- 2 days ago
- #rivermonsters
- #documentary
Documentary, River Monsters S08E03 Razorhead
#RiverMonsters #Documentary
#RiverMonsters #Documentary
Category
🐳
AnimalsTranscript
00:00I'm Jeremy Wade, biologist, angler and explorer.
00:07It's now 30 years ago that I hunted down my first river monster.
00:13And in that moment, my interest in underwater creatures became an obsession.
00:18Since then, my quest has taken me to rivers and lakes all over the world,
00:24including some of the most inhospitable places on the planet.
00:29Now it's time to take that unparalleled and hard-won experience
00:34and apply it to the vastness of the oceans.
00:41A domain still with no shortage of mystery.
00:45Like the terrifying report that recently surfaced
00:48from one of the East Coast's most popular vacation destinations,
00:52the Florida Keys.
00:59Something, it appears, is terrorizing this coastal paradise.
01:05I want to find out what it is that's attacking both visitors
01:09and people who grew up here who know these waters well.
01:12And what is it that's triggering these attacks?
01:16But I don't think it's going to be easy.
01:19I don't think it's going to be easy.
01:21You've been obstructing their bodies with no one who knows
01:24they have to be easy.
01:25If your life has to be easy, it is the only way too.
01:26They are not going to be easy.
01:27You're not going to be easy.
01:29If your life is safe to be easy,
01:31you're not going to be easy.
01:33You're not going to be easy,
01:34you're not going to be easy,
01:36but there are only some of the situations
01:38that you believe in the world are going to be easy.
01:39Cary Larson and her boyfriend Michael are kayaking through the maze of islands which make up the Florida Keys.
01:57It's an area they're familiar with, having visited here countless times before.
02:09Suddenly, something explodes out of the water, knocking Cary from the kayak, smashing her ribs, ripping her open, leaving a gaping hole in her side.
02:29Blood pours into the water.
02:32The blow has punctured her lung.
02:35Cary survives, but the horrific events of that day have taken their toll.
02:43It was completely out of the blue when it hit me and lifted me up and tossed me five foot from the kayak.
02:50I was, I didn't know what happened.
02:53It was over in seconds.
02:55We had just seen some sharks, so both of our thought was to get her out of the water because she was bleeding.
03:03So whereabouts exactly did it hit?
03:05It's right here.
03:06So that, so, oh gosh, so that is, that is the...
03:08The teeth just ripped the skin.
03:10The nose and snout exploded the rib underneath it.
03:14A fish which can torpedo itself out of the water is something I know about.
03:20Thirteen years ago, an arapaima struck me in the chest.
03:26Later tests suggested it might have permanently damaged my heart.
03:30But arapaima can't be guilty here.
03:36They're a freshwater species from South America.
03:39Cary was attacked in seawater in a channel near Big Pine Key in the Florida Keys.
03:49A chain of 1,700 coral islands that extends over 100 miles from the southern tip of Florida.
03:57Splitting the Gulf of Mexico from the Atlantic Ocean.
04:01What on earth could it have been that caused such horrific injuries to Cary, injuries that could very easily have been fatal?
04:10Clearly something fast, heavy, and was it teeth that cut her open, or was it just the sheer force of the impact that broke the ribs,
04:19and then it was the rib that punctured the lung, and whatever it was, it was out of the water.
04:27Michael and Cary reported seeing sharks on the day of the attack.
04:35And I've investigated attacks in Florida before,
04:38where it turned out that bull sharks were responsible.
04:42Sharks always bring a shadow of suspicion.
04:48But Cary's injuries are not the unmistakable signature bite of a shark.
04:56I start fishing in shallow water, where Cary was attacked.
05:03I want to start getting an idea of what carnivorous fish live in this water close to shore.
05:09The thing is, it's very shallow.
05:11We've got about three foot of water, something like that.
05:14Nice sandy bottom.
05:15It's actually very inviting water, the kind of water you might want to jump in and swim in.
05:23Prior to putting a line in, I'm going to put some chum in the water,
05:25just to see if that smell and that commotion actually draws anything in.
05:29We've been here, I don't know, less than five minutes,
05:43and there's two lemon sharks already right next to the boat, 10, 15 feet away.
05:46More than two.
05:50Sharks can detect a single drop of blood in a million drops of water.
05:54Although not to the same extent as bull sharks, lemon sharks can survive in fresh water.
06:03They grow up to 10 feet long and have been known to attack people.
06:08Coming towards it, coming towards it.
06:09Here it comes, here it comes, here it comes.
06:10Oh, there was hardly any resistance on that at all, but there we go.
06:17That's what that shark just did, a clean bite out of the back of this fish,
06:21and you can see the individual tooth marks.
06:23Just that's happened in a fraction of a second.
06:26Like it or not, sharks bring baggage.
06:30Two behind it, two behind it.
06:31If any shark is at the crime scene, its alibi must be rock solid before you can find them not guilty.
06:40With the lack of teeth marks on her torso, I'm quite sure it wasn't a shark that attacked Carrie.
06:46But even so, I wouldn't want to fall in this water right now.
06:50It's got the whole thing, it's got the whole thing, it's got the whole thing, it's got the whole thing.
06:54Trying not to, oh, I'm trying to get pulled out of the boat here.
06:58It's got the whole thing, I'm not letting go.
07:01I'm making sure I'm well and truly waged here, because this fish is right.
07:12They're actually still circling, but I think I've seen enough.
07:16I was wanting to know what carnivorous fish there might be in these shallow waters offshore,
07:21and there are lots of sharks.
07:22Those are lemon sharks, sounds sort of quite friendly,
07:24but the damage they were doing to some of these bonitas, just a fraction of a second,
07:28huge lump, you know, a couple of pounds, two or three pounds of flesh removed, just like that.
07:37Looking at the evidence so far, Carrie's injury is clearly not a shark bite.
07:42And these sharks didn't jump out of the water, even when whipped into a frenzy.
07:47So what did it?
07:49Having disturbed that sight, I move a little way down the coast to get a hook in the water.
07:55Choosing what to put on the hook is as much an art as a science,
07:59a mixture of experience and intuition.
08:01I start off using artificial lures designed to attract the attention of sight hunters.
08:08When the water hits that, it tips the nose down and it dives down a few feet,
08:15and then while it's doing that, it's wiggling nicely as well.
08:18So I just buzz this off the edge of the mangroves.
08:23By retrieving the lures quickly,
08:25I'm hoping to grab the attention of any predators that might be down there.
08:29There's a bit of a drop-off there.
08:33It goes from shallow groundwater, that's why it landed in just then,
08:37into deeper blue water.
08:40And I'm trying to sort of drop the lure along the edge of that,
08:44because that's the kind of place where predators are going to lurk.
08:48When the artificial bait draws a blank, I switch to real fish flesh.
08:59Oh, yes!
09:05Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes!
09:11That's serious?
09:13Wow, that is serious.
09:14That's the loss of line?
09:17Right.
09:19This took a fish, so it's a predator,
09:22and from the rate it's going, it's quite a good-sized one.
09:33I'm going to follow this.
09:35This fish is just not stopping.
09:42Getting some line back, we're having to use the boat.
09:44If we don't keep up, I'll run out of line.
09:49Um, oh, it's outrunning the boat now.
10:06I'm in the Florida Keys,
10:08investigating what could have leapt out of the water
10:10and sliced open a kayaker.
10:13And I've hooked something
10:15that's big enough to drag my boat.
10:19Unlike in most rivers,
10:21this water is so clear,
10:23I'm forced to use thin, almost invisible line.
10:29And the lighter the line,
10:31the easier it snaps.
10:33The runs are getting slower,
10:35or shorter.
10:36I can see the clear leader now.
10:42Yes, there it is, a shark.
10:45An eight-foot bull shark.
10:48The triangular dorsal fin and stocky body
10:50are unmistakable.
10:52But just as I get it close to the boat,
11:03it bites through the wire leader.
11:08Bull shark.
11:09Um, a well-known inhabitant
11:11of these shallow, warm, coastal waters.
11:14I've caught bull sharks before,
11:17and part of me is relieved
11:18it released itself.
11:20Bloody hell!
11:21This is going to break the gaff.
11:22This is going to break the blown gaff.
11:24That's definitely one
11:24that if you happen to be
11:26in the wrong place at the wrong time
11:28could make a very nasty mess of you.
11:32That's two locations now,
11:34and each time I catch sharks.
11:36Both lemons and bulls
11:38are toothy predators,
11:39easily large enough to break ribs.
11:41But as far as I know,
11:43neither species can jump clear out of the water,
11:46and all sharks leave
11:47an unmistakable dental signature.
11:49Yes, let's be around.
11:51I head back to port
11:52to talk to local fishermen
11:53to find out what else is out there.
11:57It's then I hear of a second attack
11:59on a guy named Bill Murray.
12:07Bill is working in his dock.
12:09He's cutting off some reinforcing bar
12:13that's jutting out from the dock wall.
12:21A half hour later,
12:23he climbs out.
12:24Bill's foot has been sliced clean open,
12:44like a knife attack.
12:46Could it be that creatures from the open ocean
12:48are hunting in these man-made canals?
12:52The type of wound often gives a definitive clue,
12:55but this injury is like nothing on my radar.
12:59So what was the water clarity like,
13:01and what time of day?
13:02The water wasn't crystal clear by any means.
13:04I would say it had about 10 or 12 foot visibility.
13:07So anything like this that you're aware of
13:10happened in this area before?
13:12No.
13:13Still to this day, no.
13:15Could the same creature be responsible
13:17for the attacks on Bill and Carrie?
13:21Both were attacked in shallow water
13:23close to the shore,
13:24with the light fading,
13:26which is when many large predators start to hunt.
13:36I'm at the spot where Bill was attacked
13:38at the same time of day.
13:40Maybe whatever went after Bill
13:42is still down there.
13:45There's actually lots of fish down here.
13:49I'm remembering a gruesome detail I learned
13:52while river fishing for Paku
13:53in Papua New Guinea.
13:56Tribesmen there, who were once cannibals,
13:59told me that human flesh tastes like pork.
14:02So for a fish that's attacking humans,
14:04I'm using pork as bait.
14:15I stir up the bait fish,
14:17hoping to attract something larger.
14:21But nothing.
14:26So, low light levels, poor visibility.
14:31I think whatever bit Bill mistook his light-colored foot
14:35for a fish.
14:37And whatever it was,
14:38it had to be pretty serious size.
14:40It had half of his foot in its mouth.
14:43Now, I've looked in the water up and down here,
14:45and I can't see anything bigger than the bait fish
14:47that he was describing.
14:48So, what on earth could it have been?
14:54Whatever attacked Bill has not been seen in the canal since.
14:57So, perhaps it has now moved back into the open ocean.
15:01The next day, I head into unfamiliar waters
15:06and start applying what I know.
15:10In rivers, predatory fish like to hunt around structure.
15:13And one common form of structure out here
15:16is the many boats that have run aground
15:18in these shallow tidal waters.
15:23We're drifting by this wreck here
15:25because it's the kind of place
15:27where you might get predators lurking,
15:30using that as a sort of background to hide against.
15:34I'm in the Florida Keys,
15:48investigating two gruesome incidents,
15:51trying to discover what is attacking people
15:53in these shallow coastal waters.
15:56And I have a bite.
15:59A long, streamlined fish.
16:02Is that a baby barracuda?
16:04Those are big teeth on a small fish.
16:08Good heavens.
16:10My first barracuda.
16:12There's no doubt about that being a predator.
16:14Long and streamlined, that helps with the speed.
16:16Big tail.
16:17And that sort of mirror finish,
16:19actually in open water,
16:20that is really good camouflage.
16:21The other thing that's very obvious,
16:23big eyes.
16:24So, no doubt that this thing's a sight hunter.
16:27But I am just drawn to those teeth.
16:29Even on a small one like this,
16:31those are wicked teeth.
16:33They seem to be pointing backwards.
16:35So anything that gets in there and tries to pull away
16:38is actually just going to sink those teeth deeper.
16:41I've never caught a barracuda before,
16:43and I've not heard of them jumping out of the water.
16:46But if they do,
16:47one this size would not have the power
16:49to knock an adult out of her kayak.
16:51I need to see what a bigger barracuda is capable of,
16:57so I head to deeper water to find a larger wreck.
17:01So, we've found more structure.
17:07There's basically quite a big wreck under the water here,
17:11and based on what I know so far,
17:12I'm now working a lure across the wreck.
17:16My casts yield nothing,
17:25so I fish deeper
17:26and switch from lures to bait,
17:29which I drop around the wreck.
17:34Oh, what?
17:35Oh, there's one after it.
17:36There's one after it.
17:37Here we go, look.
17:51So I had a bite,
17:53but nowhere near the hook.
17:54It actually took half of the fish.
17:56So this is what barracuda does,
17:57just clean bite through the flesh.
18:01The fact that you've got something that size
18:02with teeth like that in this water,
18:04lovely clear water,
18:06nice sandy beach over there,
18:07looks all quite benign,
18:08but stuff like that in this water.
18:13I try again with another whole bait fish.
18:22Oh, there it goes.
18:23No, it's the same again.
18:37Look at this.
18:40Look at this.
18:44This is carnage.
18:46That wasn't a hook-up.
18:50Seeing that,
18:51you know,
18:53you really appreciate
18:53that you don't want to be anywhere
18:54near those teeth,
18:55whether you're a small fish
18:56or even a person.
18:58Could those teeth
18:59be what caused the injuries
19:01to Carrie and Bill?
19:02I need to find out more about barracuda.
19:10There's an inner row
19:11of large teeth.
19:12Barracuda expert
19:13Dr. Evan D'Alessandro
19:14of the University of Miami
19:16talks me through their hardware.
19:18So it not only cuts through the flesh,
19:20it cuts through the bone as well.
19:22Flesh, bone, and everything.
19:23Based on the skull size,
19:26we're looking at a five-foot barracuda.
19:29These ones in the front
19:30are interesting, aren't they?
19:31Because at first sight,
19:33they look as if
19:34they've just got a point,
19:35but they've actually got a...
19:36There's a blade
19:36on the leading edge, isn't there?
19:37Yes, and that's very characteristic
19:39of a barracuda attacking something.
19:41It's very precise
19:42and almost surgical
19:43in the way that it cuts its prey.
19:46And also at high speed,
19:47they can actually cut
19:48without the barracuda
19:49even doing much biting action.
19:51Just by ramming something,
19:52they can actually cut it.
19:53That explains the clean slice on my bait.
19:57And I wonder whether it also explains
19:59the slice on Bill's foot.
20:01I was talking to somebody
20:02who was in one of these canals
20:05doing some work to his dock.
20:07He's just getting out of the water.
20:09His foot is about two or three feet
20:11under the surface
20:12and something hits it.
20:13Is this a possible candidate?
20:16I'd say it's a very high likelihood
20:17that it could have been one of these
20:18because his foot dangling in the water
20:20probably mimicked a small fish.
20:22and the barracuda probably saw that as prey.
20:25One tooth with a sharp edge
20:27moving at speed
20:28is just going to...
20:28Yes, absolutely.
20:30I ask about the attack on Carrie.
20:33There was a woman I was talking to
20:34who was kayaking in the mangroves.
20:37Something leaves the water
20:40and then impacts the side of her chest.
20:42It broke a rib,
20:44punctured the lung.
20:45Is barracuda a possibility for that?
20:47Barracuda can jump
20:49when they're chasing their prey.
20:54So even if the teeth
20:55don't actually make contact,
20:57the fact that you've got that mass
20:58and that momentum
20:59and you've got that pointed shape,
21:02if that impacts you,
21:04even that can cause a lot of damage.
21:07Absolutely.
21:07So at last,
21:11a big predator
21:12that can jump clear out of the water.
21:15To underline his point,
21:16Evan tells me about another bizarre incident.
21:20John Ziliff was fishing with his buddy.
21:24Nothing could have prepared them
21:25for what was about to happen.
21:27They've hooked something big
21:29and it's taking off at speed.
21:32Suddenly, it does a 180,
21:34heads straight towards the boat
21:35and leaps out of the water
21:37straight at John.
21:40The barracuda's razor-sharp teeth
21:42slides through his arm,
21:44right down to the bone.
21:49I track John down in Key Largo.
21:54I really thought that I was going to die.
21:55You don't realize how fast they come.
21:57I mean, it must have been coming
21:5830, 40 miles an hour
21:59because it jumped out of the water
22:01from 30 feet away
22:02and it was on top of me
22:04before my brain could process
22:06what was happening.
22:06So at that point,
22:07all I could do
22:08to keep him from hitting me in the chest
22:10was put my arm up
22:11and just deflect him off of me.
22:17Well, it's now clear to me
22:18that Barracuda could have carried out
22:20the attacks on both Carrie and Bill.
22:22The question is, though,
22:23do they really get big enough
22:25to knock somebody out of a kayak
22:26and smash their ribs?
22:30Barracuda are fast, explosive predators
22:33armed with three rows of razor-sharp teeth,
22:37two rows in the upper jaw
22:38and one in the lower.
22:41They are said to grow to six feet in length
22:43and weigh 100 pounds.
22:46But can Barracuda get this big
22:49in these shallow coastal waters?
22:52That is what I need to find out.
22:56Having spoken with Evan
22:57and caught the juvenile Barracuda,
22:59I know these visual hunters are fast,
23:02both in the water and out.
23:06Time to adapt my fishing
23:07and catch one big enough
23:09to knock a woman out of a kayak.
23:11I suppose a big difference
23:13between what I'm used to,
23:15fresh water and this,
23:16is that salt water tends to be more open,
23:18so it's all a lot more about speed.
23:21So small fish,
23:22if they're in open water,
23:22they're going to be often travelling fast.
23:26And if you're a predator,
23:27you keep an eye out for that
23:28and you travel faster.
23:30So my lure needs to behave
23:35like a fleeing prey fish.
23:38Despite there being hooks on there,
23:39you can sort of drag that
23:40through the shallows,
23:41can keep it just in the top few inches.
23:50Suddenly, I see a Barracuda sweep in.
23:54Oh, yes!
24:00What is the origin of the name Barracuda?
24:04Find out right after this.
24:08Before the break,
24:10I asked what is the origin
24:11of the name Barracuda.
24:13It's thought to be of Spanish origin.
24:16Barraco is Catalan for snaggletooth.
24:26I'm in Florida,
24:28trying to find out
24:29if Barracuda grow big enough
24:31in these coastal waters
24:33to knock someone out of a kayak.
24:43It's thrown the hook.
24:46Well, it was exciting.
24:48That war,
24:49what happened there was,
24:50it was a Barracuda hit
24:52very soon after the lure hit the motor.
24:54And what I've been trying to do
24:55is get to the point,
24:57get my casting,
24:58so that as soon as that lure
25:01hits the water,
25:02I've got a tight line to it
25:03and it's moving immediately.
25:04If you don't do that,
25:05if it's dead in the water
25:06for even a fraction of a second,
25:08it's going to clock
25:08that it's just a piece of plastic.
25:10I thought that was well hooked, that.
25:12Off we go again.
25:13So they're here anyway.
25:13We found them.
25:14Oh, good grief.
25:32That was a big one.
25:33That fish there,
25:34I mean, my heart is still going.
25:36It was pretty close to the boat
25:37and probably four and a half foot long,
25:4025 pounds,
25:41something like that.
25:41I mean, I saw the head.
25:43I saw this black head
25:43and it looked like the head
25:45of a dog coming out of the water.
25:48I've certainly came close
25:49to hooking up with some big fish,
25:52but I don't know.
25:54They just seem very skittish,
25:58very canny.
26:00It's not just happening.
26:00You know, there is a fish down there
26:02with my name on it,
26:03but I'm not quite sure yet
26:04how to catch it.
26:14I'm thinking what I need to do now
26:16is get in the water.
26:17Now, in a river,
26:19this would normally be a waste of time,
26:20but here the water's clear
26:21and what I really want to do
26:22is have a look around
26:23some of these wrecks
26:24and hopefully see a big barracuda.
26:27I'm hoping that if I can see
26:30how they attack,
26:31that's going to help me figure out
26:32how to catch a big one.
26:35But it's not going to be easy.
26:39Top predators tend to be suspicious
26:41and they're hard to get close to.
26:49So I'm going to be going
26:51into underwater stealth mode
26:52using this closed circuit
26:54rebreather unit,
26:55which doesn't give off
26:56clouds of bubbles.
26:57So in theory,
26:58I'm going to be able
26:59to get much closer to Barracuda.
27:03But this is a trade-off
27:05as rebreather diving
27:07is highly technical.
27:09Unlike normal scuba diving,
27:11this bubble-free system
27:12is computer-driven.
27:14So if something goes wrong,
27:16the results could be catastrophic
27:17unless I take action.
27:19But if I'm to get my quarry,
27:21then I must go the extra mile
27:23unnoticed.
27:24Big wreck here.
27:27The USS Spiegelgrove
27:29is a 510-foot warship,
27:32which after decommissioning
27:33was sent to a watery grave.
27:36It's now an encrusted metal reef
27:38in 135 feet of water.
27:41It's a maze of rooms
27:44and corridors,
27:46ideal for ambush predators
27:47like Barracuda.
27:49But this makes it
27:50more dangerous for me.
27:53Eight divers have died
27:55on this wreck.
27:56Some lost their way inside
27:58and never found their way out.
28:02Barracuda have been known
28:03to attack divers,
28:05their teeth tearing through
28:07dive suits and into flesh.
28:09The visibility deteriorates
28:21the deeper I go.
28:25Barracuda!
28:31Just look at that
28:33streamlined body
28:34and the shape
28:35and area of the tail.
28:37The Barracuda really is
28:40the perfect predator.
28:44I'm wondering if there's
28:46some sort of
28:46territorial thing going on.
28:49They'll stand their ground.
28:52I think the thing is,
28:53this wreck is
28:54a piece of crime,
28:55real estate,
28:56and they are sort of
28:57defending their interests
28:58to it.
28:59suddenly it heads off
29:07into open water,
29:09which is when I spot
29:12them massing above me.
29:15There is just a stack
29:17of Barracuda here
29:18at about 30 feet.
29:20Lots of fish,
29:21bed-sized fish.
29:21Perhaps they're gathering
29:26to protect themselves
29:27from a larger predator
29:29that I've not seen.
29:33I'm now actually
29:34holding formation
29:35with a squadron
29:36of Barracuda.
29:39Suddenly,
29:40I'm surrounded
29:41by thousands
29:42of razor-sharp teeth.
29:44I'm in the Florida Keys
29:57planning to dive
29:59with Barracuda.
30:01I'm hoping
30:02if I can see
30:03how they behave,
30:04I can figure out
30:05how to catch
30:06a big one.
30:07I put on
30:08chainmail gloves,
30:10protection against a fish
30:11that shows no fear,
30:12and it is literally
30:14armed to the teeth.
30:17Then I head down
30:19with a bucket of bait
30:20to draw in the fish
30:21that Barracuda eat
30:22and start
30:28chumming the water,
30:30wondering what
30:31is lurking
30:32out there.
30:33This vibration
30:42and movement
30:43in the water
30:44is definitely
30:44hauling in
30:46the predators.
30:49There's one here.
30:53Does it intend
30:55to attack my bait?
30:57Or me?
31:01There's one out here.
31:03Here's my bait.
31:07Here's my rod.
31:09Normally I've got
31:10a reel
31:11and some line.
31:14Today I've just got
31:15the bait
31:16attached to the rod.
31:25A vigorous waving
31:26of the bait
31:27seems to get its attention.
31:29Here we go.
31:33The Barracuda
31:33definitely coming in.
31:44There's definitely
31:45a sort of
31:46a cautious
31:46approach going on.
31:56This fish is wary,
31:58assessing the danger
32:00before striking.
32:01That came in
32:08at a rate of knots.
32:10It just lopped on
32:11and it was
32:12coming at speed.
32:14Just fearsome,
32:15absolutely fearsome,
32:16these things.
32:18Just a little
32:18rain of scales
32:21in order.
32:21I'm really getting
32:33an understanding
32:34of how they lock
32:35on and how they
32:36attack.
32:37Barracuda,
32:38it hits
32:39and it hits
32:39straight on.
32:40It's not like
32:41a sideways movement
32:42like you get
32:43with some fish,
32:44like sharks.
32:44It didn't take the bait,
32:52it just sliced
32:53the end clean off.
32:55I didn't,
32:57I scarcely even saw it.
33:00That's what must have
33:01happened to Bill's foot.
33:02For a moment there,
33:06I wasn't looking
33:07at a fish getting nailed,
33:08I was looking
33:08at a human foot
33:09and I can absolutely
33:10imagine now
33:11what must have been
33:13going on underneath
33:14the water
33:14when Bill got attacked.
33:16I've learned so much
33:35about Barracuda.
33:37Just seeing them
33:38feed right in front of me.
33:41I can certainly now
33:42visualise much better
33:43what's going on
33:45out of sight
33:46under the surface.
33:49Now it's time
33:50to put this experience
33:51into practice
33:52with rod and line.
34:02I head out
34:03with skipper
34:03Brad Nowicki.
34:05He was born in the Keys
34:06so knows these waters well.
34:08So how big is this
34:10wreck we're going to?
34:11This one is one
34:12of the biggest wrecks
34:13we have.
34:14And do you tend
34:14to find the bigger
34:16the wreck the bigger
34:17the fish?
34:17Yes.
34:18So if I'm after
34:19big Barracuda
34:20this should be
34:21a pretty good thing?
34:21This should be
34:22a good wreck
34:22to be on.
34:26I'm just having
34:27a good look
34:27at the gear
34:27I'm going to be using.
34:28It's scaled up a little
34:29bit from what I was
34:30using on the flats
34:30but you can't go
34:32ridiculously heavy
34:33because in clear water
34:34fish with good eyesight
34:35they can see
34:36sort of wire cable.
34:38It has to be
34:39quite delicate.
34:40And what we're
34:40going to try and do
34:41because there's lots
34:41of sharp bits
34:42of metal down
34:43on the wreck
34:43what we're going
34:43to try and do
34:44is bring the fish
34:45up off the wreck
34:45and then once
34:46they're hooked
34:47don't let them
34:47get back down.
34:53Once out of port
34:55we travel southeast
34:56from Key West
34:57to where the shallow
34:59coastal waters
35:00drop off
35:00into the deeper ocean.
35:02well we're here
35:12this is the wreck
35:13not that you
35:14would know it
35:15as with all
35:17open ocean fishing
35:18the surface
35:18gives little away
35:19without Brad
35:21I would never
35:21have known
35:22that a 500 foot wreck
35:23is only 40 feet
35:25below me
35:26while diving
35:28on the Spiegel Grove
35:29I saw Barracuda
35:30hanging out above
35:32the wreck
35:32so I'm trying
35:33to position
35:34my bait there
35:35my goal
35:36is to hook
35:37one large enough
35:38to knock someone
35:39into the ocean
35:39and break bones
35:41here we go
35:43something there
35:44this time
35:47I can picture
35:48what's happening
35:49under the surface
35:50within seconds
35:52something's running
35:52with my bait
35:53and it feels big
35:55yes yes yes yes
35:57yes
35:57I'm fishing
36:09for Barracuda
36:10first cast
36:12and there's
36:12something big
36:13on my line
36:14where is it
36:14where is it
36:15where's the line
36:15where's the line
36:16there it is
36:16there it is
36:17there it is
36:17there's the fish
36:18so
36:30fish has still
36:36got so much
36:36strength
36:36first cast
36:38straight away
36:39on this deep
36:39wreck
36:40so it just
36:40goes to show
36:41more water
36:41over their heads
36:42just how much
36:43more confident
36:44they are
36:45those teeth
36:46are just
36:46unbelievable
36:47I'm very careful
36:50to stay clear
36:51of this fish's jaws
36:52nice sized fish
36:53but I think
36:55what I really
36:55want to do
36:56is get this back
36:56I'm after a big one
36:57get this back
36:58get another bait out
36:59see if we can get one
37:00that might even
37:02have this one
37:02for dinner
37:03size matters
37:04I'm here to prove
37:06that Barracuda
37:07not only have
37:07the equipment
37:08but also the sheer
37:09weight and power
37:10to commit the attacks
37:12I'm investigating
37:13I quickly hook
37:15another
37:16and another
37:24even bigger
37:25you know
37:28everything stabs
37:29and everything cuts
37:30if you're on the
37:30receiving end of that
37:31very very bad news
37:32the Barracuda
37:38just keep on coming
37:40each one bigger
37:41than the last
37:42fast and furious action
37:47I feel like I'm
37:49casting into the pack
37:50of Barracuda
37:51I saw while diving
37:52oh
37:53there's a better
37:55sized one
37:56here we go
37:57oh
37:58just one after the
38:00other these fish
38:01and look at the size
38:02it's not just about
38:04individual big fish
38:05these are
38:05all
38:06serious sized fish
38:09and they seem to pack
38:10more or less
38:10in fish of a similar
38:12size
38:12but I still don't feel
38:14I've caught one
38:15capable of smashing
38:16somebody's ribs open
38:18then
38:19something nearly
38:20pulls the rod
38:21out of my hands
38:23it was going deep
38:25which had me
38:26a bit worried
38:27this one feels
38:28different
38:29definitely
38:30bigger than the others
38:31I don't know
38:34if this is a Barracuda
38:35or
38:35it's feeling
38:36possibly slightly
38:37different
38:37I hope
38:39it's not
38:40a shark
38:41this feels like
38:47good sized fish
38:48I'm guessing
38:50it's about
38:5130 foot down
38:52and I'm struggling
38:55to bring it
38:56any nearer
38:57to the surface
38:58oh
39:04it's still
39:04hanging
39:05you can see
39:09the leader
39:09so there's the fish
39:10there's the fish
39:12there it is
39:14it's the proof
39:17I needed to see
39:18with my own eyes
39:19a huge
39:21Barracuda
39:22size of this
39:30it's been
39:32I've been thinking
39:33I've been catching
39:34big ones
39:34one after another
39:35after another
39:36and along comes this
39:39no those aren't big ones
39:40this is a big one
39:40it's just unbelievable
39:42the teeth
39:43the power
39:44the streamlining
39:45this would
39:46absolutely
39:47lacerate a limb
39:48and I reckon
39:49one like this
39:50at speed
39:51out of the water
39:52hit you in the side
39:53perfectly possible
39:55this could break
39:55your ribs
39:56it's a tired fish
39:58as well
39:58I want to get it
39:58back in the water
39:59I came to Florida
40:02in search of a creature
40:03capable of inflicting
40:04life-threatening injuries
40:06and it wasn't the shark
40:08that most would assume
40:09but another
40:10of the ocean's
40:11super predators
40:12it rams its prey
40:14at speed
40:15with teeth
40:16that slice
40:17at the merest contact
40:18but perhaps
40:20most remarkable
40:21it can do this
40:22both below
40:23and above the water
40:24I know that
40:26Barracuda
40:27don't deliberately
40:28target humans
40:29but these high-speed
40:30predators
40:31slice through the same
40:32warm shallow water
40:33where people play
40:35so in the Florida Keys
40:38I'm now very wary
40:39of the other jaws
40:41below the surface
40:42you
Recommended
43:26
|
Up next
41:39
41:40
42:10
43:17
41:39
42:10
42:20
42:26
41:40
51:34
43:27
41:39
41:40
41:52
43:27
1:27:04
41:39
43:27
41:39
41:47
42:26
41:42
1:25:07
42:26
Be the first to comment