Barracuda

[masq]

Here's a neat website about the Great Barracuda. ;)

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

[dixiediver]

I hate to ask this question on a public board, but in second thought, it might serve to be helpful to other women who plan to snorkel. If a woman is in her menstrual cycle, should she avoid snorkeling for reason of possibly drawing Barracudas? Sorry, if this is an embarrassing question, but someone had to ask for safety reasons.

I've been snorkeling for 20 years through a lot of menstrual cycles and never had a problem. The amount of blood is really quite small compared to the copious amounts used to purposefully attract sharks.

 

My OW diving instructor compared a baracuda to an an old hound dog who sleeps on the porch but eyes everyone who walks by. He might raise his head and give you a good look, but he seldom leaves the porch.

 

All of the Barracuda attacks (and they are very rare) I've heard about happen to fingers and that might be from hand feeding fish in that area. The snorkeler in this incident may have brushed the cuda with a fin; the cuda may have mistaken the leg for prey.

 

One thing that might be helpful is a dive skin or 1 mm wesuit which would cover your exposed flesh and minimize the chance of a barracuda mistaking your human flesh for fish flesh. It will also protect your from brushes against coral which can sting.

 

I know dive instructor who is a magent for grouper. She once had her masked sucked off at 60 ft. in Cozumel. She came back from the Keys with a big hickey on her face from a grouper kiss. I still haven't figured that one out, but I suspect it is related to her dive mask.

[les888lie]

I would have to agree with everyone else that this was likely an isolated incident. I have tons lots of snorkelling, mainly in Hawaii, but also in Mexico and the Caribbean, and there are lots of interesting and daunting creatures out there. I have seen rays, sharks, puffers, 'cudas, and all sorts of things. While in Hawaii, snorkelling with my older brother, he started poking at moray eels while they were receding back into their homes. Needless to say, animals don't like being provoked. One tried to take a chunk of his finger. Luckily he moved quickly. Also, be weary of all types of puffer fish. The are very agressive and have sharp teeth. If you are in the water feeding fish, be very aware of puffers. :rolleyes:

[cram33]

I was diving in Bermuda this past summer. On several dives I was surrounded by schools of cuda 10 at a time. They watched me watch them and went on their way.

[Woodsmaster]

I've been diving many times when a school of 100-200 small Barracuda have been around. No bother.

 

I have had a lot of them around and that includes 6'+ singles and triples and I have never been attacked. I have had them follow me and get nose to toes so to speak, but no danger.

[berniemom]

I hate to ask this question on a public board, but in second thought, it might serve to be helpful to other women who plan to snorkel. If a woman is in her menstrual cycle, should she avoid snorkeling for reason of possibly drawing Barracudas? Sorry, if this is an embarrassing question, but someone had to ask for safety reasons.

 

hi,

don't worry, u r fine, they like the smell of fish blood not human.:D :o

[golfer1966]

I was in the water in Cozumel as well, and my wife was on a floaty and I was snorkeling around and I thought I heard her call me, so I popped my head out of the water and looked back at her. She was not calling me, so I put my head back in the water only to see a huge barracuda about 6 - 8 ft away from me. It was a big one too. We just stared at each other for about 15 - 20 seconds and then I lifted my left hand out of the water as I had a silver watch on it. Once I did that he basically swam away. I am SURE it was the shiney watch that attracted him to me. I swam to shore and told the lifeguard and they said its common to see them and they wont hurt you. BUT, when you see those big teeth at close range, its kinda frightening. We have snorkeled many times after that and I saw another one in Cococay and never had a problem. I try and keep my watch in my pocket until I get out of the water now. Now that I look back, it was kinda cool, but then it was never aggressive toward me like this lady had.