Barracudas...What to do

[ihab]

While hunting....many times I'm approached by a school (about 20) of barrracudas...not very big...about 1.5 feet in length.

They circle me a couple of times then they're off.

Tried pointing the gun a couple of times and fired...always missed.

I then read somewhere that it is better not to aggravate barracudas as they consider us a big predetor and would follow us in case we make a catch to eat off the leftovers....but if aggravated...they will attack.
I'm not sure how true this is.....and if I try sperafishing them...would that mean I'm aggravating them of would they see it the other way and be scared off.

Any experince in this feild would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers

[Marwan]

hello my friend, that size will almost always run away if fired at. i find the dangerous ones to be the big ones lurking alone near the surface...and although i never shoot them, a buddy of mine fired at one and also missed. i thought it was going to attack for sure, but it was scared and ran off to deeper water. i dont think you should be concerned about a school of small baracudas. i wouldnt provoke a big lonely one though, and if i decide to shoot one of the biggies, the aim had better be good...

cheers

[The Killer's me]

i had same experience, managed to shoot 2 of this small ones. very tasty too.
u need a very accurate gun to do it.
the big ones are easier to shoot at but very difficult to get if u dont have a reel.
always shoot 'em in their sweet spot.

CheerzZz

[ihab]

Thanks Marwan...long time no see...I hope to say the same for the fish you don't want to meet spearfishing.

Originally Posted by Marwan

hello my friend, that size will almost always run away if fired at. i find the dangerous ones to be the big ones lurking alone near the surface...and although i never shoot them, a buddy of mine fired at one and also missed. i thought it was going to attack for sure, but it was scared and ran off to deeper water. i dont think you should be concerned about a school of small baracudas. i wouldnt provoke a big lonely one though, and if i decide to shoot one of the biggies, the aim had better be good...

cheers

[greendiver]

I have caught many of them this summer, up to 1.10m, this was in the med though, I have done alot of scuba diving aswell, and never heard of anyone being attacked, diving, spearfishing or free diving.
This was in the med, however, in the redsea there have been some minor incidents and in the atlantic aswell...they get a lot bigger there!
And they are very tasty!!

[Jomas]

I have speared quite a lot of barracuda, up to about 20kg, and never ever been worried about their reaction. Non of this worry is warranted, they do not attack!!!

[Bill McIntyre]

The Pacific barracuda that we have in California are much smaller, but in a previous life I did a lot of diving in the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic with Great Barracuda, and I never gave them a second thought. I even dropped my young kids in near Key West in a big school of them.

The only aggressive act I've ever seen was one made a tentative pass at a barracuda that had been speared.

[fleshy]

Dude, remember this. Little cudas... what a joke. ( Just make sure you are not wearing any jewlery, they will strike a shinny object reguardless ) Big cudas... (Cuda)(You)(Cuda)

[bluewaterkiller]

cudas ,
i ve shots lots of them in many diff places and oceans ..never had troubles with them ..but i got a report from a friend of mine captain from a charter catamaran in caraibs .he told me lost a girl that was swimming down to the diving boom watching the divers coming up...she was in bathing suit and got a medal glittering at her neck ..
a big cuda came and bite the medal as well as her throat and cut the neck side big blood vein..she`s dead..

And once i saw the biggest one i ever saw he was facing to me protecting a smaller (female?) one
i wanted to shot it but he was staying just far enough to let me think not to try ..!i estimate this guy nearly 3 meters..
like a coconut tree...so you can understand my hesitating to not shooting if not a kill shot!!!

[blaiz]

Ive heard of a few cuda attacks but always due to mistaken identity, stupidity, or murky water.

I was on a dive off of the coast of Lanai and I took a drop in about 70ft of water. I was lying there not seeing anything for about 30 or 40 seconds. I started dusting and scratching the bottom when I noticed something in the corner of my eye. WHen I turned around there were about 15 Great Baracuda all over 40-50lbs about 4 feet away from my head all pointed directly at me. Needless to say it spooked me a little. They were just coming in to check me out, no harm done. I hesitated shooting them because they are known to have cig poisoning here.

[Marwan]

i dont spear them..because i dont eat them...my buddy speared it once a 1.5m great barracuda..that thing was thrashing mouth open, looked pretty dangerous..i say aim for a kill shot the first time..

[spaghetti]

Saying "barracuda" is equal to saying "sharks". There are different species with different sizes and behaviour.
Here in the Mediterranean we have two species of barracudas (sphyraena sphyraena, aka sea-pike, autoctonous, and sphyraena viridensis, or yellowmouth: it came from atlantic in the 90's due to the warming). They both grow smaller than the tropical cudas (the big sphyraena barracuda) and they have a lower rate of aggressiveness. You really do not have to be afraid of them at all, just take care to keep your hands off their mouth in the post-shot retrieving/dispatching action.
Ihab I don't know why you missed so many shots, but my guess is the following: when I hunt fish in numberous schools, sometimes I fail to decide which one to shoot (they are so many!) and so I don't focus properly on one single chosen target. This way itìs likely to be a missed shot.
Anyway cudas are curious and dumb fish. Thay'll come at you: just choose one target and aim to the lateral line one inch behind the gills. After shot they'll just give a feeble blow with their tail but soon they'll have no more energy for attempting a powerful reaction. Quite easy game.
They taste delicious simply grilled: olive oil, lemon and your favourite spice! (no ciguatera disease in the Mediterranean, so far)

[bluewaterkiller]

. After shot they'll just give a feeble blow with their tail but soon they'll have no more energy for attempting a powerful reaction. Quite easy game.
[/quote]

yes i agree with you on all except for one specie from cuda that are big fighters..
striped cudas ..


not so sure from real latin name ..genie or putnamae..?

if not kill shoted ..are diving very fast away for a long ride ..and you can loose your gun even if shotted with reel!!!

[getawayFK]

Never had a problem with barracudas, and here they can grow as big as 2.5m (we get the big barracuda species as well as the smaller ones with yellow tails).... Frequently, when diving on wrecks, I am surrounded by as much as 20-30 baracudas. However, I have lost many fish to barracudas going into feeding frenzy of speared fish; that include fellow barracudas that I speared (and btw they taste delicious!)... I have also once injured a finger while trying to retrieve a barracudas as it suddenly snapped and gave me a nice bite over the kevlar gloove as I was trying to get my hand under his gills.

[NunoDias]

Hi Ihab,

Barracuda in general are not a dificult fish to spear.

Some are more curious then others and the agressive behavior also changes from one specie to the other but mostly from place o place, in fact you can find some so easy that allow a direct aproach or too nervous that wont even let you get close enought for a long shot depending on the visibility, number of fish and specie as well as how often do they get in contact with speros in that area.

Despite all that one thing is advisable in them all, whenever possible always make a head shot or as near to it as you can.
There are a lot of stories of cuda atacking speros, (i have been charged twice by the same barracuda once), but one thing is comon in most of them...the fish was speared and fougth back.
Its while retriving the fish after being speared that accidents happen.
Mid body shots allow barracuda to move their heads just the enought to bite a less cautious spero, while a well placed shot near the head allows you to grab the spear from both sides without no problems.

One word of advice, dont leave barracuda hanging around on the deck still alive, some might look dead but when somebody's feet come by... its bite time!!!

Its a one run fighter, after the shot they tend to do a long run and just about that.
While shooting then on schools focus in one individual only or you might get confused and miss your shot.
Usually the biggest ones wonder alone and seem to appear out of nothing right beside you, avoid direct contact with them helps on an effective aproach keeping the fish in range for a perfect shot.


Hope i helped, best regards,

Dias