Octopus Lovers

[Scuba_Jenny]

Long arm Octopus. I love how when they are in their "common phase" at the bridge you can look out over the grassy rubble and see the eyes popped up looking at you.

---------- Post added December 2nd, 2013 at 03:11 PM ----------

I found a tiger goby, baby. I shot it for a long time (couple months?) as it moved from a piece of coral to to this octopus den. The octopus wasn't very happy with me there.. and probably got harassed by a lot of divers because of its location.. but how could I tell it it's the goby I want to shoot?

 

[Tjack]

View attachment 172330

I've been looking to do a Hawaii trip primarily for the blackwater dives, are pelagic night dives are unique to Hawaii? Surfacing from a night dive in Turks and Caicos I found a very similar looking Octopus to this one on my hand, it was tiny. Wondering if juvenile Octopus go through a pelagic phase?

 

[George Scherman]

Just got back from 10 days on the Kona Coast and got to see many Octos including a pair in the throes ofeight legged love. Our best octopus sighting Was with Kona Dive Company. Our DM was Luke, who we dove with at the aquarium and Suckemup sites.

 

[dmoore19]

Any pictures?

Just got back from 10 days on the Kona Coast and got to see many Octos including a pair in the throes ofeight legged love. Our best octopus sighting Was with Kona Dive Company. Our DM was Luke, who we dove with at the aquarium and Suckemup sites.

 

[smellzlikefish]

People do the pelagic night dives elsewhere, but I think Hawaii is the only place where dive shops offer the experience to any diver with experience. They have become my favorite dive in the area because they reliably produce animals I have never seen before. As far as juvie octopi, yes, many, if not all, go through a pelagic dispersal phase. The cephalopod Euprymna scolopes is actually a small species of squid that settles out over sandy habitats when it gets a little bigger. Keep in mind, however, that many cephalopods have truncated life cycles and must be born, grow up mate and die in the span of a year. That was the story with some squid that we raised through generation f3. They have the most fascinating lives, too. We found that subdominant males would skip meals hoping that the females would be distracted by food before swimming up and placing their sperm sacs in the girls' mantels. This kept the small males small, which in squid world means they would be cannibalized first, but also ensured they would pass on their genes to the next generation. Weird animals.

 

[Bratface]

I've been very fortunate to see several octopus and had a few interesting encounters. I was searching for lionfish and saw an octopus in his den with a fresh conch shell. I wanted it before he threw it out and a crab moved in so I held the shell. He blew water at me and tugged at it. I tugged back and he retreated into his den.

Another time I was trying to photograph one. He didn't want to have his picture taken and pulled a shell over the entrance to his den. My buddy gave one her pointer. He examined it throughly and handed it back.

I love seeing them. I am amazed by them but still a bit freaked out looking at their body, like a bag with legs.

 

[Scuba_Jenny]

This isn't my photo, but that's my hand.

---------- Post added December 3rd, 2013 at 10:35 AM ----------

And another one.. the octo is trying to steal my camera!

 

[xyrandomyx]

OK, not my video, and it's pretty old, but pretty cool: Foiled by an octopus ... on Vimeo

Back-story: researchers put an unmanned camera and a bait bucket down to estimate numbers of fish stocks in False Bay, Cape Town, South Africa. An octopus decided that the bait was tasty and ruined their plan...twice, even after they'd attempted to make it octopus-proof.

 

[Scuba_Jenny]

that is pretty cool! would love to do something like that at the bridge.. but would have to keep a close eye on the camera.. too many sticky fingers there...

 

[tracydr]

OK, not my video, and it's pretty old, but pretty cool: Foiled by an octopus ... on Vimeo

Back-story: researchers put an unmanned camera and a bait bucket down to estimate numbers of fish stocks in False Bay, Cape Town, South Africa. An octopus decided that the bait was tasty and ruined their plan...twice, even after they'd attempted to make it octopus-proof.

Loved this video! The largest octopus I've ever seen was in Africa,Pemba Island. Looked similar to this one but it was a lovely red color, I guess because it was disturbed? What kind of large octopus inhabit that area? The few I saw were larger than the GPO that I commonly saw when living near Puget Sound.