David Malvestuto and Warren Murray weren't expecting to fight a giant octopus when they went diving off the coast of Carmel, California, but that is what happened.
The pair knew of a giant octopus in the waters of Bluefish Cove at Point Lobos State Reserve. They dove into the water in order to view the animal up close. To show the event to friends, they brought a professional underwater camera.
As Murray filmed the creature from several feet away, the giant pacific octopus suddenly charged at the camera.
During the scuffle, the animal used it's tentacle-coated arms in an attempt to rip the device from the hands of the divers. The men speculate the marine creature may have seen its own reflection in the lens of the camera. Believing the image was a rival octopus, the animal attacked Murray, as he held the item.
After a significant struggle, the octopus let go of the camera and swam away. Their GoPro camera captured the entire attack.
David Malvestuto is 34, and is a native of La Jolla, California. The diver, 56-year-old Murray, encountered the animal while they were 80 feet underwater. The creature was camouflaged against a pink and yellow stone. It saw the divers before Murray and Malvestuto caught sight of the animal.
"[The encounter is] definitely the highlight of my diving career so far," Malvestuto told KFMB, the local CBS affiliate.
Giant pacific octopus can grow up to 30 feet wide, and is venomous. They are the largest of all species of octopus, and they can weigh up to 150 pounds. The specimen in this video is estimated to be 20 feet from side-to-side. They usually make their home in deeper waters, between 200 and 600 feet.
At one point, the animal had all eight of its tentacles, and hundreds of suckers, wrapped around the camera. Murray finally flashed the lights of his camera, causing the giant octopus to let go of the instrument.
"I was a little worried that the octopus wasn't actually going to come off his camera. I just wanted to make sure I had it on video. Otherwise the people on land would never believe us." Malvestuto told reporters.
Similar encounters, though rare, have happened before. Diver Victor Huang had a camera stolen by an octopus in 2010. He chased the animal underwater for five minutes. Huang only retrieved his property after prying the device from the creature's grip, using a spear gun.
Watch The Octopus Affair, shot by David Malvestuto, below.
