Dramatic footage of one man’s remarkable close encounter with a 12-foot octopus has been making waves online.
John Roney is an underwater videographer and film and television editor based on Vancouver Island. His work primarily focuses on documenting the remarkable marine life of the Salish Sea.
Roney told Newsweek: “My goal is to share the underwater world with people who may never have the chance to dive themselves and hopefully inspire people to learn more about the marine life in their own backyards.”
That goal was certainly achieved during Roney’s recent trip to Nanoose Bay on the east side of Vancouver Island.
One of the world’s largest inland seas, the Salish Sea boasts a remarkably rich ecosystem that’s home to 37 different species of mammals, 172 bird species, 261 fish species and more than 3,000 species of macro-invertebrates, according to the SeaDoc Society.
The giant Pacific octopus is among those inhabitants. Considered the largest octopus species in the world—with the largest ever recorded measuring close to 30 feet from arm tip to arm tip—giant Pacific octopuses gravitate towards nearshore marine environments and the rocky structures located there that provide cover and protection to make dens away from predators.
But while these marine animals may be wary of some visitors, this particular giant Pacific octopus, which Roney estimates measured around 10 to 12 feet, was not backwards in coming forwards.
A close encounter with an Octopus.
A close encounter with an Octopus.
Instagram/roneydives/mullen_dives
In a video posted to Instagram by Roney (under the handle @roneydives) and his fellow diver and videographer Chris Mullen (under the handle @mullen_dives,) viewers are treated to the incredible moment the octopus came in for what Roney described on the clip as a “hug.”
Though giant Pacific octopus live in the region, Roney said it was a “rare treat” to find one so bold and interactive. “They’re highly individual, each with their own personality,” he said. “Often they keep to their dens, and sometimes you might spot one out hunting, but meeting one that chooses to interact like this is something truly special.”
What made the footage captured that day especially unique was the way the octopus wrapped itself around one of their cameras.
“When it reached out and completely engulfed the camera, my first thought was simply to give it space and let it take the lead,” Roney said.
“I was thrilled the camera was running, because it captured such a clear example of their intelligence and curiosity, and I knew this would be a moment worth sharing with people on the surface.”
While the idea of being engulfed by an octopus might seem terrifying to the uninformed, Roney knows better. So when the octopus in this video began wrapping itself around his camera, he knew something remarkable was happening.
“Octopuses use their suckers to investigate anything new in their environment. It’s actually pretty incredible. Each sucker has chemoreceptors that let them taste and feel at the same time, so when they touch something they are gathering a ton of information,” he said.
“I think this octopus was doing exactly that with the camera. They do the same thing with rocks, shells or crabs, and luckily for us, this time our cameras just happened to be what caught piqued its curiosity.”
The result was a truly remarkable bit of footage that quickly captured the imagination on Instagram, with the clip garnering over 18,000 likes on Roney’s account alone. After engaging with the camera, the octopus turned its attention to Mullen, giving both him and his camera an “octopus hug.”
It all amounted to a very special dive and footage that may have some casual viewers looking at octopuses in a whole new light.
“I’ve been lucky enough to have many unique underwater encounters over the years, but this has to be one of my favorites,” Roney said.
He concluded: “The moments that stay with me are the ones when the animal controls the interaction and you can tell it’s just as interested in you as you are in it.”