The last thing a crab sees: Common Sydney Octopus wanting to get up close and personal with our camera! 🐙

I know that pretty much every time I post about an encounter with an octopus, I say it’s the best encounter I’ve ever had, my favourite one yet. But this time I mean it (again 🤣)

It’s the long weekend. We didn’t go away because, well, it’s the long weekend and Matt hates sitting in the car at the best of times, let alone being stuck in traffic as it slowly snakes its way up and down the coast. It’s just not worth the effort. And also, it’s pretty hard to justify the cost when there are so many beautiful spots so close to home.

And so, despite the strong, icy wind we headed out this morning for an explore and an almond latte which on a side note, had me almost choking on the cost of said almond latte! Matt forgot to rug up of course and so he ended up grabbing my ladies parka with its fur trimmed hood. Have to admit, my husband rocks a ladies ensemble 😉

Is that an octopus in your rock pool, or are you just happy to see me?

I have this theory that Octopus all have really distinctive personalities. Some are super shy, hiding away under ledges and pulling out of sight when a big human face, shimmering on the water, comes in for a closer look. Some are curious at first, reaching out a tentative tentacle to suss out whatever has encroached its space before tucking it back around itself, safe in the knowledge that it was friend not food. And then there’s the bold ones. Ones that not only don’t seem to give a damn that there’s a human right there but are happy to engage, to explore and in the case of the Octopus we came across today, to hunt us down!

I was standing near this rock pool, not looking in it but rather around me, waiting for a time lapse that I had set up of some Sea Snails as they pirouetted and slid over the fine, green algae, gobbling it up as they went. Movement caught my eye, down near my feet as a right orange tentacle dotted with creamy white suckers lassoed out of the water and towards my left shoe! I screamed out excitedly to Matt who is a total, excuse the pun, sucker for Octopus and he scooped up the camera leaving the snails to dance their feeding dance unwatched and instead plunged the camera down into the shallow rock pool.

Traits of Octopus and Men

This particular Octopus was super curious and especially bold and immediately left the rock it was nestled against and set off to grab the camera for itself! Now, husbands also have a wide range of personality traits and mine just happens to be terrified of the unknown in nature. He’s the sort who jumps at things like, hmmm, I don’t know, an OCTOPUS COMING RIGHT AT YOU! 😂 And so the camera was pulled out of the pool on several occasions and as Matt hovered nervously over the water, camera no longer submerged, the Octopus pulled itself up onto the rock pool’s ledge to get closer. I’m telling you, this animal wanted that camera!

I think this video gives a really unique perspective of what it must be like to be hunted by these incredible predators. It flings its tentacles out, stretching its body and its arms to try and grab at what would normally be a crab or a fish and at about the 1 minute 30 mark in the video, you can see the Octopus hiding behind a curve in the wall and some weed so it can watch its intended prey unnoticed.

I’ve left in a little bit at the end, when the occy latches onto the camera as I’m holding it. It uses four of its tentacles to grab the tripod and the other four to cling tightly, anchoring itself to the bottom of the pool for leverage. I’m using two hands to literally just hold on!!! Yes I’m grunting and puffing. Look, in my defence it does have 4 x the arms that I do 😂🤷‍♀️🐙

Common Sydney Octopus – Sandon Point