
areas, by Paul Humann. Fish can be identified by looking up shapes,
common names, or scientific names. Information includes Abundance &
Distribution, Habitat & Behavior, Reaction to Divers, Similar Species
and additional notes. Photos and descriptions are provided for juvenile
and adult fish as well as many of their in-between stages where their
colors and markings are vastly different. All of the local dive shops
keep this book, as well as other books of the same series, in stock.
I found the Gray Triggerfish listed as a Leatherjacket. The size ranges
from 5-9 inches with a maximum of 1 ft. We estimated Ivan to be around 9
inches by looking at the photos of him appearing next to the camera
housing. According to Humann, the Gray Triggerfish is not shy and
usually allows a close approach before retreating.
Curious now, I went to my major resource of information, Google, and
typed in “triggerfish bite”. Wow, hundreds of references magically
appeared, the first stating ominously “Triggerfish Bite – a little known
marine hazard” followed by this statement “Divers should not continue to
swim toward a large triggerfish that does not move away upon their
approach.”. Now they tell me! Another web page stated that their diet
consists of hard shelled creatures such as crabs and mollusks and their
teeth are designed for crunching hard objects. There were at least 2
reports of divers being injured so badly that they had to go to the
emergency room and have the wound stitched. A nicer surprise awaited me
– they are good to eat. Had I known that, I might have been tempted to
stab the little pest with my dive knife and bring him home for poetic
justice.
As with any wild creature, and we divers sometimes forget that we are
invading their environment, it is always best to pay attention. Become
familiar with the habits and peculiarities of the marine life in areas
where you will be diving. Back off, if you can, when signs of aggression
are exhibited. We’re not sure why the Triggerfish was so attracted to
two of us and the third diver, dressed in bright pink, was not even
approached. We were wearing mostly basic black – wetsuit, fins, BCD,
etc. It’s possible that some electronic emission from the cameras
attracted the fish, or reflections from the housings caught its fancy.
We spent most of the time close to the bottom and our watchful dive
buddy, hovered several feet above the bottom. When we ascended, the
Triggerfish didn’t follow. Despite my tingling ear, it made for a good
fish tale to share with my friends.
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