A year ago some NC divers were shooting bags from a deep offshore wreck. They lost two lift bags to cuda attacks as the bags went up. Shredded them.
Barracuda Encounter - Will I be Dinner?
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drrich2
Contributor
Keep in mind that if someone has fed one, it can change the game. Here's a link to a blog on Undercurrent; scroll on down to the paragraph above Conclusions.
"The most horrifying barracuda attack story I’ve heard was on such good authority that it bears repetition. It was told to me by the Dive Master at the College of the Virgin Islands Marine Laboratory. He had taken a DAN course on decompression chamber operations in St. Thomas, and the lecturers had included a standard lecture on dangerous marine organisms. They had shown photos of the usual known possible hazards like sharks, sting rays, moray eels, fire worms, long spined black sea urchins, etc., and ended with a barracuda. Then they said that the last one was just a joke to see if people were awake, there was not a single known case of an unprovoked barracuda attack, so this was not a real problem at all! At that point a medical doctor taking the course raised his hand, and excuse me, that isn’t really correct”. He then described an incident some years before in which two divers had traditionally dived at the same location every week, and would bring food to feed a large friendly barracuda that frequented the site. One day they dived at the usual location in their usual dive suits, and their finny friend was waiting for his handout, but they had forgotten to bring it. The first diver held his empty palms in front of him to indicate, “sorry big boy, no food for you today”. The barracuda bit both of his hands off. The second diver hugged his hands under his armpits to protect himself, and the barracuda bit and savaged both of his forearms so that they “looked like meat that had been through a grinder”. The person telling this story to the class ended by saying that “I was the physician who had treated them both afterwards”."
When you're in an area where lion fish are often hunted, and a large barracuda follows you around, there may be no relation, and it's strictly speculation on my part as what these guys were doing wasn't necessarily the same thing, but...well, might be worth being aware of.
Richard.
"The most horrifying barracuda attack story I’ve heard was on such good authority that it bears repetition. It was told to me by the Dive Master at the College of the Virgin Islands Marine Laboratory. He had taken a DAN course on decompression chamber operations in St. Thomas, and the lecturers had included a standard lecture on dangerous marine organisms. They had shown photos of the usual known possible hazards like sharks, sting rays, moray eels, fire worms, long spined black sea urchins, etc., and ended with a barracuda. Then they said that the last one was just a joke to see if people were awake, there was not a single known case of an unprovoked barracuda attack, so this was not a real problem at all! At that point a medical doctor taking the course raised his hand, and excuse me, that isn’t really correct”. He then described an incident some years before in which two divers had traditionally dived at the same location every week, and would bring food to feed a large friendly barracuda that frequented the site. One day they dived at the usual location in their usual dive suits, and their finny friend was waiting for his handout, but they had forgotten to bring it. The first diver held his empty palms in front of him to indicate, “sorry big boy, no food for you today”. The barracuda bit both of his hands off. The second diver hugged his hands under his armpits to protect himself, and the barracuda bit and savaged both of his forearms so that they “looked like meat that had been through a grinder”. The person telling this story to the class ended by saying that “I was the physician who had treated them both afterwards”."
When you're in an area where lion fish are often hunted, and a large barracuda follows you around, there may be no relation, and it's strictly speculation on my part as what these guys were doing wasn't necessarily the same thing, but...well, might be worth being aware of.
Richard.
OP
Flutter
Contributor
Ok. @CuzzA , I almost fell out of my chair - I wasn't expecting that. 
@Steve_C , I did see one strike - today's barracuda striked at the lrg snapper - Yikes! Extremely fast! That's when I started wishing I was on a boat dive, with lots of other "tasty" divers, instead of diving on a low profile reef with lots of sand to swim with just my best friend/hubby.
@drrich2 , we did wonder if they thought we might be spearing & either offer them lion fish, or if not, they planned to grab our catch. We were NOT spearing, however. But the Go-Pro Silver might have been reflective in the sun (until we hid it). Maybe they were just hopeful . . . And that doesn't sound real good, based on your last post.
@TMHeimer , my thoughts are similar, I believe. And now I am trying to decide on a reef to dive tomorrow, where we haven't seen ANY this week. Hmmmm. Last day.
@Steve_C , I did see one strike - today's barracuda striked at the lrg snapper - Yikes! Extremely fast! That's when I started wishing I was on a boat dive, with lots of other "tasty" divers, instead of diving on a low profile reef with lots of sand to swim with just my best friend/hubby.
@drrich2 , we did wonder if they thought we might be spearing & either offer them lion fish, or if not, they planned to grab our catch. We were NOT spearing, however. But the Go-Pro Silver might have been reflective in the sun (until we hid it). Maybe they were just hopeful . . . And that doesn't sound real good, based on your last post.
@TMHeimer , my thoughts are similar, I believe. And now I am trying to decide on a reef to dive tomorrow, where we haven't seen ANY this week. Hmmmm. Last day.
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CuzzA
Wetwork for Hire
Don't worry about it. Enjoy your dive. Like I said, no "tasty" triggers... Flashing lights in their face, erratic motion, shiny things dangling. 
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Well, the last few posts seem to somewhat verify my feeling that you never know for sure about dangerous wildlife. Yes, you're probably safe like 99% of the time. IF you don't spearfish, have something shiny, make erratic movements, do this, do that. And assume the fish itself is not very old and not capable of catching usual prey, or is damaged in some way (mentally?). Yeah, you're probably quite safe. I didn't wear a seat belt until getting a ticket in 1992. Guess I was safe enough the 21 years driving before that.
Why take the chance. While it's awesome to see the natural habitats I always feel vulnerable under the water....id feel better if I was allowed to carry a stick....or better yet a bang stick like the good old days
...a selfie stick as much as I hate them may be part of my MEL diving near and around feeding grounds.
...a selfie stick as much as I hate them may be part of my MEL diving near and around feeding grounds.
On a 10-day dive trip off Belize we had barracudas swimming with us nearly every dive, sometimes just a few feet away. At first they look scary, particularly with open mouths and all those sharp teeth showing. Then you just get used to them and ignore.
PatW
Contributor
Barracuda are evil looking fish so they have a bad reputation.
I am an underwater photographer. Most barracuda really don't like being approached closely and will retreat.
When I snorkeled, I often had barracuda follow me. I think it was just curiosity. It could have been in hopes that I would flush some fish out of hiding and thus provide a snack.
Once many years ago, I was on a reef in the Keys. It had really huge barracuda in the 8' range. I approached on of them and it did the behavior Steve described. It flared its gills, turned a bit broadside, and open and shut its mouth dramatically and repeatedly. It looked like an intentional display. I took it to mean "back off varmint". Since I thought that the barracuda was just protecting its personal space placing me in the wrong. I backed off.
I have never heard of a barracuda attacking a diver.
I am an underwater photographer. Most barracuda really don't like being approached closely and will retreat.
When I snorkeled, I often had barracuda follow me. I think it was just curiosity. It could have been in hopes that I would flush some fish out of hiding and thus provide a snack.
Once many years ago, I was on a reef in the Keys. It had really huge barracuda in the 8' range. I approached on of them and it did the behavior Steve described. It flared its gills, turned a bit broadside, and open and shut its mouth dramatically and repeatedly. It looked like an intentional display. I took it to mean "back off varmint". Since I thought that the barracuda was just protecting its personal space placing me in the wrong. I backed off.
I have never heard of a barracuda attacking a diver.
I'm with TM. Sheesh. Cold diving on the Great Lakes with nothing that can eat me holds even more appeal now!
OK, that Barracuda Attack thread CuzzA linked to and the story drrich2 shared definitely have me think about some Cuda encounters (albeit all but one with smaller ones) and how careless - or stupid I may have behaved... :
like swimming in a school of Cudas (see avatar) not even having a particular clue what all might be shiny on me or on the camera , lights, clear housing... and having my (bare) camera hands "right there"...
I remember a bunch of years back when I temporarily lost my daughter to a huge Cuda while snorkeling off a Key West snorkel tour boat. She was maybe 11 at the time. We were next to each other. That huge Cuda just came beneath us. I immediately hear an unearthy shriek and as I try to point out (hmmm, should one really point the finger on a huge Cuda?) the exiting Cuda to my daughter, she was gone. Just totally gone.
Slight panic.
Looking again with mask in water, then a full 360 with mask out of water. She was nowhere... when I realized she was like 250 feet off to the left. Somehow that Cuda and superhuman "shriek-power" just made that little girl turbo 250 feet through the water in 3, or 4 seconds flat...
I did not even think that possibly could have been her, she went so far in no time...
like swimming in a school of Cudas (see avatar) not even having a particular clue what all might be shiny on me or on the camera , lights, clear housing... and having my (bare) camera hands "right there"...
I remember a bunch of years back when I temporarily lost my daughter to a huge Cuda while snorkeling off a Key West snorkel tour boat. She was maybe 11 at the time. We were next to each other. That huge Cuda just came beneath us. I immediately hear an unearthy shriek and as I try to point out (hmmm, should one really point the finger on a huge Cuda?) the exiting Cuda to my daughter, she was gone. Just totally gone.
Slight panic.
Looking again with mask in water, then a full 360 with mask out of water. She was nowhere... when I realized she was like 250 feet off to the left. Somehow that Cuda and superhuman "shriek-power" just made that little girl turbo 250 feet through the water in 3, or 4 seconds flat...
I did not even think that possibly could have been her, she went so far in no time...
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