WINNER CATEGORY UNDERWATER
Andrey Shpatak | Giant Octopus Dofleini

Name: Andrey Shpatak
Picture title: Giant Octopus Dofleini
Category: Underwater
Nationality: USSR / Russia
Occupation:  I have been retired for a long time, underwater photography is a hobby. I am an active diving instructor, but I teach very little

Technical information
Camera: Nikon D800
Lens: Nikkor 8-15 mm
EXIF: ISO 500, F22, 1/125
Accessories: Sea&Sea housing, 2 x flash Sea&Sea YS350, 1x Arcon light 6000 lum

Andrey Shpatak says:

Sea of Japan. Russia. North Primorye. Rudnaya bay.

The Giant Pacific Octopus (Enteroctopus dofleini) stands out strikingly from other octopus species. It is highly intelligent and almost person-like in its behavior. Underwater, I’ve encountered both aggressive octopuses that attempted to defend their territory and sociable ones that even demonstrated their hunting techniques.

Once, at a depth of 20 meters, I encountered an octopus lying calmly on the seabed. It noticed me, seemed to realize that I had seen it as well, and began to swim toward the surface. Naturally, I didn’t follow it.

In this instance, the reef wasn’t particularly deep, and the octopus wasn’t especially large, about 1.5 meters in arm span and weighing around 5-7 kg. During the day, they often attach themselves to the reef wall, blending in by mimicking its color, and they rest while occasionally snacking on leftovers from their nighttime hunts. On this occasion, upon noticing me, the octopus decided to flee, swimming away while I managed to capture a few photos.