Great Barracuda

Photo: Mark Rosenstein · CC BY-NC

Great barracuda hover in loose mid-water formations in the channel, using the predictable current to ambush smaller fish swept through the pass on the tide. Their torpedo-shaped bodies and paired dorsal fins make them highly efficient pursuit predators in open water, capable of short bursts exceeding 50 km/h. At Naingoro Pass the resident barracuda school has become habituated to divers and will drift alongside at close quarters, providing exceptional photographic opportunities.