Footage showed the moment a territorial octopus nearly strangled a professional diver 40 feet below.
Divers Michael Marcotte and Stuart Seldon, who are familiar with Canadian waters and what lives below, knew what they were getting themselves into when they submerged underwater for a closer look at marine life.
The two went underwater with the mission to find an octopus in the British Columbia waters when they came across the massive orange-colored creature they referred to as Larry the giant Pacific octopus (GPO).
The divers brought their waterproof camera gear with them and filmed the moment they found the eight-legged creature.
Footage showed the octopus swimming close to Seldon, also referred to as Stu, before slowly wrapping its tendrils around his camera gear and body.
‘As [Stu] began to take the photos the GPO jumped onto his camera and wrapped some of its tendrils around Stu’s neck, limbs and torso,’ Marcotte wrote on Facebook.
Marcotte described Stu’s eagerness to show him the octopus as he quickly swam with the creature clinging onto him.
‘As I looked up from the wall I saw my buddy in an upright stance with an amused if not stunned and confused look upon his countenance. At first, I had no idea what I was looking at,’ Marcotte wrote.
‘A large amber plastic bag, perhaps an old set of bagpipes abandoned at sea, “Oh my god a GPO!”’
Marcotte recalled how he quickly grabbed his GoPro and started to him the octopus wraps around Stu.
But within a matter of seconds, the octopus got bored and charged toward Marcotte.
‘As I filmed the majestic movement of this beautiful beast he began to take an interest in my GoPro, almost attempting to snatch it from my hands but perhaps he had had enough camera candy for the moment,’ Marcotte wrote.
The footage only captured the last few moments of the octopus around Stu.
The ‘memorable dive’ that occurred in October will stay with the Marcotte forever as he continues his journey’s.
Marcotte is the owner of the Canadian fishing and private tours company, WetRock.
He regularly documents his deep sea dives and shares his latest findings on social media.
