Captain Gets Award After Barracuda Hurts Woman

[The Straight Story]

Captain Gets Award After Barracuda Hurts Woman
Man Rescued Woman With Broken Ribs, Punctured Lung

MARATHON, Fla. -- A Florida Keys tow boat captain is being recognized by the Coast Guard for helping rescue a woman injured when a barracuda leaped into her kayak.

Tow captain Kevin Freestone was given the Coast Guard's Public Service Commendation Award on Wednesday in Marathon for his actions last October. The award is for acts of courage or assistance in Coast Guard missions.

Freestone was able to maneuver his boat into shallow waters where Coast Guard vessels could not go. He brought the injured woman on board and took her to a local marina where she was transported to a hospital in Miami.

The woman, Karri Larson, suffered broken ribs and a punctured lung when the barracuda struck her. She has recovered and attended Wednesday's ceremony.

http://www.clickorlando.com/news/26387584/detail.html

From the headline I thought he got an award for attacking the woman with a barracuda :)

[DCKit]

1. Some fish are dying, the rest have gone insane. nt

[Dappleganger]

2. Yes, damn those barracuda for acting like barracuda...

how dare they!

[DCKit]

3. I wasn't aware they were known to hunt boaters. I plead ignorance. nt

[Dappleganger]

6. Barracuda have a known tendency to act like missiles...

they have knocked people out of the water (fishing boats, typically), rammed boats, rammed people, bite, etc. Being in FL we hear the stories from time to time.

[snooper2]

4. or he was just really hungry

Barracuda haven't been around for 50 million years on just luck :rofl:

[Ichingcarpenter]

5. We had a 6' Barracuda jump into our 16' boat in the keys

My family , 4 of us were fishing for dorado and hit a good school
the Cuda followed my father's shiny lure into the boat after he jerked it out of the water about 10 feet from the boat.

Boy did everyone jump when came on board......as my father took a paddle
and forced it under the seats.

The fish remains on my Father's Den's Wall at his home.

[Dappleganger]

7. That's a very typical story...

but when it happens to you it's so exciting! :D