There is nothing quite like encountering an octopus. These eight legged wonders are the most intelligent of invertebrates. Indonesia is home to a wonderful variety of octopus in many different habitats. Mimic octopus, blue rings, wonderpus, reef, and of course coconut octopus are all found here. Octopus themselves are very adaptable and live in a variety of settings. Long armed octopus and coconut octopus tend to live in sandy or rubble areas. Reef octopus on the other hand tend to live in or near hard coral reefs. Blue rings tend to be found in rubble areas where they can easily blend in. No matter where you dive in Indonesia you can be sure there is an octopus nearby.
Of course not only do we enjoy encountering these cephalopods, it’s even more enjoyable to film them. Octopus are exciting to film because one never knows what sort of interaction will be in store. Some octopi are what are known as “players” and confidently go on with their life in front of the camera. Others are rather shy and don’t leave the safety of their lair. When a “player” is out and about on its business is when filming is fun. An octopus actively on the hunt or feeding is a great interaction that can only be properly recorded with video. An octopus that becomes interested in the camera itself is even more interesting to film.
Filming octopus is a challenge. It requires great patience waiting for them to become used to the camera person. Of course a variety of lenses is of great importance, octopus come in a variety of sizes. Different species are also active at different times of day. Long arm octopus such as mimics and wonderpus are day time active. Coconut octopus offer a variety of activities throughout the day and night. To capture the best behaviour means diving at all times of day or night.
In this video, “Relaxing Octopus”, we highlight interesting behaviour from long arm and coconut octopus. The video ends with a sequence from a reef octopus actively hunting over the reef, including “net fishing” as it spreads its body over rocks. Please let us know if you have encountered this behaviour before. What is your favourite species of octopus?
