diving.voyage
Pufferfish

Marine life profile

Pufferfish

Recorded at 2272 dive sites

Where divers encounter it

Explore Pufferfish around the world

Usually deliberate and observant, it searches reef and sand for hard-shelled food.

Dive sites2272
Countries72
Animal groupReef Fish
Safety profileGenerally Harmless

Meet the species

What to look for

How to Recognize It

A round-headed fish with large eyes, a small beak-like mouth and a body built to inflate under stress.

How It Behaves

Usually deliberate and observant, it searches reef and sand for hard-shelled food.

Special Ability

When threatened it can swallow water and expand, turning an easy-looking meal into an awkward, spiny mouthful.

Dive responsibly

Share the water well

How to Approach

Move slowly at the same depth, avoid swimming directly at it and let the fish resume its normal behavior.

Safety

Never provoke inflation. It is a severe stress response, and some pufferfish tissues contain powerful toxins.

Worth knowing

The detail you remember

Interesting Facts

Pufferfish is closely adapted to its habitat, and patient observation reveals details that a quick swim-by misses.

Where to Find

Look around coral structure, rocky reef, wrecks and current lines where shelter and food meet.

Known countries

Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and SabaSpainTurkeyIndonesiaCambodiaPhilippinesThailandPanamaMexicoMalaysiaUnited StatesEgyptIndiaMaldivesSaudi Arabia