Marine Life Bites

[Cudabait]

Scubasky,

I only stated what the International Shark Attack Files classify as an attack by (shark). There is no organized record keeping for barracuda attacks. However, your "attack", the two recent "attacks" in August and the "attack" I experienced all have very similar circumstances... We were all diving at night, using some kind of bright light when "attacked" unprovoked by barracuda. I'm sure there is someting going on that we humans do not yet understand.

Also, I have made 75-100 dive since my "attack". Many at night. I have since seen at least 100 barracuda without incident. I continue to view them as I did before I was "attacked", with the respect they deserve.

 

[Scuba_Jenny]

A few years ago, coming in on the sand during a beach dive I saw an interesting stingray. Except it looked a little different. I got a bit closer, and my hand was over it. I had NO intention of touching it, I think I was trying to move in that direction. All of a sudden it came out of the sand right for me and nipped my finger through my glove.

I got to shore to survey the damage. NO blood. No marks. Once I got home I pulled out my handy dandy fish ID book to find it was a lesser electric ray!

 

[plsdiver4377]

Cudabait once bubbled...
Hey folks,

This is pretty interesting stuff. I've experienced a lot of what's been mentioned here. However....I have a deep interest in Barracuda attacks and barracuda incidents. Glad to hear about any you may know of.

During August there were two barracuda "hits" on night divers off the Texas coast. Little is known about this fish. Since 1873 there have been 20 substantiated attacks by barracuda on humans. I am the lucky number 20!! I guess the two Texas night divers will be 21 and 22. See my posts under "Barracuda Attacks" posted earlirer in this thread.

This is a 'friend' I met earlier this month off of Marathon, Fla. He seemed to be real friendly but then again I didn't get any closer than about 8 or 10 feet.

 

[Scuba_Jenny]

plsdiver4377 once bubbled...


This is a 'friend' I met earlier this month off of Marathon, Fla. He seemed to be real friendly but then again I didn't get any closer than about 8 or 10 feet.

nice pics. I like #16 better tho!
next question, can you name all the critters?

 

[plsdiver4377]

scuba_jenny once bubbled...

nice pics. I like #16 better tho!
next question, can you name all the critters?

Not yet...... But I'm learning as I go. We did get a critter ID book, so we take a lot of pictures and then have fun finding out what they are .

 

[ScubaBOS]

Well, more than one lobster has locked their claws onto my hands and fingers, but those wouldn't be considered "Unprovoked" attacks.

The largest marine critter to actually attack me was a Bicolor Damselfish while in Aruba. Whle cruising along a wreck I felt something strike the back of my hand. When I turned to look I saw the biggest fiercest damselfish you've ever seen making another charge at me. (Or at least the fish thought he was fierce.) I flicked my fin in its direction and sent it tumbling backwards in the wash. I was lucky to escape.

In Cozumel. on a night dive the divemaster handed me a Channel Clinging Crab which immediately clamped down on one of my fingers with its claw. That hurt worst than any Lobster.

In Hawaii (Oahu) I thought a Reef White Tip about to snack on me. There where three of us and we discovered a small cave where the White Tip was resting. My two buddies where on the left side of the cave's opening and I was alone on the right. The shark swam back and forth a few times before heading straight at me. As I held out camera shooting pictures, the shark suddenly banked up and to it's left to get away. That's when I realized that sharks can count.

Another time back home we where in about 50 when the girl I was with stated pointing straight ahead. It was 5:00pm and the vis was barely 15 feet. That's when I spotted a 5 ft Sand Shark cruise past in front of us from left to right. As I followed it, I glanced to my righthand side and spotted a 2 ft Sand Shark only inches away, swimming beside me.

 

[svendsen]

I'm coming to belive that HID lights, barracudas and night dives are a bad combination. We have had four incidents on night dives.

One was a long time ago before HID dive lights. My buddy shined his 30Watt Halogen light directly in the eyes of a large barracuda for a good minute or so. Eventually it freaked out and charged him, hitting his tank hard enough to make a loud "dong." So this definately counts as provoked.

Recently, a friend of mine shined his 10Watt HID light into the eyes of a cuda, and within just a few seconds it paniced and charged his buddy, bumping firmly but not causing any damage.

On two other recent occasions, I startled large barracudas with my 18watt HID light. They IMMEDIATLY charged me. Both times I dropped the lighthead and both times they missed me. Things might have been different if I had not seen them coming and not dropped the lighthead.

We dive with a lot of barracudas in Miami, and this recent rash of incidents, combined with your story, is making me wary of using powerful HID lights at night in areas freqented by barracuda.

- Jody