According to the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI), “In 1967, during dive 202, Alvin was attacked by a swordfish on the bottom at about 2,000 feet. The fish became trapped in Alvin’s skin and was brought back to the surface.” As indicated by WHOI, the fish became dinner.

Apparently, swordfish can be aggressive, so the Alvin incident isn’t necessarily unique, since swordfish have been blamed for attacking humans, boats, and various kinds of aquatic gear.  Perhaps, many of these records are swordfish merely having unfortunate interactions with our underwater gear (see the videos below), or obviously the result of humans intruding into their environment. In 2004, a 30-year-old man was killed while “swimming in the sea with friends when [a] 7kg swordfish leapt out of the water and struck him in the chest.”

Video: A swordfish (Xiphias gladius) interacts with some underwater gear.

Video: This marlin became “stuck in the blow out prevention stack of a subsea oil rig,” but a remotely operated underwater vehicle managed to free it. After being released, it was clearly weak and confused so no doubt easy prey for sharks.

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