Jim and I jumped into the sea for a New Year’s Eve dive at Eden Rock. Here he is sporting his new rash vest with octopus tentacles printed over the right shoulder and down his back and front. It looks really coolWe descended to about 35 feet and were exploring the reef when I spotted what I thought was a large lobster leg. I swam in for a closer look calling Jim to see it.

It wasn’t a lobster but a very large crab, its body nearly a foot across and it’s legs about the same again. Quite a find and very exciting! It was sat in the entrance to a small cave about half way up the reef face.

Suddenly tentacles exploded from deep within the cave. In an instant they were all around the crab, above and below it. The tentacles were about as thick as my wrist. The crab had taken refuge in a octopus’s den!

The crab tried to escape but it was over in seconds as the octopus made short work of it. First enveloping it, then dragging it into the cave before driving it’s beak into its brain and killing it.

It was so it was so quick and I was so surprised I didn’t get a chance to film the initial ambush but here is a glimpse of the last minute of the attack…

Given the prescient nature of his new shirt I am so pleased I didn’t buy Jim the rash vest with the huge shark on it!