The Revenge of the Fish

When it comes to humans and fish, fish usually come out on the short end. For about a billion times more fish get killed or injured by humans than vice versa. But every now and then humans come out on the short end.

One such human is Stefan Ries, a young German cruiser who has been based out of Banderas Bay for the last several years. He’s currently on a sailing/surfing safari to Central America aboard his Triton Mintaka. While adjusting his windvane when sailing out of Bahia Santa Elena a week or so ago, he was harpooned by a two-foot needlefish. Harpooned in the sense that the head of the fish plowed into his left thigh. Part of the fish’s jaw came out the other side of his thigh, the other part of the jaw broke off inside his leg. He was able to remove most of it with a pair of pliers. More on this story in next month’s Changes in Latitudes.

The last time we can remember something similar to this happening was about five years ago when a barracuda jumped out of the water near St. Martin in the Caribbean and bit a chunk out of Bay Area sailor Hogan Beattie’s stomach.