Mediterranean Barracuda

Photo: Falk Viczian Solarboot-Projekte gGmbH · CC BY-NC

Schools of 50 or more barracuda aggregate above the reef crest in summer, hovering in loose torpedo formation and scanning for small fish driven to the surface by deeper predators. They are attracted to the current-driven upwelling that occurs on the reef's exposed western face, which concentrates prey. Divers ascending from the reef often drift up through the school during a safety stop.