Fear of Barracudas

[Charlie L]

I have been told by usually reliable sources that people are not in the barracuda's food chain so "not to worry."

I have had encounters with very large (about 5 feet in length) baracudas and they were generally polite and with one exception kept a reasonable distance but that one exception was after a fish behind me. I have never been bothered but then I am a fairly large person bigger than most barracuda.

Question: Is there any incidence of barracudas attacking small children swimming off of a boat in the BVI's?

Respectfully submitted by a paranoid Grandfather!

 

[sailingdog]

The key is not to have any flashy or bright jewelry or watches on your person when swimming with aggressive predators like barracuda. They may mistake it for small fish and attack, with bad results to both.

 

[Hermit Scott]

My biggest fear while cleaning my boat hull was jelly fish, but now I can add barracuda to the list. I did keep an eye out for jaws, but the water is so murky I can only see 2 inches. I think alot of sealife stay out of the relatively still waters of the marina. Someone tell me sharks don't like marinas.

 

[Tim R.]

Never had a problem with Barracuda. I spent a week diving in Cozumel where they are plentiful. I do not think you need to worry about small children(sans shiny objects). Their typical splashy behavior is more likely to attract sharks.

In fact, I saw very few Barracuda in the BVIs. I can remember only one. They do like to hang out in shady places though and under boats is where I would usually see them.

 

[Rick I]

The only case I heard of a barracuda attack was in the Bahamas where a woman was walking in the shallows with a shiny anklet on her ankle. The barracuda took a chunk out of her Achilles tendon and she still suffers from the injury today. Never wear anything shiny underwater! I see lots of them in the Bahamas during our winter cruising. They stare at you but otherwise they're not dangerous. When spearfishing I make sure the fish doesn't slide down the pole spear near my hand if barracudas are around or for that matter even if they're not around as they sure can zip when they want to move fast.

 

[rpwillia]

Hmmm...

My biggest fear while cleaning my boat hull was jelly fish, but now I can add barracuda to the list. I did keep an eye out for jaws, but the water is so murky I can only see 2 inches. I think alot of sealife stay out of the relatively still waters of the marina. Someone tell me sharks don't like marinas.

Hate to feed your fear (am I really sorry?) but I understand some sharks like murky water.

 

[Hermit Scott]

Oh well, You can't have courage with out fear. If I can't relax while diving at least I will have another exercise to beat down the coward in me.

 

[Tim R.]

Sharks are not a big deal. I have both snorkeled and scuba dived around them plenty of times. Guess what? You got it...they are more afraid of you then you of them.

Hermit, you do ,however, need to watch out for those corn-eyed, brown, bay Barracuda. They live in the sewer pipes and are quite scary when you come face to face with one.

 

[sailingdog]

If you're swimming with the brown bay barracuda, you'll have other worries, like Hepatitis C, etc...

Hermit, you do ,however, need to watch out for those corn-eyed, brown, bay Barracuda. They live in the sewer pipes and are quite scary when you come face to face with one.

 

[Bob S]

I did a dive week in Key Largo Florida. Pennekamp National Park. I saw plenty of Barracudas. They love to bask in the sun in shallow waters. We were swimming through these canyons of coral and as we approached one it would take off. I did have a scare, one about 4+ feet turned and showed his teeth. I turned to my father in law and motioned up. We went around it. I read later in a National Geographic Magazine that all animals use a bluff technique as some diver's have experienced when approaching a Barracuda. The only time you have to worry is if you corner them.

 

[Hermit Scott]

My friend caught a cat fish that apparently ate a human turd. We caught some catfish in the Guadalupe river below where all the people were partying.
My friend had it in his kayak floor. It wiggled under the seat and used it's top fin to hold it's position so my friend had to squeeze it to get a hold of it and get it out. We thought it was mud coming out at first but with that distinct smell it could only be human poop. We threw all the fish back and skipped our usual fish fry after the kayaking trip.

 

[Hermit Scott]

"corn eyed" lol

 

[Bob S]

I pulled this off the Pennekamp website, you can read what they say about Barracuda. Guess the shinny jewelry doesn't matter.

http://www.pennekamppark.com/reefanimals.html

Hermit, I drive by marshes that have a terrible smell at low tide but I don't think it's human.

 

[Hermit Scott]

Bob-my hope in life is that some one will confirm that the fish I eat will not eat human poop. It was indeed a light brown turd like consistency that smelled just like enchiladas 8 hours after consumption.

 

[Rick Webb]

I have Never Figured it Out

The only reason anyone could eat Catfish or Tilapia is they did not know what the fish ate just before they were caught.

I would never eat anything caught down stream of the Schlitterbahn either.

 

[Hermit Scott]

I went to Schlitterbahn for the first time about 2 weeks ago, though I lived here for 13 years. I love it that most of the water park is water from the river instead of chlorinated.
Have you been to schlitterbahn Rick?

 

[MoonSailer]

San Marcos river is a great place to snorkle!!!!
I have heard stories about barracuda taking speared fish. My brother said that he lost several fish to some big ones and finally gave up.
Bull sharks love bays and will even go up rivers. One was caught near St Louis MO in the Mississippi river. There are a lot of bull sharks in Florida and Alabama. They have been caught up river 70 miles on the Alabama river. http://www.digistat.com/Frames/Articles/Current/Fish/shark.htm
But the gators are possibly a bigger danger in some areas. We had two big gators hang around our marina in Panama City FL. Yes gators don't mind salt water.
It is far safer to sit in the cockpit and drink iced rum!!!! Actually in all my years of diving jelly fish have come closest to killing me. I almost passed out from the pain. Sea urchins and fire coral hurt but not like a box jelly fish. I usually wear a dive skin or thin wetsuit for protection from jellies.

 

[Gary_H]

I've been diving for over thirty years with barracuda and sharks and have never had any problems with them. They do get curious sometimes. Barracuda sometimes will hang out under you boat.

 

[Rick Webb]

Schlitterbahn

I have not been in about ten years, but we are going next week. The thing I get a kick out of is so much of it is in the shade and you do not notice the up and down so much as it is a natural incline rather than walking up stairs all day long.

 

[MoonSailer]

I remember my son hanging out at this one spot where the girls tended to lose their tops!!!!! A big thrill for a young man. I tended to hang out at the in the water bar. When we lived in Texas we went to the rivers in the hill country on a regular basis. San Marcos river is hard to beat on a hot day. The springs with the mermaids was fun too. "Aquarena Springs" and their diving pig.