BARRACUDA BITE on HALF MOON CAY?

[coevan]

I have been diving for 40 years and have 100's of dives and never witnessed a barracuda attack. The last video is more typical of barracuda behaviour.

[firemanbobswife]

Good point about feeding the fish to entertain the tourists. They sure aren't thinking about future consequences of doing that.

 

 

 

I thought it was interesting too in the article how they talked about how the dolphin pens affect the areas down current. There is a lot of that in the Caribbean with the swim with the dolphins excursions.

 

 

 

I enjoyed learning from this guy's expertise and experience. He sure has a lot of stories to share about barracudas.

 

 

The Dolphin thing is a real sore spot with me and I'll just leave it at that [emoji20]

[tofinochris]

I wouldn't be surprised. Cruisers do offer something a little bit different from the same old local grub.

 

If nothing else, most of them are well-marinated.

[Viesczy]

 

Great video! Okay, I hafta admit I laughed when it was "happening" but then I saw the aftermath and was WOW.

 

Honestly, that is the greatest vacation story EVER as that 1 ups everything!!

 

Example... you're @ an event and someone is all "OMG our plane had some turbulence and it knocked me out of my seat"... out comes the barracuda story.

 

"Wow, that sounds like it was really scary but my foot was chewed off and re-attached (yes you embellish a little) after I was attacked my a barracuda while I was caught in a rip current after I saved 3 special needs children from the same rip current (little embellishment again)."

 

Best vacation story EVER!

[TrqoisWtrs]

Wow, I've snorkeled and seen lots of barracudas; usually they don't bother me. But I was snorkeling in Coz once, just off the shore. I was watching a small bunch of fish and all of a sudden they took off like a rocket swimming directly below me. I freaked, thinking, uh oh, what's coming? A large barracuda swam into view and unfortunately caught up to one of the fish and literally bit it in half. While he was eating the tail end, the head was slowing floating up to the surface trailing blood. In the meantime, I'm trying to back paddle and get out of the way. The barracuda then came up and grabbed the head and swam off. Thankfully he wasn't interested in me, and to be honest, it was fascinating to see.

[JaniceB]

Yikes!

[firemanbobswife]

I still am curious to know what the guy threw into the water at the beginning of the video.

[ABQrobin]

As a scuba diver with hundreds of dives, I can honestly say that barracuda are one fish I keep a good distance from for good reason. They are attracted to the fish they love most by the sun twinkling off of the scales. So it is important not to resemble a shiny fish. Period. Flashy jewelry, flashy clothing, the fish doesn't know it isn't his favorite food. Its shiny.

 

And I would bet that 99% of all fish attacks on humans are due to "food" being in the water - like the dummies who take stuff into the water to feed and attract fish. I hate this, because someone always gets bitten.

[sharonny]

:eek: Ouch!

[Wilgr]

Everything in the ocean wants to eat you, most of it will give you the courtesy of being dead first.

[pastthymes]

I am on the Pride right now. No, it was not a hoax. It was a gentlemen in about 3 feet of water. I talked to the woman who was next to him. She saw a long silver fish bit the man. Said the water was instantly red from his blood. He got out of the water of his own accord n the amazing Carnival medics attended to him. Some say he was flown to Bahamas hospital. I heard he was doing well. Not sure about that fact.

Although it is considered EXTREMELY RARE for a Barracuda to even be in such shallow water, no less attack....I think it's the very nature of fish to randomly bite.

I don't anticipate an incident, my self, given the fact I was on the ship. If, in fact, I am to be bitten while on the ship we all have far bigger problems.

[agp_mzk]

Any wild fish/animal can potentially be dangerous. Sometimes we need a reminder like this thread. I've come upon barracudas while snorkeling a couple of times.

 

In Cozumel in 2013:

 

And in Freeport this past May:

 

 

I've always given these guys a wide berth, and they've done the same to me. I always keep an eye on them as I back away, not that I could really "get away" if I needed to. I also wear solid, dark bathing suits and no jewelry when I snorkel, and my camera is blue, so (hopefully) it kind of blends in with the water instead of sticking out. We can't control all the circumstances in our interactions with wildlife, but I do try to take all the common-sense precautions I can.

[divinmule]

The Dolphin thing is a real sore spot with me and I'll just leave it at that [emoji20]

 

Ditto!

[maldenmusic]

Definitely not something that happens often.

[S&S Cruisers 1983]

Wow! Thank you for posting this. I do not snorkel or dive, but I love to wade in the water. Never thought something like this was possible.

[mibarron]

Oh man....I should NOT be watching these videos as I'm sailing on Sunshine in a few days...but I can't resist!!![emoji33][emoji51][emoji848]

 

Note to self: remove all shiny objects

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

[winddawn]

Oh man....I should NOT be watching these videos as I'm sailing on Sunshine in a few days...but I can't resist!!![emoji33][emoji51][emoji848]

 

Note to self: remove all shiny objects

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

I hear you! I spent my hard-earned money on a HMC cabana for November! Lol.

 

And I love HMC. Been there many times. But will likely spend more time in the cabana this time!

[ShakyBeef]

I hear you! I spent my hard-earned money on a HMC cabana for November! Lol.

 

And I love HMC. Been there many times. But will likely spend more time in the cabana this time!

 

 

I've got the Private Oasis in September. This has me thinking very differently about the Carnival employees that were hanging out in the corner of the PO last time (2014), tossing food to the fish, drawing fish from all around (and probably the fish that want to eat those fish:eek:) to the base of the PO, where our group spent the day in the water.:( I really didn't think much about it at the time, even though DH and I have seen barracuda in the waters of the Bahamas many times before.

 

I just hope they don't do it this time. I don't want to be confrontational - I'd feel awkward and like I was being rude if I attempted to ask them to stop doing it:o, but the more I think about it, the more I don't want the fish fed where my family and friends are going to be - especially since my children are going to be there.:(

[winddawn]

I've got the Private Oasis in September. This has me thinking very differently about the Carnival employees that were hanging out in the corner of the PO last time (2014), tossing food to the fish, drawing fish from all around (and probably the fish that want to eat those fish:eek:) to the base of the PO, where our group spent the day in the water.:( I really didn't think much about it at the time, even though DH and I have seen barracuda in the waters of the Bahamas many times before.

 

I just hope they don't do it this time. I don't want to be confrontational - I'd feel awkward and like I was being rude if I attempted to ask them to stop doing it:o, but the more I think about it, the more I don't want the fish fed where my family and friends are going to be - especially since my children are going to be there.:(

After seeing the video of the barracuda off the steps of the HMC villa, and the videos of the barracudas in both HMC and Grand Turk in SHALLOW WATER, I will definitely rethink my time in both places. Oh yea, I'll still visit both places because I love them both, but will definitely rethink how I spend my time there.

[rtap23]

I grew up in the Florida Keys as a son of a commercial fisherman and in my teens up to an adult I was also in the commercial fishing business. One of the species that we fished for was the hog snapper. These where caught diving with a spear gun. After thousand of dives with strings of many semi dead fish I could tell you that only once a baracuda went for me instead of the fish. So there is a chance of being bit but I feel that it is a small chance.

[coevan]

Windawn, relax, enjoy the water. Barracuda going after humans is extremely rare, don't let a million/1 shot ruin your vacation. Don't forget mosquitos, fire coral, Lion Fish, seriously you are more likely to get into a car accident on the island then getting bitten by a barracuda

[summersigh]

Breaking news there are fish in the water

 

Both DH and I are ROFLOL ... thanks:D

 

PS He was born in FL and I lived there for 10+ years and spent a lot of time in the tropical waters.

[almitra]

Yeah, I wouldn't worry excessively about a barracuda "bite" occurring. If it were an issue we would read or hear about it here a LOT, and word would get around fast....and the tourism in that area would dry up in short order. You are unlikely to be viewed as food if one rogue barracuda fish targets you, whereas, if the whole school attacks (they are pack hunters), then you most definitely ARE assumed to be the entree du jour. Very unlikely.

[dperki1]

I don't know if this is close enough to tell, but I though when I took this picture it was a barracuda. I took this in shallow waters at Jalousie beach in St. Lucia. Can anyone say if it is or not?

 

Sorry I couldn't get the original pic to post

 

http://i349.photobucket.com/albums/q374/Denise_Rast_Perkins/Denise_Rast_Perkins001/776730a4-0e3a-403a-9bea-447107deb4ba_zpslsn6i2eo.jpg

Edited August 6, 2016 by dperki1

[dperki1]

I don't know if this is close enough to tell, but I though when I took this picture it was a barracuda. I took this in shallow waters at Jalousie beach in St. Lucia. Can anyone say if it is or not?