Swimming with Cephalopods

An octopus is a soft-bodied, eight-limbed mollusc of the order Octopoda. The order consists of some 300 species and is grouped within the class Cephalopoda with squids, cuttlefish, and nautiloids.  And beyond all that science-y talk, they are flat-out COOL CREATURES!

In April 2022, I was honored to travel to Kona, Hawaii as a volunteer dive master with SUDS - Servicemembers Undertaking Disabled Sports.  The entire trip was magically fascinating, inspirational, and plain ole' fun!  My "rocktopus" encounters (the affectionate name given by the locals) were some of my favorite moments.  Get up close and personal with these critters and you KNOW you're interacting with intelligent life.  Their eye contact is direct.  It's intentional.  They're trying to figure out your intentions. 

In the very beginning of this video, you can see the octopus peek out from his cave and peer around the rocks and watch me swim away.  I had about 18 minutes of footage and while I'm content to sit and watch all 18 minutes over and over again, I figured it's best to pare down the footage and grab some highlights.  Be on the lookout for his skin color changes and flashes.  I'm sure he's trying to communicate!