Barracuda Attack

[Cudabait]

Thanks, Jeff.

I guess most don't realize this thread is over 5 years old. I know you remember the attack as well as I do, since you were there when it happened. Suffice to say it was vicious...well documented with DAN. afte4r two days in Utila, I got back to the states and had to have reconstructive on the right side of my face which was totaly fractured by the impact. As you witnessed, it was not provoked and we were simply leading certified divers on a night dive. Three instructors on the dive were you, me and Hans Grauer. It seems that highly reflective frames on my maske were what attacted the attack.

 

[Cudabait]

Thanks, Jeff.

I guess most don't realize this thread is over 5 years old. I know you remember the attack as well as I do, since you were there when it happened. Suffice to say it was vicious...well documented with DAN. afte4r two days in Utila, I got back to the states and had to have reconstructive on the right side of my face which was totaly fractured by the impact. As you witnessed, it was not provoked and we were simply leading certified divers on a night dive. Three instructors on the dive were you, me and Hans Grauer. It seems that highly reflective frames on my maske were what attacted the attack.

 

[BTravlin]

I've been around several barracuda in the 3-4' range and they usually pay me no mind. I like checking them out and respect them but they don't particularly worry me either. My wife and I were diving off West Caicos this past June when we witnessed a barracuda strike. We were near the bottom at about 40' and there was a 4' cuda hovering nearby. The wife and I were checking him out when in a flash he was gone and had hit a small fish swimming under the dive boat that was 40' up and probably 20-25' over. One instant here, next instant there. Scary fast!

 

[Jumpinghorse]

No reports of cigueratera past Grenada I think. We ate lots of it in Venezuela.

With the threat of cigueratera, I wouldn't advise eating 'cuda. However, with any other fish it would probably be great.

DSDO,

 

[Antarctic-Adventurer]

Thanks for the interesting report Cudabait.

I just replaced my Suunto D6 rubber strap with a nice new, shiny silver metal one... gulp :worried:

:blinking:

 

[planelim]

i been chase by a great barracude during a dive on reef area at 16m with other 2 divers. The barracude circle and trying to attack us. we try to kick or scare it away by kicking on its face but it doesn't work...we kick all the way up to the surface (cause it really scare us) and its still following! After following us on the surface around 10min then it swam away..On that day onward, i keep on eyes on the articles what should a diver do if he or she been following@ attack or whatever related to barracuda..

 

[Thalassamania]

First of all, let's get the size questions out of the way. The world records are 5.5 feet long and 85 lbs. Claims over that need to be looked at a bit askance and chalked up to refraction and adrenalin.

The only person that I know (and I saw the damage) was Capt. Slate down in the keys, and that attack cost him fifty odd stitches ... it was a feeding accident. I have routinely been around big baracuda, I've fed them (in the old days) and I've never had any problem.

Stories of barracuda hitting shinny things abound and continue to be generated, so I suspect that there is some truth in them, perhaps a shiny regulator bell is all that it takes?

 

[Doubler]

Back in 1983 we were diving the wreck of The City of Santa Cruz out of Cape Canaveral. The wreck was covered with Snapper and Great Barracuda with Bull sharks circling out in the blue. I was looking for glass ware with my wife and my friend and his buddy were spear fishing for snapper. I had a ping pong paddle and was waving away the sand looking for shot glasses. About this time I noticed something right next to me. I look to the right and all I see is eyeball and teeth, at that time I would have sworn on a stack of bibles that that Barracuda was at least 10 foot long and weighed 500 lbs. In retrospect, he was almost 6 foot and closer to 90. Anyway, I stopped waving the paddle and this dam fish swims down to the bottom, puts his nose in the hole, raises up and gets right in my face. I'm thinking this is probably bad. He sat there lightly bumping my mask, so I started waving my paddle on the bottom again and he backs up and puts his nose in the hole. We did this for about 15 minutes, I'd find a shot glass and gingerly pick it up and put it in my pocket and he would wait till I started waving again to get back on station. Have no clue what he was looking for. Never communicated with a fish before but it was kinda cool. I didn't like him following me back to the boat, made me kinda nervous. It was fun, but not as much fun as my friend had trying to spear fish. Did you know that Barracuda and Bulls like speared fish? He never got one back to the boat.

 

[Cudabait]

Some posters on Scuba Board fail to list all of their qualifications in their CV's. ie, opinionated.

"Too often ... people enjoy the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought"

 

[Tortuga68]

Kill fish, get killed by fish

Circle of life