How to entice GPO's to come out

[uzun]

I am considering a trip up to the Seattle area to hopefully get some video of a giant pacific octopus out and about. Is there some way to entice one to come out of its lair, or a site / time where they are more commonly seen moving in the open? Is it basically unreasonable to expect to see one out of it's lair during any dive?

-Roger

 

[dwashbur]

It's pretty well impossible to "entice" them out. You have a little better chance of seeing them out in the open during an evening or night dive, but basically it's the luck of the draw. Even seeing a tentacle or two, an eye here and there, tucked back in a den is worth the trip into the water, though. They are truly wonderful animals.

 

[Sintax604]

I have yet to lure one out, although I have seen a baby one (about the size of your open hand) out in the open on a night dive.

Apparently they are very curious, especially when it comes to warmth and shiny objects. I've heard that if you take off your glove and put your hand out, and hold really still for a while, they will come and check it out. This of course has two inherent problems:

1. You will have a very cold hand
2. You may soon have an octopus wrapped around your very cold hand

Good luck! And please post your result!

 

[emeryr]

If you go to Seattle, Alki beach Cove #2 has a high probability of seeing an octopus. I personally saw 2 on a dive today but they are tucked up away and hard to photograph.

Any dive shop in Seattle will be able to help direct you to this site. The largest that seems to frequent this area is one that is often seen in a wrecked ship in about 50ft of water.

As for getting them out into the open, I would agree that night and evening dives are best but it is luck of the draw.

Good Luck!

 

[farsidefan1]

Holding your hand out and wiggling your fingers works with the little caribbean octos but I'n not sure you want one of those big suckers climbing up your arm!

 

[shaggie]

I finaly saw my first GPO's saturday at KVI tower. The first was tucked up in a hole, it didn't want to come out and play. As we continued our dive we came across another one, but it was swimming along without a care in the world about 2 in the afternoon! What a great dive

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

You can't entice them out ... but sometimes you can get lucky ...

Octopus are very intelligent critters. You have to take them on their terms ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[danclem]

As noted above, there are several in a West Seattle dive site, but the silt makes photographing tough. We are a group of photographers and made six dives in Hood Canal last week, and had GPO's on all dives. Conditions were not good for DSLR photographers, but the video guys were able to get some shots of females on eggs in their dens. Several of us are heading back over this weekend for some more photography (also many wolf eel, all manner of rockfisk, nudi's, lings, cabezon, jellies, etc).

If you are interested, feel free to send a PM and we can try to link you up with one of our trips. We are starting to plan a night dive with the same operator (Pacific Adventure) later this Fall with the hopes of photographing GPO's out in the open.

Will trade GPO opportunities up here for humbold squid photo ops in your area.

Cheers,

Dan

 

[TSandM]

They're most active at night, but there is no guarantee to see them in the open. I have about 600 or so dives in Puget Sound, and have two encounters with GPOs out in the open.