Octopus Lovers

Please register or login

Welcome to ScubaBoard, the world's largest scuba diving community. Registration is not required to read the forums, but we encourage you to join. Joining has its benefits and enables you to participate in the discussions.

Benefits of registering include

  • Ability to post and comment on topics and discussions.
  • A Free photo gallery to share your dive photos with the world.
  • You can make this box go away

Joining is quick and easy. Log in or Register now!

Some more GPO photos from the Vancouver area..

My first good Octo photo, which was actually the first octo I saw outside of a deep crack. From a couple years back, under the Granthall at Porteau Cove. This one was BIG.
octo1.jpg

A juvenile GPO at Whytecliff park, out in the middle of the bay, from about a month ago.
gpo3.jpg
gpo4.jpg
gpo5.jpg

Edit: Not really an octopus, but I'm more of a cephalopod lover myself.... Stubby Squid eggs I found last weekend! (Just gotta find an actual stubby squid now)

stubbysquideggs.jpg
 
I'm only aware of two species in Cape Town: the Common Octopus (octopus vulgaris), which I believe you can find all over the Atlantic and Mediterranean; and the Brush-tipped Octopus (aphrodoctus schultzi), which is rare and endemic to South Africa. The one in that video is a Common Octopus. They get pretty big, arms up to a metre/ three feet long, but not nearly as large as GPOs. I've only seen a few (I'm terrible at spotting them when they're hiding); all of those have been a reddish-brown colour, but the colour varies (and they can change colour).

I'm not sure what species you might've seen in Pemba. I don't have any decent reference books for the western Indian Ocean, just a few fish ID slates. The only octopus on there is the White Spotted Octopus (octopus cyanea), but that doesn't seem to fit the bill: they're a bit smaller than the common octopus.
I bet it was the common octopus. It was at least three feet long, a lot like smaller GPO that I've seen. I wish I had the video that our group leader made. I didn't have a good enough camera ( no strobe) to take night pictures. We saw several, all at night and the largest was in a very shallow, grassy area.
 
A Common Octopus (octopus vulgaris), taken yesterday morning:

PICT0032.jpg

It's the first time I've managed to take a picture of one. It seemed interested in my camera, but not curious enough to get any further out of its hiding spot. I saw another two at the same site today, but all that was visible was an eye in a crevice.
 
First dive for the new year! Woot! what a poser! After he so graciously let me shoot a few photos, he let me do closeups.
1510566_10151856584738531_1388024470_n.jpg
 
I am so jealous. 40 40 40:D
First dive for the new year! Woot! what a poser! After he so graciously let me shoot a few photos, he let me do closeups.
1510566_10151856584738531_1388024470_n.jpg
 
Was diving on the weekend at Ogden Break Water and found the largest octopus that I have ever seen. When the octopus fans out to catch its' prey, the webbing between the arms easily reaches 6 feet across. I am guessing this would be about a 10-12 foot or more octopus. Sweet!!!!

https://vimeo.com/85694219
[video=vimeo;85694219]https://vimeo.com/85694219[/video]
 
WOW!!! Impressive!
 
I was moseing along looking for macro stuff, when something moves below me.. I am a bit startled cause it was rather large... Hid under this rock.

1898161_10151939975023531_2127641632_n.jpg
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/swift/

Back
Top Bottom