How do you lure an octopus out of a crevice?

[fire_diver]

The only times I have ever seen them was at night, and they didn't want anything to do with us divers trying to watch them.

 

[Charlie99]

I lured one out on a dive today in Maui. Spotted a day octopus at a distance of about 50' and watched him try several coloration schemes as I approached. He dove into a hole. He didn't want to play with the shiny boltsnap I dangled in front of the hole. So I swam to the other side of the coral head. That was enough to get him to creep halfway out of the puka and peek over the top of the coral head. We played hide and go seek for a while. If I went up, he'd slide down. If I started to go out of sight by descending, he creep out a bit further.

Then my buddy and I swam away. When we go about 25' feet away he popped out and started hunting again. A couple goatfish quickly joined him. I reversed course and was able to catch back up with him in an exposed area. After 10 or 15 seconds, he gave up trying to blend in and took off for another hole.

This is pretty much how several other of my octopus encounters in Maui have gone.

 

[dive brat]

We are only observers of the underwater world...

 

[fire_diver]

We are only observers of the underwater world...

I'm an eater of it too.

 

[spt29970]

What I do when I spot an octopus in a hole is take my glove off and put my bare hand near the hole. I think they like the warmth of the exposed flesh, because more often than not, the octopus will venture out of his hole and wrap some tentacles around my hand to investigate. That way if we have an interaction, it is entirely on his terms. Besides it makes a better story when the sea life initiates the interaction, and no I have never been bit this way.

 

[H2Ocean]

its octopus week from feb 19-27th in seattle. The Seattle Aquarium are releasing Ivan, and his girlfriend K2 very soon. like within the week, in Puget Sound. Now they have held Ivan (like pried him out of a crevice or rescued him whatever) now, they're letting him go to live under the aquarium.. face book Seattle Aquarium, or type in Ivan the octopus in a search bar. Sweet. Also you can have a stab at guessing Ivan's weight, I'm wondering if wet or dry means anything. The are in the family of worlds largest octo's. Maybe webster can add "octos to its new plural word.

 

[dive brat]

I'm an eater of it too.

Have to admit, so am I!

 

[MaxBottomtime]

its octopus week from feb 19-27th in seattle. The Seattle Aquarium are releasing Ivan, and his girlfriend K2 very soon. like within the week, in Puget Sound. Now they have held Ivan (like pried him out of a crevice or rescued him whatever) now, they're letting him go to live under the aquarium.. face book Seattle Aquarium, or type in Ivan the octopus in a search bar. Sweet. Also you can have a stab at guessing Ivan's weight, I'm wondering if wet or dry means anything. The are in the family of worlds largest octo's. Maybe webster can add "octos to its new plural word.

Here is the KING5 News video of Ivar and K2.
Happy homecoming for Seattle Aquarium octopus | KING5.com | Seattle Area Local News

 

[MaxBottomtime]

Come out to Redondo. We see octo's out and about all the time! (Mainly 'cause there aint many crevices to hide in!)

There is plenty of trash though, and they use all they can.

 

[vladimir]

Not a grammar pedant, but just pointing out that it is technically "octopuses". Don't know why.

For a Brit like yourself, "octopodes" is most correct, followed by "octopuses," and then "octopi," which is only acceptable because pedants lost the battle to a relentless sea of ignorance. "Octopi" is the plural you would choose if you thought the "-us" was the Latin noun ending that takes "-i" in plural, as in "radius," "stimulus," and "nucleus," but it actually comes from the Greek "pous," meaning "foot."

"Octopodes" sounds too stuffy to me, and I don't want to have to explain it every time I use it, so I go with "octopuses," and smile condescendingly whenever somebody uses "octopi."