Octopus torture?

[TheDavil]

Two out of three of the dive ops that I've used in Maui have harrassed critters (pulled octopus out and played with them, broken legs off of brittle stars by trying to pull them out, etc.). I don't know if this is a Hawaii thing or not, I hadn't really thought about it until now. None of the ops that I've used in other destinations have done it, though...

Personally, I never touch anything. Sure, that's mostly because of my respect for the wildlife, but it also has something to do with me not trusting my memory on what is poisonous/toothy/cranky/dangerous. Better safe than fingerless, I always say...

David

 

[emttim]

You know, honestly it sounds like if I dive Hawaii, I will NOT be doing a boat dive because I don't want to have to see bull**** like that and then get a raw throat from yelling at the DM once we're back on the boat. I would never tip someone who did crap like that, ugh. In fact, I'd report them to the feds since that's got to be illegal.

 

[paradicio]

Taken in Hawaii:

 

[MaxBottomtime]

When I was planning my first Hawaii trip I contacted several dive ops. One of them, Sea Paradise I believe sent a video which cost $20, which would have been discounted if I went with them. On the video, they made an octopus ink for several minutes, pulled an eel out of a hole so everyone could "pet" it and tried to grab every fish they saw. Needless to say, I went with Kona Coast Divers instead.

 

[Walter]

Put things in perspective. It was an octopus. Eels eat octopus. Octopus eat shellfish. It's natural. It's expected. Would you be as upset if he'd uncovered a clam that the octopus ate?

 

[2Tours N Iraq`]

While it isn't necessarily illegal to "pet" (read harass) the wildlife, it is morally and ethically wrong. My advice to those engaging in this practice is to think about the possibility of someone coming into their home in the middle of the night just to "pet" them. I don't know about you but I'd be willing to bet that 100% of people this happened to would be pretty ticked off. It is no different when we go into their world and do the same to them. Please have respect not only for the wildlife but for yourself as well by not engaging in or condoning such behavior. If you don't have any respect for yourself or the wildlife, at least have the decency to be a good ambassador for the sport of scuba diving so that those around you can have a pleasant experience as well.

 

[archman]

Put things in perspective. It was an octopus. Eels eat octopus. Octopus eat shellfish. It's natural. It's expected. Would you be as upset if he'd uncovered a clam that the octopus ate?

No. Clams have much longer natural lifespans than octopi, aren't top predators, and are much more common.

I wouldn't leave a clam out in the open to get eaten either.

Put things back from where you get them.

 

[2Tours N Iraq`]

Put things in perspective. It was an octopus. Eels eat octopus. Octopus eat shellfish. It's natural. It's expected. Would you be as upset if he'd uncovered a clam that the octopus ate?

Natural predation is one thing, human interference is another. As the Cannon advertisement says before every episode of Nature, "Take your inspiration from nature, leave it untouched by your presence..." A good philosophy.

 

[archman]

Later, on the boat, the guy asked me "Where did you go? I was fixin' to ride that big fellow and give you a real show!"
I replied that if I had filmed something like that I would have felt compelled to share it with the authorities. I explained that I'm a volunteer for a U.S. National Marine Sanctuary and we have close ties with the Mexican sanctuaries in Coz as well.

You left out the best part... the diver's reaction after you said this to him.

 

[Walter]

No. Clams have much longer natural lifespans than octopi, aren't top predators, and are much more common.

I wouldn't leave a clam out in the open to get eaten either.

Put things back from where you get them.

Cutting short a long lifespan is much worse, IMO. Octopuses generally live about a year, losing a month or two is no big deal. I do agree that it would have been better if he'd taken it home for his own meal instead of feeding it to an eel.