How to get bitten by a barracuda

Jerky, rapid movements can release attack behavior in many sharks and in barracudas. People who regularly fish both above and beneath the sea are familiar with the tendency of barracuda to steal disabled or injured fishes. Flashing objects seem to at least attract attention, and it is probably most prudent to err on the side of caution and remove shiny objects (such as rings or shiny watches) when in the barracuda's domain. As it is, with our noisy exhalations, giant strides, and shocking pink and yellow fluorescent dive equipment, we already manage to attract sufficient attention from the great barracuda. Certainly do not jiggle flashy objects about, particularly if they are attached to some portion of your anatomy that you would rather retain. Do not wave your fingers at the barracuda, and do not attempt to pull its tail. I have seen both of these behaviors exhibited by divers on more occasions than I wish to remember and, given the surprising result that they never attacked in response, marveled that barracuda should be so tolerant of us.

Unwelcome interest, charges, and actual 'attacks' on shiny diving gear — such as faceplates, the ports of housed cameras, and even the first stage of regulators — have been reported. Such encounters are rare (I have not yet experienced one) and essentially unavoidable. Reflection of the sun's rays on SCUBA gear may act as an attractant or attack stimulus. Another possibility in some of these cases is that the barracuda may even be threatening its own image in the camera port or mask faceplate. Poor visibility was also a likely contributing factor in several of these cases. To my knowledge, no significant injuries have resulted to either barracuda or diver in these rare occurrences.

Bruce Neill, former director of the School for Field Studies' facility on South Caicos Island, customarily wore orange bathing trunks when he dived or snorkeled — these brightly-hued shorts seemed to disproportionately attract unwelcome attention from resident barracuda. Students at the School noted many instances when great barracuda attacked and removed strips of fluorescent pink surveyors tape that were attached to transects and underwater markers, and one student lost a yellow pencil to a nearby barracuda when he accidentally let the pencil go. Bruce counts himself lucky that his trunks, and various portions of his anatomy, did not receive the same treatment.

Although frequency of attack on humans is extremely low, of those that have occurred the highest incidence has been on swimmers that were (a) splashing excessively at the water's surface, (b) swimming in turbid water or in the sea when visibility is otherwise reduced (such as dusk), or (c) creating a combination of these factors. Because barracudas are primarily visual predators, the likelihood of mistaken identity provoking attack behavior is probably exacerbated by poor light conditions that compromise the predator's visual ability. It must be noted that these same conditions are, similarly, not the best ones for swimming because of increased risk of shark attack in many areas. Although sharks use vibration and electroreception as their primary sensory stimulus, whereas barracuda are predominantly visual in their hunting, the conditions under which attack on a human could occur seem very similar between sharks and barracudas. For both sharks and barracuda, flashing light, speed, irregular movement, and color (or contrast) may be important cues used in attack behavior toward their natural prey. Once initiated, a barracuda's attack is too rapid for either the victim or the fish to do anything about it. Realization of mistaken identity by the barracuda could only come when it is already too late. The bottom line is to be cool when a barracuda is around — don't be afraid, but be aware of your actions and don't get too cocky.

By way of example, here are brief descriptions of a few recorded barracuda attacks...for more, a good resource is Donald de Sylva's 1963 paper (from which these incidents are summarized — see here for information on how to get it if you can't find it elsewhere):

  • August, 1926, Miami Beach, FL
    A bather was attacked in murky water, receiving three bites on an arm that was later amputated. As with shark attacks, murky water does not help the barracuda avoid misidentification of its prey — other factors, such as jerky movement of the swimmer and flashing of light-toned body parts, also play a part.

  • August, 1955, Miami Beach, FL
    A man was bitten on his foot at 6:45 PM. here we have a combination of poor light conditions and a highly contrasted target (the sole of his foot) that probably looked a lot like a jerkily-swimming fish to the barracuda. Check the soles of your feet and you'll see the paleness and shape is not unlike that of a fish — the barracuda would not necessarily see it as being attached to your body. Island lore has it that Polynesians used to wrap their feet and hands in dark cloth to avoid such misidentification by sharks or barracuda.

  • May 7, 1953, North Miami, FL
    The victim was bitten on the foot while swimming close to a school of mullet. Again, this was most likely a case of mistaken identity. The barracuda saw a slow, ungainly fish separated from the mullet school (a prime candidate for any predator) and attacked it, only to find that it was attached to some incredibly huge mammalian creature.

  • May 8, 1955, Miami, FL
    A boy speared a 1.2-m length 'cuda, and was attacked on his right side, requiring 23 stitches to close the wound. Although this incident was from the days when a spear was as much a part of a snorkeler's gear as a snorkel, one has to question why a young boy would attempt to spear a predator that may well have been the same size as him. Definitely a provoked attack ('defense,' I would rather say).

  • Mar 5, 1957, off Key Biscayne, FL
    A man speared a 1.5 m long barracuda and his reward was 70 stitches in his forearm. Ouch! Ditto from the above attack.

  • July 16, 1956, somewhere off South Carolina
    A girl floating on an inner tube was bitten on her leg and foot — the fish was not positively identified as a barracuda, but probably was. Body parts hanging over the edge of an inner tube, or a boat, will not necessarily be perceived as human by a barracuda, even in crystalline visibility. The fisherman who vigorously washes his hands by leaning over the gunwale and splashing his hands in the sea is asking for trouble. This is perhaps why divers seem virtually immune to attack — even under marginal conditions of visibility it is clear to the barracuda what they are (or, perhaps more correctly, what they aren't).

  • July 19, 1956, Miami Beach, FL
    A person was bitten about the legs in shallow surf. Although the surf zone wouldn't appear to be an ideal habitat for barracuda, this attack follows the same principle as the one above, where the barracuda saw something worth tasting that was totally divorced, in its perception, from a larger body.

    Back to more about barracuda...