Barricuda??

[Two Peas]

I just returned home with my family after a week in St. Kitts. I have a customer there and have been lucky to have been able to visit this wonderful under-appreciated island nation many times.

Every time I'm there I spend as much time as I can snorkeling. I'm just an amateur, but am learning as I go.

Typically, I (or we, when I have my family with me), snorkel on a small rocky reef only about 50-100 feet from shore.

St. Kitts snorkelling doesn't live up to the reputations of other more famous places, but for me it is a wonderful experience.

I've seen many types of reef fish, many rays, lobsters, conchs and crabs. A few times I thought I saw a few stray, small barricuda.

This past Friday, while snorkelling with my wife and two daughters (8 and 10), the weather was perfect, the seas fairly calm, and the visibility perhaps 30 to 40 feet.

Out of the haze I noticed two large, VERY LARGE fish swimming right at us. I quickly called to my wife who was facing the other way to turn around. She caught these three photos.

From researching on the web, I'm certain they are barricuda, but would like to hear the thoughts of fellow CSRs who have more experience and knowledge than I, a simple Great Lakes Sea Rayer.

I'm positive that the length of these beasts were between 4 and 6 feet.

 

[RichM]

Sure looks like one to me too.

 

[Henry Boyd]

Yup, looks like one to me too. Fillets pan fried in butter with flour and yellow curry are out of this world!

Henry

 

[trit21]

They are barracuda for sure, dive with them regularly. Barracuda are very curious creatures and will not bit or attack unless provoked. They are just checking stuff out and will swim around you a bunch.

 

[wetpaint]

just dont wear a gold or silver watch and you will be find.....they will think your wrist is a lure.......100% barricuda

 

[Two Peas]

After spending hours and hours watching fish like these guys, the barricuda were a giant surprise. Had I had more time to think about it (before they swam away) I probably would have soiled myself...

 

[Two Peas]

I chased this little guy around for a bit too:

 

[Pietro]

Fillets pan fried in butter with flour and yellow curry are out of this world!

Henry

They would probably go perfectly with margarita!!! :thumbsup:
Andrew knows what I mean!!! :grin::smt043:grin:

 

[Dave8792]

I chased this little guy around for a bit too:

That's NOT a barracuda. That's the world famous Road kill fish...

Sorry the pain killers I took for my back must be making me a bit loopy.:wow:

 

[Dave8792]

The first pics are barracudas. They are very cool fish and are quite docile unless provoked.

 

[Vince_nj1]

They wont bother you? Watch this..

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2TTABF0gGkw[/youtube]

 

[fc3]

Doesn't look like any kind of Barracuda that I've driven.

That's a Barracuda.

 

[270SLX]

The striped fish are Sargeant Majors and the blue fish is a Blue Tang. Nice reef!!

Dennis

 

[Kay Lee]

Doesn't look like any kind of Barracuda that I've driven.

That's a Barracuda.

That's not a Barracuda, that's a 'Cuda... and a mighty nice one, too!

Larry

 

[tdschafer]

Two Peas,
Great pics! What kind of camera do you use underwater? I usually use the disposables and the clarity is obviously not up to your caliber! I saw a few of those barricudas while snorkelling in Aruba. They were pretty far down below us by a wreck but I think I wet myself a little when I saw them. Had they been close like that I may have soiled myself too!:lol:
Todd

 

[JediJD]

What pleasant creatures...of course, there are other possible outcomes...

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/b...es-woman-in-977705.html?cxntlid=cmg_cntnt_rss

 

[Wired2Cruze]

There is a resident barracuda that likes to hang around a cove on the NW coast of St Maarten, and has a name given to him by some of the tour boat folks: "Barry".

He's a pleasant fellow, about 3 ft, and will even nibble your hand, according to the guides.
(I didn't test that).

 

[tdschafer]

There is a resident barracuda that likes to hang around a cove on the NW coast of St Maarten, and has a name given to him by some of the tour boat folks: "Barry".

He's a pleasant fellow, about 3 ft, and will even nibble your hand, according to the guides.
(I didn't test that).

Are you sure you weren't trying to test that? That beer can looks mighty shiny and the recurrent theme here seems to be that they are atrracted to shiny objects.:grin:
Todd

 

[fc3]

That's not a Barracuda, that's a 'Cuda... and a mighty nice one, too!

Larry

I didn't think anyone would notice. Hard to find images of the standard model. Darned sorry I sold mine.

 

[katricol]

I think it's an asian carp....which I hear is more dangerous than a barricuda !!