European barracuda

Photo: Christian Amador Da Silva · © all rights reserved

Sphyraena sphyraena is smaller and less territorial than its Indo-Pacific relatives, typically forming loose aggregations of 20 to 100 fish at current-exposed reef edges where upwelling concentrates small prey. The Prasonisi convergence draws reliable columns of barracuda that hover facing the current, mouth slightly agape, in classic station-keeping behaviour. Unlike tropical barracuda, European barracuda show minimal interest in divers and can be approached closely, making Prasonisi a reliable site for wide-angle photography of the species in its natural hunting formation.