Barracuda experience

[Ceberon]

A decent amount of years ago, I was snorkling with a group of other young people (around ages 14-18) in the Florida keys. They would drop around 20 of us off in the water in pairs, and we would snorkle around for a few hours, and then hop back on the boat to head to another location. Fun trip, but that's not the point

So at one location, I swam down to the bottom to take a look at some pretty fish (around 20' down), looked at the fish for awhile, and started heading up.. (my partner wasn't much of a swimmer, he was a strictly surface snorkler). As soon as I had turned upwards, I noticed the school of Barracuda. I'm not sure where they came from, but there was around 30 of them at least. The best way I could describe them is that they looked like a flock of migrating birds. All moving the exact same direction, exact same speed.

They seemed to have exactly intersected my partner and I (and a few other pairs). I swam carefully up to the surface (luckily none had decided to swim between me and my air , and quietly drained my snorkle at the surface, watching the 'cudas swim by. A few swam around 2 or 3 feet away from us. I could see their eyes follow my partner and I, but they didn't deviate at all from their migration.

It was fascinating watching the whole school swim through us, and on into the distance. Our guide didn't seem all that concerned, though I'm curious how safe a large group of inexperienced 14-18 year olds were.

In either case, I thought it was a great experience

 

[cudachaser]

Wife and I decided to spear some fish for dinner....Found this neat little reef about 2 miles off Marathon airport. Dropped down off my 20ft boat...Almost immediately 2 huge barracuda appeared...they were right in our faces. We tried to re-enter the boat...they were at the plateform, mouths wide open they wouldn't let us reboard. Some how we got back on the boat and they started circling the boat. Wife takes blunt end of pole spear and nails one the head...klunk..no reaction! We measured the cudas bases on our boat...20ft long...these cudas were over half our length!

 

[notabob]

While hanging at the safety stop wreck diving in NC, we always had schools of barracudas join us... Some would swing by the boat, check us out and move on. Others were more inquisitive, and ended up hanging out with us for a while. At one point, a rather large 5-6ft cuda kept circling under the boat, swimming up to within a foot or two of every diver, show us his teeth, then move on to the next diver to do the same thing... Cute & friendly little guy!

-Roman.

 

[Barracuda2]

Cudas are very curious animals. They will come in close to investigate you, or allow you to get close to them. On live-a-boards, there are always one or two hanging under the boat and always make for great photo or video shots. The only time I got nervous was when I used to spearfish in the dry Tortugas off the keys. I speared a 15-20 pound grouper. I grabbed him in the eye sockets and hugged him close. A rather large barracuda followed me clear to the surface eyeballing my catch. When I reached the platform of the boat, I heaved the grouper in one move onto the deck. The cuda immediately swam away. Another time, I found a hooked sea bass in a tidal estuary on Andros Island, Bahamas. I signaled my partner that it would make for great eating and cut the fish line. The bass swam above my head like a kite as we drifted with the current towards the mouth of the estuary. Suddenly a big cuda shows up and starts circling us. It finally dawned on me that he was very interested in the bass attached to my hand via fishing line. He kept getting closer on every circle. I got nervous and let the bass go. Like a rocket, the cuda hit the bass and disappeared in to blue. They look mean, but I never feel threatened by their presense.

Barracuda2

 

[kelpmermaid]

I just had an encounter in the Sea of Cortez -- I was returning to the boat underwater, and a huge school passed underneath me. I wasn't worried...I wasn't trailing anything silver or flashy.

There was an incident in S FL several years ago (my mother sends me these articles) where a woman cleaning a boat bottom with a paint scraper attracted unwanted attention. It was probably the flash of the blade that caught the animal's attention...

 

[ScubaJorgen]

Two more stories

Was swimming at Curacao (diving mask on). School of baracudas beneath me. One separated from the group and swam towards me. Though I knew that fish won't attack you without reason, such a large fish heading for my naked belly wasn't that much attractive to me then.

A dive instructur at Curacao shone on a baracuda with her divelight during a night dive. After a while the blinded baracuda got annoyed and rocketed away like an unguided missile. Unfortunately it hit the instructor on the leg. Nice blue stain was the result on her leg. I wonder what the cuda's nose looked like.... :deadfish:

 

[DutchDown]

felt like a reward. I was in Bali and had just completed my final OW exercise for my certification when my instructor pointed over my shoulder to a school of perhaps a hundred juvenile barracuda swimming about 20 meters away. That's when I realized just how far I had come from the farm in Southern Illinois.

An aside to Jorgen...nice website!

Phil

 

[Rick Murchison]

Cudachaser reports a "more than half 20' " cuda... I too have seen barracuda that I'd have sworn were 8' long or more... but...
The official world record barracuda is a bit under seven feet and 85 pounds.
The largest reported (unofficial but reasonably credible) barracuda is seven feet and 110 pounds.
Rick

 

[PapaBob]

I have found large cudda to be territorial. They are curious when you enter their part of the reef on a drift dive and break off when you exit their "boundry". I have never had an encounter with an agressive cuda. Just my 2c.

---Bob

 

[Fishbait99]

I've encountered many barracuda on dives, and never once felt threatened by them. Yes, they are large, intimidating looking fish, but once you see them in the water, you also realize they are pretty much indifferent to you. People are too large to be considered prey items, and the 'cuda himself will not see you as a threat.

This is probably my favorite photo of a barracuda. I handed one of the other divers my camera, and swam around to the far side. Then we both approached the 'cuda, and my buddy snapped the shot. I tell you, this picture doesn't do the fish justice. He had to be at least 5 feet long, and although he appears silvery, in person he was a dark gunmetal grey. (I'll echo the thought above about flashes reflecting of their scales.)

Personally, barracuda are one of my favorite sightings in the water. They often allow you to approach quite close, and they are such interesting animals. *Sigh*...just thinking about it makes me want to head south!