Giant Pacific Octopus
(Octopus dofleini)

image of a Giant Pacific Octopus

Image ID: 217-01

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Comments : In my first 70 dives at Three Tree Point, I have only once encountered a Giant Pacific Octopus out of it's den. Actually, there are two of them in this shot, and they are mating. The female is trapped underneath this male. As my dive buddy and I approached this giant, he remained motionless, almost indifferent to us even touching him. Eventually, after about 10 minutes, he moved back slightly and a female (about 4 feet long) appeared from underneath him, trailing a sperm packet. She made her way around to one of the nearby concrete tubes for cover, and he pursued her, continually sticking an arm in after her. I watched this go on for about 25 minutes before I was down to under 1000 psi and had to head back. Vis on this night was horrific - 3 feet above 40 fsw and about 10-12 feet below 40 fsw. Fortunately, this courtships was occurring at about 60 feet, so I was able to get some pics.
Common name : Giant Pacific Octopus
Scientific Name : Octopus dofleini
Location Found : Three Tree Point, Central Puget Sound
Actual Size : +5.5 feet long, 8 foot arm span
Camera Used : Sea & Sea MMII EX 16mm lens
Natural History :