Usually the barracudas I see in the harbor are babies, less than a foot or so long. This one was so big, though, that, even though I was in a hurry, I had to stop and stare. Brave manini, I thought. I watched for awhile but didn't see the big fish strike. The one time I did see a barracuda catch a fish, it happened with such swiftness that I couldn't make out any of the details.
Barracudas eat both large and small fish, striking with lightning bursts of speed.
Unlike some fish predators, barracudas can't expand their mouths to swallow large fish whole. To eat big prey, barracuda slash them to pieces with remarkably sharp teeth. A large barracuda can cut a mature parrotfish in two pieces with a single bite. Kaku, the great barracuda, are the ones we see in the Ala Wai Harbor. These fish are active during the day, using camouflage to catch fish.