The Great Barracuda: Chances are you’ve met this common ocean fish! They have gotten a bad reputation but barracudas are actually interesting to dive and snorkel with. They can range anywhere from less than a foot to nearly 6 feet long! You can often spot them in their sandy spot of choice, observing. You don’t have to worry though. They are attracted to shiny things, but are not interested in divers and snorkelers. They can tell the difference between fish scales and your earrings! It’s almost like they treat divers/snorkelers like a “big ugly barracuda” that they don’t feel like messing with. Treat them just like a dog you don’t know–don’t mess with them and they won’t mess with you.
About the Great Barracuda
The barracuda is widely spread across the oceans but is more commonly found in the more tropical regions where there is an abundance of food. Although barracudas can be found in the deep ocean, they tend to prefer coastal habitats along continental shelves and close to coral reefs. But you can see them just about anywhere, including our deep wrecks and reefs. The barracuda’s diet consists of different types of fish: groupers, anchovies, mullets, snappers and sometimes squids and crustaceans.
Since they are large fish barracudas have few natural predators other than humans, sharks, and killer whales. So you will often see them act relatively unconcerned about your presence in the water. Often they will be the typical silvery-gray, but can show mottled black and gray as camouflage and territory display. They even say that the barracuda use you to hunt. They will shadow divers and allow the small fish to look at you. And then they strike at the small fish! Talk about being a wingman.
