The common Caribbean scorpionfish, mottled to match rock and rubble, and identified when it moves by the black-and-white pattern on the underside of the pectoral fins.
To about 45 cm, mottled brown, red and cream, with fleshy skin flaps over the eyes and along the jaw that break up the outline against rock and rubble. It is the common Caribbean scorpionfish and it is genuinely hard to see. The character that names it is hidden until the fish moves: the undersides of the pectoral fins carry a bold black-and-white pattern, flashed as a warning when it is disturbed, and that flash is often the first indication that the rock in front of you is a fish.
It hunts by sitting still and taking prey with a strike, and it does not move when a diver approaches, which is the entire hazard. The dorsal spines are venomous and the sting is severe: intense pain out of proportion to the wound, swelling that can spread up a limb, and a wound that becomes infected easily. Hot water, as hot as the person can stand without scalding, breaks down the venom and is the accepted first aid, and it is not a substitute for medical attention. The practical rule is to look before putting a hand, a knee or a fin anywhere on rubble, and to look at what a guide is pointing at before settling next to it.
Ratings are per location: 1 means found on most dives that look for it, 5 means a handful of records. Where enough dives have been logged the figure is calculated from them; otherwise it is an editorial estimate, and says so. We publish habitat and destination, not the dive site.
