A Story of Two Octopuses
Right here’s a story of two octopuses, recounted from a latest dive.
However first slightly background:
Large Pacific Octopuses should see we human divers, far, far, FAR extra typically than we see them. They’re so good at camouflage!
There are typically good clues they’re close to.
A extremely useful clue is that their properties (dens) have the stays of their dinners thrown out in entrance i.e. middens of shells from crabs and bivalves like scallops.
If the octopus is shedding their suckers, additionally, you will have the clue of seeing little “flakes” coming from the den. See my weblog about that at this hyperlink.
They’re after all simpler to see if on the transfer. When a Large Pacific Octopus is searching, there typically is an entourage of rockfish too, hoping to learn when the octopus flushes out the opposite fish and shrimp from between rocks.
However in any other case, you simply must have the luck to comprehend the rock you’re looking at has eyes with
exceptional pupils.
Now the story of two octopuses on one dive:
Now that I’ve emphasised how tough it may be to detect an octopus, let me share the enjoyment of seeing two Large Pacific Octopus inside 5 minutes.
Octopus #1 was out on a ledge. You’ll be able to see how small this one is from the relative dimension to my dive buddy, Natasha.
I noticed Octopus #2 about 4 minutes after seeing the primary octopus. We have been nonetheless blissed out from that encounter. Then, I noticed a giant arm attain for a Kelp Greenling (fish).
I feel I’ll have shouted in shock. The fish darted away due to my response I feel. I’m actually sorry expensive octopus for spoiling your dinner. I didn’t imply to!
This Large Pacific Octopus remained immobile aside from their siphons (vents) opening and shutting to breathe, billowing water out and in.
I obtained misplaced for a short while in attempting to seize the fantastic thing about this big and their surroundings – Black Rockfish swimming above, the pink crusts of coralline algae, Orange Cup Corals, a hermit crab, Wrinkled Amphissa snails.
Time and air handed lots quicker than I noticed, or needed. To the floor, we would have liked to go. I left questioning after I would subsequent see a Large Pacific Octopus out within the open once more. The Large Pacific Octopus was most likely left hoping some weirdo-looking creature doesn’t spoil their dinner once more. 
About estimated Large Pacific Octopus progress fee:
Once they hatch from eggs as plankton, they’re concerning the dimension of a grain of rice. They must develop extremely rapidly to change into giants, solely having a lifespan of about 3 years. From Jim Cosgrove and Neil McDaniel’s nice ebook “Tremendous Suckers”: They begin at ~0.03 grams (0.0011 oz) and develop to twenty–40 kg (44–88 lb) at maturity = a rise of round 0.9% per day.
Photographs of the 2 Large Pacific Octopuses are from a dive on April 11, 2023, Browning Cross when with God’s Pocket Resort. On this dive, I had much more gratitude than regular for my dive buddy Natasha Dickinson. I’ve been having large issues with the strobes of my digicam and she or he helped by offering lighting for these photographs.
