Nice Baby Barracuda:
In Belize, as I understand it, they have the second largest reef in the world. Being a scuba diver & snorkeling enthusiast, I could not wait to get out there...
I'll leave the rather boring details out about how it took 6 hours to get one hour of snorkeling in (in Belize, when they say something will take 5 or 10 minutes, they really mean, some time today...), but the views were fantastic.
Since I was probably more experienced than most of the divers on the boat (by way of age mainly, i.e., being older than most of the guides & having been diving since I was a child), I ventured out in the deeper ends of the reef. Now, the rule is to never dive (snorkel, swim) alone, so don't anyone try this at home (unless, of course, you have an ocean in your house), and, I am an expert. :-/~
The water seemed clearer than the air, and you could see amazing colors of coral & fish that went on forever... As I was "expertly" cruising up & down, I spotted a baby barracuda. Barracuda are very cool to see underwater. They stop & appear motionless, then zip around like a humming bird. Almost effortless looking, their movements are quick and calculated.
The baby barracuda slid away from me, but always keeping that one big (fish) eye on me. I tried to follow in an unthreatening manner when, I should have anticipated, we came upon mommy (or daddy) barracuda. "Oh, so sorry, did not mean to intrude on the family", was my thought as I slowly turned to swim in the direction from which I came...
Yikes! As I turned, I noticed that I was now surrounded by a school of mommy & daddy barracudas. I have been around barracuda a number of times, but, I never saw them circle around like they were doing here. Sensing I had only one way to go, and hoping it was not lunch time (feeding frenzies can be most dangerous no matter what you're swimming around, even if they're not interested in eating you, they're open mouths & sharp teeth can get you), I dove straight to the bottom.
Barracuda, like sharks, are more interested in (& less frightened of) living things near the surface. In fact, barracuda, when swimming near the surface, will swim within the rhythm of the waves to appear invisible, whether attacking or hiding from something. So, there I was at the bottom, hoping my air did not run out before the barracuda's interest in me. Slowly, some started to move away. Feeling my three minutes were about up (the average time I can hold my breath), I did a dead man's float to the surface, very slow & unthreatening (& hopefully, unnoticeable).
Back at the boat, I was telling the captain about my little adventure. He said, "There's no barracuda in the area we showed you. That's why we keep you in the shallow part of the reef. Maybe a stray baby barracuda or two, but, nothing threatening."
I said, "Yes, you're right."
Next up: Odds & Ends, and Lessons & Morals...
~F8, Snorkeling Expert, baby
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