Posted on 07/25/2005 11:02:03 AM PDT by nickcarraway
HONOLULU - A 19-year-old Mililani man is recovering at Queen's Medical Center after being impaled by what he says was a barracuda.
Tonga "Piu" Loumoli was night diving off Kahana Bay near Kaaawa in Windward Oahu late Thursday night when a four-foot-long fish charged into his stomach. The fish wiggled loose, but left behind a six-inch-long gash and a tooth.
A fishing buddy put Loumoli in a small dinghy and dragged him nearly a mile to shore and flagged down a police officer who called for help.
Marine expert Craig Thomas said he has never heard of a barracuda charging into a swimmer. He said it seems more likely that Loumoli was impaled by a needlefish.
But Loumoli, who has been night diving since his freshman year in high school, is adamant that he was attacked by a barracuda.
His fishing companion, Braven Rivera, said he saw the fish clearly and agreed it was a barracuda. The tooth could solve the mystery, Thomas said.
Loumoli was reported in serious condition in the hospital's intensive care unit where he was being treated for a serious liver injury. He is on a machine to help his breathing and cannot talk.
But he scribbled a note to his mother and sister saying, "I'm going to quit diving."
Can't say I blame the guy. I'd quit too.
"I'm going to quit diving." Good decision.
Suddenly diving lost all of it's appeal for this guy.
Barracuda are not generally agressive to divers, but can be if provoked.
There's more of that for you lilly-livered land-lubbers foolish enough to get in the water.
AAARRRRRRRR
I've seen barracuda in Puerto Rico. I've never heard of a story like this. Often they are attracted to jewelry or shiny objects worn by divers/snorklers. I don't think I have ever heard of an attack.
I hate when that happens.
"There's more of that for you lilly-livered land-lubbers foolish enough to get in the water.
"AAARRRRRRRR"
If you need help talking like a pirate, it is available.
http://www.talklikeapirate.com/piratehome.html
"The tooth could solve the mystery,"
Giving us the tooth, the whole tooth, and nothing BUT the tooth.
If he was freediving he was most likely spear fishing and the barracuda was probably charged up by the smell of blood.
I used to SCUBA dive 3 or 4 times per week when I was stationed in Guam. Once I tried night diving I was hooked, I would only dive at night. Nothing like the rush of being 100ft below the surface, you can only see what is in the 15 degree arc of your flashlight out to about 20 ft away. Every once in a while something would bump into you and by the time you could swing your flashlight around you only felt the whoosh of water as it took off. Or, as you searched around with the flashlight you would see the mirror reflection of a large eye off in the distance. Fun times I tells ya!
Who the hell would stick their kid with a name like "PIU"?????
What do you do to relax, BASE jumping?
the name "ALBEE" was already taken.
Few years ago a 6ft alligator gar rolled over right in front of me as I was casting chest-deep in the lake. Didn't swim in the lake for a couple years. I wish I had film of me trying to get out of the water.
You lying so low in the weeds
I bet you gonna ambush me
You’d have me down down down down on my knees
Now wouldn’t you, barracuda?
Hope the kid is OK.
houndfish
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