During safety instruction for newcomers to the Sea Base program, the instructor for the class claimed that "Barracudas aren't dangerous, they're just curious." A barracuda, a native fish that lives in the Florida keys, is a long silver animal with razor sharp teeth, can reach up to eight feet long, and can reach speeds up to 60 miles per hour under the water... not dangerous? I have many experiences with barracuda myself and know that they have extremely bad eyesight, which means that they will get very close to people just to see what they are. This often gives them a bad rap, but they will not attack without provocation. The aforementioned SAFETY INSTRUCTOR, while out on the water, saw a barracuda near the boat. To prove his point, the SAFETY INSTRUCTOR, rather than putting his hand or finger in the water, did a full fledged DIVE on top of the marine predator. He was hospitalized for several weeks

Submitted on 04/03/2011

Submitted by: Ian
Reference: Personal Account, Summer 2005

Copyright © 2011 DarwinAwards.com

Bruce said:
Definitely Keep: Personal Account
Barracuda may not be inherently dangerous (they won't go out of their way to attack you), but that doesn't mean they won't defend themselves if you do something really stupid like dive right on top of one. This guy has to be one of the dumbest safety instructors I've ever heard of. Thanks, Ian!

Candi said:
Definitely Keep: Personal Account
Barracuda aren't *vicious*, but they will defend themselves! What an idiot! Thanks Ian!

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