Stowaway Octopus?

Can you have a stowaway on a wreck?

I made my first trip to Nanaimo in over a year and caught the last blast of summer. The diving as usual was excellent, and our group was able to hit all the great sites. We dove the HMS Saskatchewan, HMS Cape Breton, the RivTow, and Snake Island. Even Jesse Wall, the dreaded blow out dive site, had its charms. This was the first trip that both my dive buddy (and wife) were both using a rebreather and it definitely adds a new dimension on the wrecks.

The highlight for me was the big GPO parked in an open hatchway on the Saskatchewan. I was halfway through the hatch and looking around when I saw the door frame squirming just inches from my face. I backed off and saw a pretty darn big octopus that I had totally missed at first glance. I got a few shots of him and posed my wife with it, and handed off the camera to get a shot of myself.

Stowaway Octo:

Self Portrait:

Other highlights include another little octo on the Rivtow:

And a flame tipped, free swimming nudibranch. (Totally on its own, nobody tossed it! )

Nanaimo (really all of Vancouver Island BC) is truly a great Pacific Northwest diving gem, and I feel lucky to have it nearby. If you have not made the journey, it’s not to be missed.

See the fully gallery of photos from this trip: Slideshow

Dave

Wow, I would not have gotten that close to an octopus. Have you ever had them go after you?

Great octopus find. That is a nice size one.

Cheers

Todd

Nice shots - this octo is huge lol

Wow, I would not have gotten that close to an octopus. Have you ever had them go after you?

Actually, on one of my very first GPO encounters (in 2003) at the same site I had a pretty good sized octo grab right onto my face. It was like something out of Alien! I just peeled it off after a minute, but got some photos first!

Before Face Grab:

During Face Grab (a little to close too aim blind and focus...):