Best places to dive with Great barracuda

Great barracuda are resident on reefs and wall edges.

Great barracuda are resident around reefs and wreck structure.

Frequently seen hanging over reefs and wrecks; resident year-round.

Great barracuda are resident around reefs and the wreck.

Great barracuda are resident around reefs and wrecks.

Great barracuda are resident around Guanaja reefs.

Barracuda school over the drop-offs at both sites.

Barracuda are reliable around the HTMS Chang and the rocky reefs, sometimes in schools.

Resident on the reef edges and walls year-round; commonly seen hanging along the drop-offs. No seasonal peak.

Great barracuda are resident along reefs and drop-offs.

Barracuda are regular around Pescador and the offshore sites, often near the schooling jacks.

Great barracuda are resident around reefs and wrecks.

Solitary adults patrol the reef edges year-round; schooling barracuda are a signature of the current-swept Tiran reefs, especially Jackson.

At Blue Corner and Peleliu, often in schools.

Resident; schools of barracuda are a fixture at the bommies (Lighthouse, Steve's, Pixie). Seen year-round.

Great barracuda are resident around reefs and wrecks.

The chevron-barracuda tornado at Barracuda Point schools year-round (Sipadan closed in November).

Standard around the bait crates and over Sugar Wreck year-round. Draws to the bait alongside groupers and snappers; incidental to the shark diving.

Regularly hang over the larger hulls and superstructures.

Great barracuda are resident around reefs and the wreck.

Barracuda may patrol the wreck and current-facing channels. School size and frequency are not well quantified.

Barracuda are the reason Apo 29 carries the nickname Barracuda Hill. Most reports describe schooling barracuda without naming the species, so the schools may include chevron or blackfin barracuda alongside solitary great barracuda; treat the identification as unconfirmed.

Seen around the Liberty wreck and the Penida drop-offs, sometimes in schools.

Large solitary barracuda along the walls and dense schools at current-swept points like Mandolin and Sachiko's.

Juveniles are reported in the brackish, tidally connected channel at Casa Cenote, which links to the sea — the only cenote in this region where a marine predator turns up. Not present at inland or enclosed cenotes. No seasonal pattern documented.

Large solitary barracuda are reported on the outer sites; the local operator also mentions loose schools. Not a site-specific aggregation.

Barracuda pass by the deeper wrecks such as the Kogyo Maru; the animals that gave Barracuda Lake its name are now rarely seen there. Occasional rather than reliable.

Solitary adults may be seen along reef edges throughout the year; no seasonal aggregation is claimed.

Possible in suitable habitat; no unsupported monthly peak is applied.

Seen along the pass edges and drop-offs, solitary adults hanging in the current and sometimes loose groups. Regular but not the signature schooling spectacle that Rangiroa's Tiputa pass is known for.

Seen singly or in loose groups over the reef drifts; a regular but not guaranteed sighting.

Possible in suitable habitat; no unsupported monthly peak is applied.

Possible in suitable habitat; no unsupported peak is applied.

Barracuda school at the wreck and pinnacles; a chevron barracuda school reportedly circles divers on the Yong Hua ascent.

Reported around the offshore Koh Prins sites and at Sponge Garden inshore, more often in the dry season when water is clearer.

Seen around pinnacles and reef sites; large schools of chevron barracuda are a feature of Sail Rock and Chumphon Pinnacle in particular.

Possible in suitable habitat; no unsupported peak is applied.

Individuals and schools may appear around channel reefs and thilas. Current is a better predictor than month.

Possible in suitable habitat; no unsupported monthly peak is applied.

Singles and small groups hang off the outside of Madonna Rock and Small Wall. These are not the large schooling aggregations found elsewhere in the region.

Singles and small groups over the wrecks and the current-exposed rocks — Sugar Wreck, Terumbu Kili, Tanjung Gua Kawah. Smaller schooling yellowtail barracuda are more frequent than large solitary greats.

Barracuda hang around the King Cruiser wreck and Anemone Reef pinnacles, sometimes in loose schools.

Barracuda, including schooling fish, are seen along the current sites of the Verde Island Passage such as The Canyons.

Great barracuda and schooling chevron barracuda are common at pinnacle sites like Koh Tachai and Richelieu Rock. Present through the open season.

Barracuda school at the pinnacles and islet points; single large barracuda are common on the reefs.