iStockphoto / BELOW_SURFACE
The barracuda fish has a well-earned reputation as being one of the most voracious predators in the water that isn’t a shark.
One man in Puerto Rico was surprised to discover just how brazen barracuda can be when he dove off a boat into the crystal clear water when there wasn’t a fish in sight and of nowhere a large ‘cuda ambushed him and attacked. Or at least the fish thought it was attacking until it realized the object it was going after was about 10x the fish’s size.
Barracuda fish grow large. They have gnarly looking front teeth,and a wicked underbite to show off those razor-sharp teeth. And they’re known well all throughout Florida and the Caribbean as a fish that you don’t want to mess with. I remember my first diving trip to the Florida Keys back in the Boy Scouts and the guide instructing us to remove anything on our body that might be shiny because these fish won’t hesitate to strike a glimmer, often mistaking a watch or jewelry for a small baitfish.
This video has gone viral over the past few days, racking up 3.4 million views, and it’s wild:
What’s up with Barracuda?
It’s hard to know for certain what led this barracuda to charge. According to MyFWC, the Great Barracuda can grow up to 106 pounds which is insane when you consider they’re basically built like torpedos with deadly spikes up front. This fish, however, was not that large so one has to wonder what it thought was going to happen.
My best educated guess here is it was a reaction bite. This incident occurred in Puerto Rico and that’s all we know about the location. But it’s quite possible this particular fish gets its meals from nearby fishing boats when captains throw scraps in the water and it’s accustomed to striking fast when it hears something flop into the water.
Just as likely is the fish heard a sound and went to strike because… well, it’s a barracuda and they think they’re the baddest fish around, which often times they are. I say this because barracuda attacks on humans are RARE. There have only been 25 reported attacks on humans in the past 100 years, according to ScubaDiverLife. And in most of those cases the attack occurred because a dive found himself between a barracuda and a fish the ‘cuda wanted to eat.
Do. Not. Eat. (The Big Ones)
There are so many subspecies of barracuda but given that this was in Puerto Rico it’s almost certain the subspecies is Great Barracuda. They are popular as a sport fish but interestingly, not to eat. That’s because the larger fish tend to prey on reef fish and they contain high levels of the ‘ciguatera’ toxin which will do some truly wild things to your body if you get poisoning from that.
With ciguatera poisoning, a common symptom is when hot things feel cold and cold things feel hot to the touch. And these symptoms can last for years and throw your who life out of whack. So truly, stay away from eating any barracuda longer than about 3.5 feet.
‘Cudas are fun to catch and my recent battles with them have come when a barracuda has tried to snipe a fish I’m reeling in. As in the video above, they’re experts at hiding out underneath a boat in the shadows and using the darkness to cloak their presence until it’s the perfect time to strike. So always be on the look out!