Severe Barracuda Attack

[conchxpress]

I was doing one of my first Keys dives off of Pennecamp a number of years ago and upon entering the water, I found myself in a school of cudas. There must have been a hundred of them. Small ones at the top of the water column and bigger as you went down. I thought they were more of a solitary hunter. Near the bottom, cruising between the coral heads were a couple of seven footers. Of course I wasn't alarmed because the dive master told us that barracudas won't hurt you.!! As I descended, the whole school would orient themselves in my direction. Spooky having all those teeth staring at you. After that, tho, I swapped out my shiny stainless dive watch for a black one.

I was watching a fishing show a couple of nights ago, and Mark Sosin was fishing for sharks in Key West. As I watched, I figured out that they were fishing in the channels off the northwest flats. They would throw the bait onto the flats and retrieve them so they would pop into the channel. They landed a couple of good sized lemon sharks. 6 feet +. I've read on the fishing forums of fisherman catching bull sharks out there, also. Whenever I've done the flats, I've always tried to attempt any new things on the flats themselves, so I wouldn't crash in the channels and have to become a troll bait trying to retrieve my board. Haven't heard of any close encounters on Smathers though. There have been attacks closer to White Street and Higgs beach by bathers trying to feed the nice birdies diving into the water.

[ricki]

Gotten used to cudas they are so common and usually fairly harmless. Then again, I don't spearfish! I can recall some January and February dives during cold fronts. The cuda's were nuts and super agro too. Whipping all over the place doing their rattle snake strung out on angel dust impersonations. Tell you what though, during a dive recently on the Duane, was treated to some unusually aggressive cuda behavior. I was free diving, deep at times too down to 120 ft.. You can't afford to have a lot mess with your head during a serious breathhold. Still, some of the touchy aspect was caught on video, still more on the editing room floor.

http://fksa.org/showthread.php?t=8833

You know all the conventional wisdom about avoiding negative shark encounters diving, avoid fish schools being worked, wearing shiny stuff, having blood in the water, oh, and making sure Paul isn't too close by! Not at least unless he is sporting some of those fish tees to hand out.

[ricki]

38,000 hits +?! Lots of interest in barracudas out there.

[ARCSrule]

We ate at the grand cafe in january. that may not be the name of it now, but I recognized the pics. it had a very good buffet--not something spectacular like paul would do, so I guess he's not there now. I also 'ate' at the square taco place after reading you post with pics of it. I particularly did not like the marguerita---made with wine! who does that! haha

[admin]

I think Paul moved on from The Grand. It was great while he was there to be sure. You have me at a disadvantage, I never liked tequila anyway. It reminded me too much of drinking perfume. Also, I think they use it as worm killer in Mex. At least a worm I saw in a bottle of tequila once was done for or pretty tired at best.

[MrBill]

IMHO, if you are not spearing, you are not of interest.

I've been diving since age 13, and still spear (but its not like it use to be).

my theory is sharks and cudas don't really like the taste of humans, since its mostly shark Biting, not Eating.

if they wanted to, most likely they could finish off what they bit... but don't.

most attacks are in shallow waters where parts of people are seen as food, not when the whole person is in the water (like diving).

The exception is spearing. when people get in the way of a meal.


for the kiting crowd, I'd say up the coast is higher risk than say south of WPB. Because you have reefs to the south. further north the shore is the barrier bait fish use to hide. and the shallower the water the higher the risk.


bright clothing, would probably be a good idea too.

-I'm sure no expert, but I did stay at a holiday Inn once or twice..... & just my opinion, based on 40 years diving.

[ricki]

Fortunately, shark attacks on kiters are very rare, fatal ones even more so. They are far more common on bathers, surfers and even divers. I looked into barracuda attacks before writing this post. Reported barracuda attacks are far more rare than shark attacks. Looking at how common cudas are and routinely aggressive they can be, that never made a lot of sense to me. Since I wrote this I have heard about three other cuda attacks on humans not in the databases. Still, they are quite rare.

We started diving around the same time, 1971 for me. I quit spearfishing in 1972 due to what seemed to me to be the unsustainability of the practice in SE Florida. Fish were becoming smaller and less common when compared to years past at that time. All these decades later, things haven't improved.