Red Octo in a bottle

[northwestdiverdan]

I've been finding a small group of Red Octopus Octopus rubescens in close proximity at Redondo Beach in Puget Sound on each and every dive for the last few weeks. Each time I find the same bottle with what seems to be the same Red Octo poking out of it. Here's some photos of the bottle octo and a couple of nearby companions--







Nikon D80
60mm macro lens
Ikelight DS 125 and 160 strobes

[scottg]

that's funny. we have a redondo beach here in los angeles. on every night dive it's normal to see 10-20 red octopus. it must be nice to keep seeing the same octo. and I see you got some nudie by-catch!

[nwscubamom]

Hey Dan! Fancy meeting you here!

Awesome shots of the little Red. I like the one with the blueish outline. When we were in Monterey a couple weeks ago, I found a little Red that ATE a Blackeye Goby right before my eyes! Got to see it hunt, flare out and capture it, change colors in all sorts of funky ways to blend in with the scenery - even matching one of its arms to look just like a Giant Spined Sea Star that it was laying on top of.

They may not be Giant Pacifics, but they are quite entertaining!

Later,

- Janna

[northwestdiverdan]

Neat story on the red octo in Monterey Janna! Despite their small size I'm sure they're potent predators. I think i read somewhere that they're actually venomous?

In regards to the nudibranch, that's a tiny Opalescent Hermissenda crassicornis