Divers are asked to exercise caution around Titan Triggerfish. Neramit Songseang, head of Mu Koh Lanta National Park in Krabi province, has warned the public that there has been an increase in the number of Titan Triggerfish among the other fish at the popular dive site of Koh Haa.
Divers it is advised to be careful while diving and not to startle or approach the fish. Titan Triggerfish are known for their aggressive attitude towards intruders entering their territory.
Titan Triggerfish (Balistoides viridescens) are a large species of Triggerfish found in reefs throughout most of the Indo-Pacific. In Thailand they are found in both the Andaman Sea and the Gulf of Thailand. The fish are usually wary of divers, especially during mating season. They have a large mouth with short but strong teeth and a dark marking above the mouth. The posterior dorsal fin and anal fin are light orange in color with a black border that is rounded. Their cheeks are orange-brown with a dark spot in the front. The back of the body is light brown and the scales are colored brown and dark brown.
The Titan Triggerfish, scientifically known as Balistoides viridescens, is a large species of triggerfish found mainly in the reefs of the Indo-Pacific region, including the Andaman Sea and the Gulf of Thailand. This species of fish can grow quite large, with some specimens reaching lengths of up to 75 centimeters. They are easily recognized by their striking color patterns.
Despite their sometimes intimidating behavior, they are a fascinating species to observe in their natural habitat and a favorite among many diving enthusiasts.
I have been diving the Gulf of Thailand for years, mostly from Koh Samui.
Every time I've dived I've been warned about triggerfish, they can bite really hard.
But they are only aggressive towards divers if you get too close to their nest. They defend their offspring. The territory they defend is a cone all the way up. The best thing to do is to swim away horizontally. What you shouldn't do is swim upwards as the territory is a cone, and the higher you go the wider that territory becomes.
JW
Near Koh Tao I once experienced a triggerfish attack.
We went diving and my buddy was quite experienced just like me and our guide/divemaster was of course also very skilled.
During the dive three of us were attacked by a triggerfish, this group consisted of a divemaster and 2 open waters (relatively less experienced divers). There was a slight panic and this divemaster was very busy with the open water divers and our guide came to the rescue without a doubt.
He placed himself between the attacked divers and the fish and assumed a sitting position with his legs spread wide, facing the fish. We positioned ourselves behind him at his direction and started to swim horizontally away from the triggerfish.
But the fish apparently didn't think this was going fast enough and attacked. At the moment of attack, the guide waves his fin at the fish and I still remember how loud the blow sounded underwater. I had thought the fish would take its money's worth after such a blow, but it swam back and forth for a moment and charged again, followed by the next flip of a fin.
The fish began to swim back and forth, looking for a hole in the defense, whereupon I also hung in the water in the same way as our guide, slightly angled behind him to defend the flank.
I didn't have to deal a blow or kick myself, but the fish took 5 or 6 in the end.
When we had traveled quite a distance (certainly beyond a 45 degree cone) the triggerfish apparently thought it was enough and gave up. No one was bitten and we were able to continue the dive with an experience richer.