Image 1: Oct 29, 2011 Giant Pacific Octopus. Photo: Jackie Hildering.
It was 7.2° C (45° F) in the ocean yesterday. Even in summer, I’ve only experienced a high of about 10° C.
Typical for Northern Vancouver Island at this time of year, it was also windy enough for us to abort going out for a boat dive.
Windy, chilly, drizzly, grey . . . what’s a cold-water scuba diver to do?
Get in the cold, dark green water however you can because you KNOW what kind of beauty and wonder are always to be found below the surface, even where you moor your boat!
And indeed, under the dock, at only 6 m (20′) we found a Giant Pacific Octopus (Enteroctopus dofleini), curled up on a piling, incredibly tolerant of this ecstatic marine educator. Octopuses are SUCH intelligent animals. I felt as much like I was being scrutinized as he/she must have felt as I observed and photographed this awe-inspiring creature.
This individual was “only” about average size (23 to 42 kg). They can weigh more than 73 kg! I promise many more details on this species in future blog items.
Image 2: Oct 29, 2011 Giant Pacific Octopus. Photo: Jackie Hildering.
There was so much other beauty under the dock but, for this blog posting, I will leave it at sharing the wonder of this Octo-brr octopus.
Bring on Novem-brrr to Fe-brrr-ary! The cold-water diving is so worth it!
To see these (and additional) images from this octopus photo-shoot at full size, click here.
I would greatly appreciate it if you would let me know, via blog comments, which image (#1 to 6) you believe is the best. This will determine which image ends up in next year’s WILD Northern Vancouver Island Calendar.
To see video of a Giant Pacific Octopus subtly changing colour and texture, please see this previous blog item.
Image 3: Oct 29, 2011 Giant Pacific Octopus. Photo: Jackie Hildering.
Image 4: Oct 29, 2011 Giant Pacific Octopus. Photo: Jackie Hildering.
Image 5: Oct 29, 2011 Giant Pacific Octopus. Photo: Jackie Hildering.
Image 6: Oct. 29 Giant Pacific Octopus. Photo: Hildering
