Has anyone ever come up close with a shark or barracuda?

[Max Circus]

Barracuda - yes.

 

Shark - no.

 

Was snorkeling in the Virgin Islands Christmas 2001 (think it was a place called the "Indians"). I was off on my own, near this cave and I look back to see my wife and sister-in-law swimming back to the boat - figured they were going back for a beverage or whatever. Then I hear them telling me (actually quite calmly) to get back in the boat because we were going to be leaving. Somewhat confused, I relunctantly swim back, get onboard and then they tell me that there were two good-size barracudas swimming around the boat. I guess they were afraid I would "panic" if I knew about them before hand.

[Carrie P]

Oh great... I always wear black ... Did not know that.... Now I'll look like the yellow submarine! Great info, thanks for adding your comments..

My son is a guard on LBI and we live in the same town as the "victim". Here are his thoughts...

 

First, the bite looked more like a blue fish bite. Yes, these fish do bite and can remove toes. Most surfers watch out for schools feeding off of the surf because the fish will indiscriminately bite at small fish and take anything they can get.

 

Second, sharks are common and the guards take regular precautions. Last year, the water was cleared because of a seal (yes, we get those once in a while) swimming in the surf. Since the seal is "good eating" for sharks, bathers were called out of the water to prevent an accidental attack.

 

Third, my son sees far more dolphin than he does shark. On one training exercise two dolphins travelled as escorts of his rescue board for some time. Sharks hate dolphins and vice versa. There are good protectors in the water.

 

Finally, if you want to be safe do NOT wear a swim suit that is blue, grey, or black. These are all the colors of a shark's favorite food (the aforementioned seal). Wear bright colors - yellows, orange, or even red.

[Bleacher Creature]

WATCH the tram car, PUH-LEASE!!!!!

 

Ahh, the childhood memories!!

 

Took my wife there for her first time a couple of years ago. Every now and then, (usually after a bottle -or two- of wine), she'll say those words, and I just about crack up.

 

I know, that was off topic....but, anyway, I do remember one time several years ago on our annual Wildwood vacation that people weren't allowed in the ocean for a couple of days due to shark sitings. I think pool sharks are some of the most dangerous animals out there. :)

 

 

you got it all wrong, it's "wah wah wah watch the tram car please"

 

lol

[SunNSandNShop]

I saw a Barracuda on the Shipwreck Snorkel in St. Maarten last month while on the Navigator. The instructors told us they are friendly. I was freaked out though! I was wearing my watch and a ring...next time I'll take it off :)

[boingy300]

We were on our honeymoon at Coco Cay and we decided to snorkel away from people thinking that's where the "big fish" would be, forgeting what "big fish" there might be! We were going along with the sea grass hitting our bellies (not smart). We hit a pocket in the grass and a big barracuda turned and faced us. I swam away in a panic. DH stayed and got a good picture then went back to the beach. I my panic I was swimming along the beach (parallel with it) into the rock edge where jellyfish were hitting it and bouncing back on me. Rocket scientist that I am realized I was in 4 feet of water and could stand up and move faster. I stood up, only to see my DH on the beach laughing at me. We call it my "allergic freak out attack". 1 Coco-loco drink and a chair fixed me. I don't think I've flailed much or panicked since then!LOL! I know where it'll get me!

Karen

"Gumbert Family Cruiser"

[MCazer]

Well, my husband and I scuba dive, and we have only seen sharks when we have gone on Shark dives (in Nassau).

 

It was the most unbelievably cool moment. These were Caribbean reef sharks, most about 6 feet in length. I have photos (as I had my camera) and also got bumped by one during a feeding, when one of the sharks got his head caught in the feeding bucket and dragged it passed me. Then all the others sharks followed. I guess there were about 20 to 30 sharks around us. Very exhilarating. I also bought the video to bring home and show my kids! They love it. My son loves sharks, and has 3 of the Jaws movies on DVD! He is 7.

 

I also have seen barracude snorkeling and scuba diving. They don't seem to bother you, but do stare at you. Now, grouper sneak up on you, and they are so funny looking, look like they should have a cigar in their mouth!

[Wennfred]

I was told by a diver buddy of mine that there are no known accounts of any human being attacked by a barraccuda. I wonder whether that's true.

 

WHAT!! There are stories of Cudas jumping out of the water and attacking people on their houseboats in the Keys. Like the Diver with the Chrome belt buckle that got attacked, The silvery shinny color looks like bait.

 

http://www.uga.edu/cuda/attacks.html

 

http://www.uga.edu/cuda/biteme.html

 

On July 14, 1960, a freediver was attacked twice off Pompano Beach, Florida, by a great barracuda. The barracuda rushed him four times and bit twice, resulting in wounds to his knee and wrist that required 31 stitches. Until recently, following a June, 1997 attack on a woman cleaning the bottom of a boat (in murky water), this was perhaps the only widely-documented case of an unprovoked attack on a diver/snorkeler (spearfishers would presumably be excluded from the formula, especially if they spear a barracuda or refuse to share their catch with one), though I have heard of barracuda charging shiny mask faceplates and first-stage SCUBA valves on occasion. Patterns in alleged and verified barracuda attacks tend to mirror those of shark attacks, and a few common guidelines further reduce the chance of the worst happening. In July, 1993, I started my research on great barracuda by spending hours each day snorkeling in the warm, shallow waters of Florida Bay off Key Largo, looking at juveniles. At the same time, further south along the Keys, a woman made headlines across the nation when she was bitten by a larger specimen. Two more attacks occurred within weeks, and the 'flying barracuda' flap was on. Overnight, barracuda became celebrities of a sort. The usual bunch of dubious 'experts' were found who made claims such as that barracuda do not jump when hooked (they often do) and the media had a field day. Aerial barracuda had been a problem before — a fisherman was buzzed by one in 1966 (it jumped clear over his boat) and in May, 1959, a barracuda jumped and bit an 8-cm gash (a 'nip' that, fortumately, only required 6 stitches) in a fisherman's neck. One of the interesting aspects of the attack on Nadine Chloer, the first victim of the flying barracuda of '93, was that the reported length of the barracuda and the number of stitches required by the wounds that it inflicted to her upper leg fluctuated wildly on the pages of U.S. newspapers over time. In fact, by the time the barracuda reached Ripley's Believe it or Not it had grown from the 5' that it was initially reported as being to a mammoth 8' in length.

[frickasea]

Finally, if you want to be safe do NOT wear a swim suit that is blue, grey, or black. These are all the colors of a shark's favorite food (the aforementioned seal). Wear bright colors - yellows, orange, or even red.

 

This is interesting because on the Today Show this morning they said not to wear brightly colored swimsuits...which kind of stinks because as Matt Lauer pointed out, like 80% of swimsuits are brightly colored. :o

 

They also said, having an attack in the same place twice was like having the same place struck by lightning twice, which was somewhat comforting to me since I love LBI, and now I don't know what color suit I should wear to keep them away!!

[mrchips14]

We went snorkling in GC. The tour operator told us that there is a large fish in the area that looks like a shark, BUT it is not a shark and don't worry. So in the water we go. A little while in the water I find myself about 10 feet from a Baracuda and I think, this isn't good. I poke my wife and point the other way and we start to swim away.

 

When we get back onboard I ask the same guy " are there baracuda in here" and he said, Oh yea. Thank

 

Do you know how to fight off a shark attack. First you punch it in the nose, if that dosen't work you poke it in the eye with your stump. LOL

[Wennfred]

First you punch it in the nose, if that dosen't work you poke it in the eye with your stump. LOL

 

OUCH !!!:eek:

[RiverRev]

Yeah... I saw that guy's article on TODAY myself and wondered about the color thing. I respect his historic understanding of sharks in NJ (his book is the basis for Peter Benchley's work) and I know that the "victim" was not wearing booties which set him off in his dark wetsuit, but the key here is that sharks have stinko eyesight and attack motion in the color range of their food supply. His white feet only accented his grey body and made the "shark" bump since it did not understand a black and white seal. On the other hand, a bananna yellow and white seal will not interest a shark at all since they don't eat banannas.:D

[boingy300]

This is interesting because on the Today Show this morning they said not to wear brightly colored swimsuits...which kind of stinks because as Matt Lauer pointed out, like 80% of swimsuits are brightly colored. :o

 

They also said, having an attack in the same place twice was like having the same place struck by lightning twice, which was somewhat comforting to me since I love LBI, and now I don't know what color suit I should wear to keep them away!!

 

I'm thinking seeing me naked would scare a fish away!LOL! Thanks for the tip! I'll be safe in Labadee by golly!

Karen

"Gumbert Family Cruiser"

[CXR]

Other than my mother-in-law? No... :D

[PhinsAndGills]

Saw nurse sharks in Key West on a kayak trip.

 

Saw barracuda in Belize.

 

Saw a puffer fish in CocoCay.

 

:) Hope to see an eel or turtle (a little more non-threatening) on my next cruise! Heading for Grand Cayman's Eden's Grotto so will hopefully see a tarpon as well!

[TheWog]

The reason I ask this is because in the news today they mentioned in Long beach Island New Jersey "The jersey shore" that a young guy was "bitten" by a Young great white shark..... That is pretty darn scarry to me. I'll be in wildwood crest in 3 weeks which is not far away. We saw sand sharks being caught on the beach last year .. To me a shark is a shark.

Just thought it made an interesting topic... Recently this past week I believe was the 30 year anniversary of JAWS.....

So... Have any of you ever had any close encounters with a shark or barracuda while on vacation??????????

 

I had a picture taken of my son in JAWS' mouth this weekend at JAWSFEST on Martha's Vineyard.... but no, the only sharks we saw were off St. Thomas while in a submarine, as well as barracuda, turtles, fish, stingrays, etc....

[boingy300]

Saw nurse sharks in Key West on a kayak trip.

 

Saw barracuda in Belize.

 

Saw a puffer fish in CocoCay.

 

:) Hope to see an eel or turtle (a little more non-threatening) on my next cruise! Heading for Grand Cayman's Eden's Grotto so will hopefully see a tarpon as well!

 

We saw a ?sp Mourray eel in Cozumel on a snorkel trip. Very cool. I kept my distance, and once in Freeport we did a semi-submersible and a Hammerhead came by chasing a school of fish. He was so large he bumped into our boat and the whole boat rocked. It was fun to watch the divers and snorkelers scurry out of the area! They said a Hammerhead is very rare for that area. Now when I hear "Hummer! Hummer!" I realize they are saying "Hammer! Hammer!" If youy hear this, get out of the water, don't look for a car!LOL!

Karen

[cruisin' 4 fun]

my DW and I were snorkeling in Cozumel at Corona Beach (that's how I remember it if that's not the name) on a ship-sponsored tour. we saw many beautiful and brightly colored fish, and one long ugly pudgy eel looking thing. when we got bak in, the guide asked us if we had seen the barracuda!

 

It's neat thinking we had been that close to a animal of prey, but scary thinking there were no nets to keep out the larger stuff....

 

I best snorkeling I have been on was on Disney's island-Castaway Cay. they're creating their own reef, and it is protected naturally as well as by a net system.

[Carrie P]

What great responses from everyone... I guess if we do clothing optional in orient beach, st. maarten we'll be safe? Not me....

my DW and I were snorkeling in Cozumel at Corona Beach (that's how I remember it if that's not the name) on a ship-sponsored tour. we saw many beautiful and brightly colored fish' date=' and one long ugly pudgy eel looking thing. when we got bak in, the guide asked us if we had seen the barracuda!

 

It's neat thinking we had been that close to a animal of prey, but scary thinking there were no nets to keep out the larger stuff....

 

I best snorkeling I have been on was on Disney's island-Castaway Cay. they're creating their own reef, and it is protected naturally as well as by a net system.[/quote']

[boatbunny]

About 12 years ago, my DH and three other couples chartered a sailboat in the BVI. I am a huge snorkeling fanatic, this was the trip of a lifetime. We could stop where and when we wanted for as long as we wanted. As soon as the boat dropped anchor, I was in the water.

 

Well, I was still pretty young and never really looked at that fish chart they handed to us at the chartering company. So, first day out, we drop anchor and off I go. Everyone else was still putting on snorkeling gear, I had no time to wait for them. We were anchored at a small island which had a rocky shore line, perfect place for snorkeling. I swim over and before I know it, I've got all these amazing fish swimming with me. Kind of ugly, but they weren't bothering me. My friend and her husband come up near me and start signaling me to come up. So, I come up to the surface, they tell me to start swimming away slowly, I'm like "why, look at these fish", them "no, start swimming now" so I figure they are killjoys but I'll go back. Climb back on board, my husband is white as a ghost, my friend is shaking. Me: "what is the problem?" They hand me the fish chart that I hadn't bothered with before, yep, I've been swimming with a school of barracuda, they were small, probably no more than 2 feet, but barracuda the same. Who knows where Mommy and Daddy were!

 

My next run in was just last month in GC. Went to Rum Point where there is very limited snorkeling, but there were some fish under the pier. So, I'm snorkeling in and out of the pilings and come within a few feet of a pretty big barracuda this time. He looked at me, I looked at him, and we both turned and went in our respective paths.

 

I've heard that barracuda are also attracted to shiny objects like diamond rings. Of course, both times I have not only my diamond engagement ring and band, but another diamond ring on the other hand.

[Rosieo]

Saw a shark way below us while snorkeling in Molikini off of Maui - dozens of folks floating on top of the water (bait!), and it paid no attention to us.

 

We saw several barracudas while snorkeling in Chankanaab, and they swam close to us but didn't bother us.

 

That's where we saw them, Molikini.

[Grayce]

I took a tour in Belize last year where you go snorkeling in an area where there are nurse sharks. They feed them to attract them to the boat but they swim away once you get in. When I swam away from the boat I managed to get withing 5 feet of one and got a great picture. I wasn't worried because they said they are harmless. I have no idea what a baracuda looks like and it never occured to me that I should be on the lookout for them when I'm snorkeling.:rolleyes:

[w&k]

As a Florida diver, I get upset when I DON'T see Cudas around - they are absolute poetry in motion, and a very important part of the ecosystem.

 

The largest cuda I have ever seen was in Looe Key National Marine Sanctuary, hanging out under a ledge (Cudjoe Key, just north of Key West). My husband laid down in the sand in front of the cuda, and there was head and tail beyond his head and fins. Keith is 6'5", and that was one BIG fish!

 

The most cuda in one place was on a fresh shipwreck of a shrimping boat off Sarasota, Florida (Gulf Coast south of Tampa). There were probably 200-250 cudas ranging from 18" to 4' swirling from the surface down and around the wreck. It was a tornado of shimmering fish as we were swam down through them. This dive was when the whole frenzy about jumping attack cuda was going on, and some of the divers were freaked out about getting in the water with them.

 

Have encountered lots of sharks too, mostly nurse sharks. Saw a good-size Bull shark off in the distance once, but haven't seen any Tigers or Hammerheads so far. Yet. I'm hoping, though.

 

I would love to dive with a Great White, but would prefer to do it in a cage in natural habitat (not baited).

 

I'll strap on a tank and dive anywhere with anything, but would NEVER get on a surfboard (AKA dinner platter for sharks).

 

Have a great trip, and don't sweat the fish.

 

Wendy

[mandm33]

you got it all wrong, it's "wah wah wah watch the tram car please"

 

lol

 

 

 

LOL!!!!!! Throw in the sound of the "spinning wheel" games, and it'll be just like we were there!

[boingy300]

my DW and I were snorkeling in Cozumel at Corona Beach (that's how I remember it if that's not the name) on a ship-sponsored tour. we saw many beautiful and brightly colored fish' date=' and one long ugly pudgy eel looking thing. when we got bak in, the guide asked us if we had seen the barracuda!

 

It's neat thinking we had been that close to a animal of prey, but scary thinking there were no nets to keep out the larger stuff....

 

I best snorkeling I have been on was on Disney's island-Castaway Cay. they're creating their own reef, and it is protected naturally as well as by a net system.[/quote']

 

You reminded me of our visit to Castaway Cay. My son was 8 and snorkeling for the first time. He accidently swallowed salt water and threw up in the water. Much to his horror the ocean suddenly "came alive". Little fish mouths everywjere. He was horrified and w/ in minutes there was no trace of his "event". He can laugh now, but at the time he was horrified. I still smile at that. Thanks for the reminder!LOL!

Karen

"Gumbert Family Cruiser"

[Carrie P]

Chum...........Yum........

Must have been quite horrifying for your son at the time. Isn't funny what we get to look back on and smile......Cute story, thx for adding in.

You reminded me of our visit to Castaway Cay. My son was 8 and snorkeling for the first time. He accidently swallowed salt water and threw up in the water. Much to his horror the ocean suddenly "came alive". Little fish mouths everywjere. He was horrified and w/ in minutes there was no trace of his "event". He can laugh now, but at the time he was horrified. I still smile at that. Thanks for the reminder!LOL!

Karen

"Gumbert Family Cruiser"