The Napoleon Wrasse, is known by several different names; the Humphead Wrasse, Napoleonfish, Maori wrasse or Mameng. It is also one of  the most favorite fish of divers to come across while Scuba diving. Firstly its size is an imposing presence, and its curious and intelligent looking eyes will watch your every move carefully. Humphead Wrasse are mostly loved by divers because they are extremely curious, often unafraid of divers and enjoy tactile interaction. Napoleon Wrasse are known to get attached to divers and can often recognize their favorite diver and approach to be stroked, often nudging the diver like a dog does when it wants to be petted.

Males of the Napoleon Wrasse family can reach up to 6 feet (2m) in length with the largest recorded Wrasse at 7.7 feet  (2.29 m) are easily identifiable by their  bright electric blue/green,  purplish blue, or a relatively dull blue/green color with large lips and a prominent hump that forms on its head slightly above it’s eyes. Juveniles and females are reddish orange in color or a dull brown.

These creatures are usually found  solitary on the slopes of coral reefs, reef edges and sharp drop-offs, in waters as deep as 330 feet (100m). Being opportunistic predators, they prey primarily on crustaceans, mollusks, sea stars, sea urchins and crabs. Wrasse are also known to feed on toxic, poisonous fish such as puffer-fish, boxfish and crown-of-thorns starfish, which is why they are such an integral part of maintaining the balance in the reef.

One of the more interesting facts about Napoleon Wrasse is their long lifespan, often living up to 30 years reaching sexual maturity only after 5-7 years. This however means that they have a very slow breeding rate, which has caused their numbers to dwindle over the years, primarily due to over fishing, and reef destruction. Napoleon Wrasse are now a protected species of fish in several parts of the world, and found only in large numbers in the Red-Sea, coast of east Africa and the indo-pacific.

photos by Taro Taylor

While the chances of a shark attacking you when you Scuba dive are about 1 in 11.5 million as we have seen in our previous post “Overcoming The ‘Jaws’ Factor When You Dive“, we wish we could say the same about the feisty Titan Trigger Fish. This seemingly harmless reef species of Triggerfish packs a mean bite and is more often the reason behind divers and snorkelers sporting teeth marks in their fins, skin, missing ears and the cause of many bruises. While only known to be aggressive and territorial during the reproduction season and when guarding it’s nest, the titan trigger fish has an infamous reputation that definitely increases a divers anxiety levels around it. Here’s more about the trigger happy Titan Triggerfish. (*Photo by – Boogies with Fish on flickr)

About the Titan Triggerfish
Scientifically known as Balistoides Viridescens, the Titan is the largest of the triggerfish species and can grow up to 75cm (30 inches) in length. Native to the Indo-Pacific region, the titan trigger can be found of in the coral reefs of Australia, Fiji, Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines and the Maldives also in the Red Sea. They are quite photogenic with a slightly elongated body which is usually a green to dark grey in color and have yellow or green fins with black tips and a purple lower jaw. What stands out most in this fish is it’s eyes. The Titans have independently rotating eye sockets and look like they are giving you the old evil eye just before they charge at you.

(*Photo by – tom.demeyer on flickr)

Titan triggerfish feed on shellfish, urchins, crustaceans and coral. They are the workers of the reef and can be seen busy turning over rocks, stirring up the sand and biting off pieces of branching coral, which is why other smaller fish species tag around it as they feed off the left overs.

Titan Aggression
Titan triggers are solitary creatures and like most reef fish, they are active during the day and will tuck themselves into the reef to sleep at night. It’s when they are nesting that they get very feisty and will rigorously protect these nests, which is not to say they don’t get territorial even in non breeding seasons. The ‘Danger Zone’ you wan to avoid being in, is a cone shape extending from their nest which usually in the sand adjacent to or within the coral.

A prominent sign of trouble to come is when the fish rolls onto its side to get a better look at you with its beady swiveling eyes some times your see its black fin tips raise in warning of the attack. You’re best action plan if you see one is to swim away horizontally as the zone they’re protecting is an upward cone and ascending is not going to stop the titan from defending its turf. Keep your eyes on the fish at all times, as hard as it may be as they are fast, also if they come close try and get your dive fins or a hard object like an underwater camera or a dive slate or other Scuba gear between you and the titan, needless to say it’s better to have a hole or in fins than your body! (*Photo by – Boogies with Fish on flickr)

Titan triggerfish won’t always resort to violence though on occasion they just charge straight at the person and ram into them to sort of escort them out of the nesting territory. However, that said it’s not advisable to stick around to find out the intensity of its attack and just quickly swim away horizontally to avoid it’s wrath.

If you are an unfortunate victim of a triggerfish bite it should not be treated lightly. Their bites can cause serious infection as they contain a natural poison called Ciguatoxin, which can have serious affects on humans and in extreme cases cause a heart attack or paralysis.

That said, it’s important to remember that Titan triggerfish are only defending what they believe are intruders in their territory and we shouldn’t harm them or behave aggressively towards them in any way as this will only make them even more weary of divers. Defend yourself and deal with this feisty fish non-aggressively and to each his own. (*Photo by – Boogies with Fish on flickr)

When surfing the internet you always find lists of the ugliest, weirdest fish and creatures in this world. It’s like we go out of our way to find the bizarre but often forget to stop and look at the good and the beautiful. Here’s a post dedicated to the most colorful, graceful and majestic  creatures that live in our Oceans. As a diver, it brings back my first diving experiences and these beauties of the reefs, not the thrill of the deep are my reason for diving again and again.

Presenting, in no particular order- The Most Beautiful Fish of the Reefs:

Parrot Fish
Easily distinguished by their peculiar beak shaped mouth. With over 90 species of Parrot fish come in the most bright colors from parrot green, to shades of blue, reds and yellows. These fish are found in abundance in shallow reefs around the world, including the Red Sea, Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean. An interesting fact about this species is that they are largely responsible for the fine white sand of many tropical coral islands today. While breaking of chunks of coral and rocky substrates for algae they grind up the coral rock and excrete the same as a fine sand which have over the thousands of years helped create the small islands and sandy beaches in the Bahamas and Caribbean. One parrot fish can produce upto 90kgs (approx. 198 pounds) of sand each year. (*Pictured above is a Rainbow Parrot fish. Source: wikipedia)

Trigger Fish
Often the most patterned fish in the sea Trigger fish are very oval with a large head and similar to the Parrot fish it has a strong jawed mouth with teeth, for crushing shells. Of the many types of trigger fish, the clown trigger is the most popular as the prettiest cos of it’s leopard like spots on it’s top half and big white spots on the bottom half, outlined by the bright yellow on it’s tail and mouth. The Picasso trigger is also an unusual appearance which is like a work of art. It features a creamy grayish-tan and white colored body splashed with many distinctive bright blue and yellow fine-line, and golden, black and white wide-band type markings. Some trigger fish like the Picasso and the Titan trigger make circular rock nests and are fiercely protective of them. They are known to attack divers and snorkelers anywhere near the vicinity of their nests, and which their hard jaw and large size they can cause serious injury. (*Pictured above is a Clown Trigger fish. Source: wikipedia)

Peacock Mantis Shrimp
Also known as the harlequin mantis shrimp or painted mantis shrimp, the Peacock Mantis Shrimp is looks a lot like a mantis from the front. Called a peacock cos the bright colors on it’s tail, this shrimp contrary to it’s colorful exterior can be quite aggressive and keep in a salt water aquarium will eat up most of the tanks occupants. In fact they are known to be able to break through thick aquarium glass and are often kept solitary in acrylic tanks. While diving this large shrimp is native to the Indo-pacific region from Guam to East Africa. (*Pictured above is a Peacock Mantis Shrimp . Image by: sturmjah on flickr)

Bluefaced Angelfish
Not be confused with the freshwater angelfish, Marine angelfish with their vibrant colors are some of the more conspicuous residents of the reef. With over 86 different types of angelfish, the blue-faced is just one of many beautiful fish to choose from. Most marine angelfishes restrict themselves to the shallows of the reef, seldom venturing deeper than 50 m and are found in the tropical Atlantic, Indian, and mostly western Pacific oceans. (*Pictured above is a Bluefaced Angelfish. Source: wikipedia)

Threadfin Butterflyfish
Butterflyfish look like smaller versions of angelfish and are found in the same regions. The common name butterflyfish references the brightly colored and strikingly patterned bodies, bearing shades of black, white, blue, red, orange and yellow. Some species are dull in color however. Many have eyespots on their flanks and dark bands across their eyes, not unlike the patterns seen on butterfly wings. The Threadfin butterflyfish is a beautifully patterned white, black and bright yellow fish. (*Pictured above is a Threadfin Butterlyfish. Image by: on Razvan Marescu flickr)