What can be best described as a kleptomaniac octopus was videoed as it stole an underwater camera off the coast of Wellington, New Zealand. Wellington man Victor Huang wasn't going to let the audacious octopus get away with his brand-new digital camera. The amateur camera man and nature enthusiast was diving near the Wahine Memorial between Breaker Bay and Moa Point on Wellington's south coast when he spotted the "cheeky" thief.
Putting his camera up close to get some footage as the octopus clung to a rock behind a clump of kelp, it suddenly thrust out a tentacle, grasping the camera. "Out of nowhere it just completely shot straight for me," he said. In an initial panic, Mr Huang said he "freaked out" for a bit to free his arm before realising the octopus only clung to the camera.
Eventually managing to free its shiny new $700 toy, the octopus swam off with Mr Huang giving chase, while the camera, being used for the first time, continued to record. "He swam away very quickly like a naughty shoplifter," he said. The 31-year-old chased it for five minutes until he caught up with it, placed his speargun beneath it and worked it free from the octopuses' mouth.
Not to be defeated, the persistent sea creature then grabbed hold of the gun, refusing to let go. Now enjoying his unique brush with nature, Mr Huang then swam around with the octopus on his speargun, saying the tentacled sea creature seemed to enjoy the ride. It never appeared as though the octopus wanted to attack him, he said. I honestly believe that it saw the bright blue digital camera and went ‘oh I need that’, you know?”
5 comments:
Amazing video made brilliant by the music and subtitles (even if I did cringe at my pet peeve: the its/it's thing - but that's just my inner editor talking.)
I don't know, between this camera obsessed octopus, the polar bears who stole the tripod, and the peek a boo marmot, I think it's clear that the wild kingdom has gotted fed up with the nosy, two legged species that seems to be getting everywhere these days and decided to do some scientific observation for themselves.
But I want to know... did he eventually get his spear gun back, or did he leave it with the octopus?
God forbid! An angry octopus with a speargun is about as dangerous as any secret agent with a spear gun in one of them James Bond movies...
But I wonder about the colour of that animal- wasn't the dark red a colour of high exitement if not even anger..?
He said the octopus was "enjoying the ride" on his speargun, but I'm pretty sure he was projecting.
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