Severe Barracuda Attack

[ricki]

We recently headed down to Key West via high speed ferry out of Miami via The Key West Express. It is a great way to go, fast, easy, scenic and at $99, R/T, less with coupons a bargain. It is a natural with water people.



Leave Miami at 8:30 am and you pull into Key West harbor by 12:30 pm. Rent a bike and tool around the island, head out to the Flats with the Kitehouse.


My wife took me down for my birthday. We hooked up with Paul Menta who decided to go hunt up some fish for the birthday dinner along with Pedro.



Recall the last encounter with a barracuda



Paul shows off his cudda bite scars. It has healed incredibly well in just two years.



So Paul, Pedro, Laura and myself head out to see what we can find on the reef to the west and south west of the island.



Paul sporting his pole gun. We had to watch the time and so stayed fairly close to shore in slighly turbid water.



We saw a turtle hanging out under a head.



Laura glides along pushing a pressure wave.



A moray hangs out. It was a full moon and larger fish were not to be found. Despite that Paul nailed both a hogfish and snapper for dinner. Not only did he catch dinner, he COOKED it. Paul is also the executive chef at The Grand Cafe down on Duval.



The Grand Cafe



He started with appetisers, tuna tartare for me and a great scallop dish for Laura. It was FRESH and excellent! Sorry about the poor image quality, I only had a camera phone with me unfortunately.



Paul followed with a marvelous "Surf and Turf" including hogfish, snapper with a great sauce and a fine fillet cooked just so. It was a great meal and couldn't have been any fresher.


We didn't have any cuda encounters this trip. In reality baracuda attacks seem to be quite rare anyway.



The mosquitos can be fairly large in the Keys in heavy rains. Just remember to bring a swatter for the cudas, they can fly too.



Here's the ferry underway west of the island. I tried to catch it once a few weeks ago about a 1/2 mile off Smathers. Just couldn't move quite fast enough, next time.



Heading north out of Key West harbor


Photos: Rick Iossi

[ricki]

Any other unusual barracuda encounters out there? Haven't spoken to Paul recently. I sure hope he hasn't added any more marine predator go to's to his record. Two kiting related shark attacks, out of seven worldwide that I have heard about and an extremely rare cuda diver attack. Definitely time to change colognes.