Where to dive with frogfish

What they are

The family has 14 genera and more than 45 described species. Frogfish have rounded, slightly compressed bodies, and the first spine of the dorsal fin is modified into a fishing rod (illicium) tipped with a lure (esca).¹

They rarely swim, moving instead along the bottom on their fins, and they swallow prey whole. They are well camouflaged, with highly variable colour patterns. The giant frogfish, Antennarius commerson, is one of the largest shallow-water anglerfishes; Fishes of Australia gives its size as 38 cm in one place and 33 cm in another.^1,2

Where and when divers see them

Frogfish live in tropical seas worldwide except the Mediterranean, mostly on shallow reefs, with the family recorded from 0 to 300 m. The giant frogfish lives on shallow coral and rocky reefs and in seagrass beds, often mimicking sponges, at about 1 to 45 m.^1,2

Depth ranges differ a great deal between species: the striated frogfish is recorded from 2 to 219 m, while the brackishwater frogfish lives in marine and brackish water no deeper than about 10 m.^3,4

Conservation status

IUCN Red List status varies by species. The giant frogfish and the striated frogfish are listed as Least Concern, while the brackishwater frogfish, Antennarius biocellatus, was assessed as Data Deficient in August 2020.^2,3,4

How to behave around them

A 2019 study in Scientific Reports by Maarten De Brauwer and colleagues found that touching had a very strong effect on seahorses, frogfishes and ghost pipefishes, while flash alone had no more effect than a diver simply watching. The authors' advice is to focus on not touching animals rather than worrying about flash.⁵

• Keep your hands to yourself; do not touch, prod or move a frogfish.^5,6
• Stay neutrally buoyant at all times.⁶
• Never chase or harass it.⁶