Am I a Barracuda or Look-a-Like? (Bonaire)

[drrich2]

Hi:

Just got back from a week in Bonaire; got in 20 dives & had a blast. At a bit over 50 feet deep my dive buddy spotted a big fish, I'd estimate over 3 feet, looking like a really fat barracuda, which is what I took it to be at the time. It didn't let me real close, and my pics aren't the best. I later realized that there are other fish that resemble barracuda, and I'm not used to barracuda looking so far. So, here is the mystery fish (with Adobe Photoshop Elements Auto-Smart Fix on one, and Auto-Levels on the other, to bring out contrast to better discern the particulars):

For comparison, let's look at a pic I snapped of a strikingly patterned much smaller barracuda during the trip (which changed colors/patterning quickly, loosing those great patterns):

Notice how our mystery fish only has one fin down the back, but the 'known barracuda' has 2?

What do you guys think? Different species of Barracuda? Old injury amputated a dorsal fin?

Richard.

 

[ladyfishdvr]

The shape of the bottom fins is different and so is the tail.

 

[knotical]

Was the mystery fish moving forward as the pictures were taken? Movement affects fin appearance, sometimes even to the point of flattening a fin against the body. Looks like a 'cuda to me.

 

[drrich2]

It was moving off forward, but not at high speed.

Richard.

 

[knotical]

Two (of three) pictures on the wikipedia page: Great barracuda - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia with the fore-dorsal fin not erect.

 

[drrich2]

Here are the other shots I took of it, one with Auto-Levels, the others as they came out of the camera (Canon G10, with Canon housing, in underwater scene mode) aside from changing resolution to shrink them down.

Maybe those will help.

Richard.

 

[chillyinCanada]

Even without your extra pictures, I'm already convinced it is a great barracuda. The front dorsal on barracudas are quite often retracted. The real convincer is the shape of the tail. {

I often see these barracuda that appear darker and chubbier.

 

[KeithG]

I concur with barracuda. A relatively fat one. The shape and markings are pretty distinctive.

If it was smaller and had different markings it could be a sennet which has a distinctive line down the side. But it is not.

 

[smellzlikefish]

Absolutely barracuda.

 

[Pearlman]

I don't think it's a barracuda. I swam stationery next to one on my last trip to similan isles. It was sleek and aerodynamic with a longer snout and jaggy teeth - you didn't want to mess with it. I was actually horizontal and matched head to toe, at a distance of a few feet. It was my length about 5'9...

Sent from my GT-N7000