Giant Pacific Octopus — Den Entry, Vancouver Island
1,099.00 د.إ
A giant Pacific octopus entering its den site on a British Columbia reef — the animal’s full body visible at maximum extension, eight arms directing the 20-kilogram body into the den opening, the arm suckers fully detailed in clear Pacific water.
Description
Giant Pacific octopus photography in British Columbia requires a cold-water diving setup — the Pacific is typically 8-10 degrees Celsius at the depths where GPOs establish their dens — and the patience to wait at a known den site for emergence or return. This image was made at a known GPO den site at 18 metres depth off Vancouver Island, capturing the animal returning to its den at the end of a foraging excursion. The octopus is at maximum body extension as it enters the rock crevice den opening — approximately 70cm across the mantle — the eight arms splayed in the pattern that guides the flexible body through the restricted opening. The arm suckers, each independently sensitive to chemical and tactile stimuli, are fully resolved at this scale, their arrangement on the arm’s ventral surface creating a pattern of concentric rings that extends from the arm tip to the body junction. Shot at f/8 with strobes at f/8 in the Pacific’s excellent water clarity.
