Seems to be a common thing off Oahu, and wasn't seen as bad by the locals. I've never seen this anywhere else.
Octopus Rodeos?
- Thread starter Saltee
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A lot of people we dove with called pokers "tako sticks" (tako is, i believe, Japanese for octopus).
AZTinman
Contributor
During our first dive trip to the Big Island, I remember a dive guide commenting that octopus ink actually creates a scent trail predators can follow. He said it's common for eels to quickly appear in areas where inking occurs. His comments were intended to encourage divers to leave octopus alone.
-AZTinman
-AZTinman
Seems to be a common thing off Oahu, and wasn't seen as bad by the locals. I've never seen this anywhere else.
Locals probably see nothing wrong with it, because the locals constantly go out and interact with the wildlife in the form of fishing or hunting. It's not uncommon to see people going out, sometimes in dive gear, to go collect food. People passing by might see the octopus handling and think it's totally cool and mimic the behavior. On my second dive in the Open Water Course, another instructor from another company brought back a dead octopus on the boat, and he was quite proud to admit it would be his dinner. I have no clue why he thought it would be a good idea to do it with so many customers on board the boat... no thanks!
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