13 Dangerous Fish And Sea Animals

Sharks - Not Dangerous Unless You Feed Them

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Sharks are probably the most misunderstood creatures in the ocean. They are aggressive predators, but scuba divers are not their natural prey. Most sharks appear shyly curious if they encounter divers underwater. Something about a diver's noisy bubbles and bug-eyed mask must scare them off. The few shark-related diving injuries that do occur generally happen when scuba divers feed these animals. When fed (especially by hand) sharks sometimes become frenzied and may mistakenly nibble a diver. For this reason, divers should never feed sharks or other marine life without the supervision of a professional.

Damselfish - Aggressive, but Not Dangerous

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With all the ugly, toothy, and spiny fish in the sea, the last fish a diver may be expecting to attack is the damselfish. Damselfish are relatively small (about 3-5 inches in general) and sometimes very pretty. Damselfish are dedicated gardeners, tending a small algal patch which provides their food. If a diver violates the damselfish's territory, the angry little fish will aggressively nip at the diver. Most of the time this is fairly comical, and it is rare that these tiny fish manage to do damage.

 

Perhaps the most aggressive of the damselfish is the Sergeant Major. Normally docile, the males of the species becomes very defensive when tending eggs. To warn other fish (and divers) that he means business, an egg-tending male will darken his white body to blue or indigo. Give blue Sergeant Majors space unless you want to be nibbled.