Keith Clements got these cool giant pacific octopus photos at Flagpole recently! 😆
Seeing a giant Pacific octopus (GPO) in the open is relatively rare for PNW scuba divers. During most GPO encounters, we only catch a glimpse of these magnificent creatures burrowed safely in their den with a watchful eye on the entrance. So when I encountered this GPO out in the open - and not out actively hunting - I knew it had to have an ulterior motive. We did two dives this day over a span of about 4 hours, and this male GPO would not move more than about 3 feet from a particular rock at the base of the wall. A bit of exploring revealed why. Nestled in a den nearby was another octopus - most likely a female. It is reassuring to know another male of a species acts completely out of character and doesn't know what to do around females
Three dives on a mild exchange, the first midway on a 3.5 ft. flood. Still, both surface and bottom currents would push us north. Good vis maintained throughout the water column on the first dive, noticeably decreasing in the shallows on later dives. 48 - 53F.
Four wolf eels looked up as we descended on the buoy line. Young fish have come back to the Canal for the season - numerous Tubesnout strolling by in the sargassum, a mixed-age Pile Perch school bobbing along, young Shiner Perch squirting past us.
Five sunflower stars - mostly dollar-coin sized but up to teacup-saucer.
Oddly, the wind was from the north that day, and the point blocks some of that. Second Q: I don't see Flagpole as having enough of a dropoff that it develops serious downcurrent issues on the days that I would go out there. It's only 25-35 ft from top of knuckle to adjacent seafloor.
