Stingray City Barracuda Attack

[keyshunter]

Some years ago, while I was on the boat at LCBR waiting for the afternoon divers to load, one of the divers went to the stern and splashed his foot around in the water to wash off the sand. There was a mighty splash and water and blood flew onto the stern. The foot washer stood with a very bloody foot. Because of the many cuts we immediately laid him down and elevated the foot and tried pressure on the worst of the cuts as we waited for help. Fortunately, there was a doctor in our dive group who was coming toward the boat. He was transported to the nurse's clinic along with the diver where he put 52 stitches in the diver's foot. Unfortunately, this was the divers first dive day and he did not want to leave his group so he spent the rest of the week sitting by the pool.

Having grown up with Barracuda, I was sure that one was the culprit and wanted to jump in for a look. But, Andy, then the resort manager, said no and that he would do it. He then performed the fastest entry and exit to the water that I have ever seen. "Nothing there" he said. When I finished laughing at his antics of fear, I walked around the boat and saw a 3 foot 'cuda between the boat and the dock. It was, of course, a major mistake by the 'cuda. I remember commenting that he looked a bit embarrassed.

 

[Schwob]

I dunno, he looks friendly enough. Look at the big smile he's giving you.

LOL

 

[tursiops]

I saw a giant school of giant barracuda at pescador island in Moalboal on Cebu island. I didnt know they schooled but down about 90 to 100 there they were right in front of me. random guess about 40 to 60, couldnt see em all and they looked to be over 5 ft long. If they chose to attack id have disappeared

Those were more likely Blackfin Barracuda (not found in the Atlantic), not Great Barracuda; somewhat smaller and usually in schools. The Greats are more typically solitary or very small groups...and they are the big guys. If any of them chose to attack you would have been caught...no human can swim as fast as they can.

 

[caydiver]

I always heard that they have very bad eyesight. I don’t know if that is an old wives tale or who is the unlucky optometrist! From the local word of mouth from the guys/gals that work STR, the Barracuda was hunting fish not human and the human was in the wrong place between predator and prey. The bite was messy (as one would expect give speed and tooth assembly) but was not beyond the scope of what they would expect. For visitors and guests it would be much more traumatic. For the poor guy on the receiving end it was surely epic to say the least.

 

[Steve_C]

Those were more likely Blackfin Barracuda (not found in the Atlantic), not Great Barracuda; somewhat smaller and usually in schools. The Greats are more typically solitary or very small groups...and they are the big guys. If any of them chose to attack you would have been caught...no human can swim as fast as they can.

Not found in the atlantic? A couple years ago was diving the Stone off Wrightsville Beach. clear to 15 ft off the bottom then suddenly dropped to 3 ft viz. So for dive 2 I was just hanging above the cloud bank watching stuff. There was a school of pinfish off the the left. In almost a tower reaching up from the murk toward the surface. To my right there was a school of smallish barracuda, say 2-3 ft long right at the top of the murk. Partially obscured. Watched them for 20 minutes as they slowly edged toward the pinfish. There were at least 25 of them, maybe more.

 

[diversteve]

We almost always see them near/under liveaboards. I followed one once and stuck my camera in his face while we slowly ascended together. For a second he seemed intrigued by his reflection in my port then he moved 200' away faster than I could follow.

I've had the bait ball experience also in the BVI's. I was moving thru it and noticed a cuda hovering about 100' away. The next time I looked he was about 5' off my shoulder. It seemed like he may have been deciding if my chrome d-ring was edible.

He then had lunch - thousands of scales everywhere. Back on the boat I had to hose off my BC - they were in all the creases, open pockets etc.

Years ago in Cay Sal we'd see schools of them at certain dive sites. If you moved slowly thru them, they'd part and let you.

I have never seen aggression in a Cuda

 

[tursiops]

Not found in the atlantic? A couple years ago was diving the Stone off Wrightsville Beach. clear to 15 ft off the bottom then suddenly dropped to 3 ft viz. So for dive 2 I was just hanging above the cloud bank watching stuff. There was a school of pinfish off the the left. In almost a tower reaching up from the murk toward the surface. To my right there was a school of smallish barracuda, say 2-3 ft long right at the top of the murk. Partially obscured. Watched them for 20 minutes as they slowly edged toward the pinfish. There were at least 25 of them, maybe more.

FishID says there are 7 species of Barracuda in the Pacific, but only 3 in the Atlantic. The ones in the Atlantic are Great, Sennet, and Guaguanche. The Great can get to 6 ft. the other two can get to 18-24 inches. The Great is typically solitary, the latter two typically school. The Great has the dark body bands, the other two do not.

 

[Steve_C]

FishID says there are 7 species of Barracuda in the Pacific, but only 3 in the Atlantic. The ones in the Atlantic are Great, Sennet, and Guaguanche. The Great can get to 6 ft. the other two can get to 18-24 inches. The Great is typically solitary, the latter two typically school. The Great has the dark body bands, the other two do not.

For the great are they generally always solo or mostly when they are full adults (say 4 ft or more).?

 

[NAUI Wowie]

Those were more likely Blackfin Barracuda (not found in the Atlantic), not Great Barracuda; somewhat smaller and usually in schools. The Greats are more typically solitary or very small groups...and they are the big guys. If any of them chose to attack you would have been caught...no human can swim as fast as they can.

edit for basically saying the same thing in post below

 

[NAUI Wowie]

FishID says there are 7 species of Barracuda in the Pacific, but only 3 in the Atlantic. The ones in the Atlantic are Great, Sennet, and Guaguanche. The Great can get to 6 ft. the other two can get to 18-24 inches. The Great is typically solitary, the latter two typically school. The Great has the dark body bands, the other two do not.

I was in the philippines, pescador island cebu. So definitely the pacific ocean and these schooling barracuda were somewhere between 4 and 6 ft

I just read that the great barracuda is sometimes solitary but also schools.

also there are schooling picklehandle barracuda which grow to 5 ft and live in the indo pacific where I was. Im guessing it was probably picklehandle as they were almost as long as me. except im 6 2

If great barracuda can clump up in groups of 10 or so and move in several groups near each other then it could have been that also.

definitely wasnt a 3 or 2 ft variety as the ones I saw were large and impressive


Barracuda Identification Guide - AquaViews