octopus in Vancouver

[wardric]

Hi all,

a friend asked me if I knew where to dive near Vancouver to see octopus. Could someone please indicate me some good locations for this kind of encounters

Thanks

 

[Les]

underwater is best place to look!
alot of local Vancouver sites offer octopus.
above water is at the Vancouver Aquarium.

 

[Darnold9999]

They are pretty much everywhere, however they are also really really hard to find. Extremely shy - I have seen a few hidden way back in cracks but have yet to see one out in the open. Good luck.

 

[Diver0001]

Schelt inlet is full of them.

Closer to Vancouver you can find them at most of the sites with rocky bottoms on the open ocean side. I've never seen them at Porteau or Whytecliff or in Burrard Inlet or places where a lot of divers go. They're just too shy to put up with a lot of company. If you have to bushwhack your way to the entry point (or take a boat) then you'll have better luck finding octopus.

Spotting them is a real challenge, though. Scan the landscape and look for shells, like crab shells for example. If you see a lot of them in a small area then there's a good chance that an octopus lives near by. Once you think you're close, look under the rocks (don't lift stuff up, just use your light and your eyes or you may harm the animals). Also look for details. They can be pretty big but usually you spot them by seeing the tip of an arm or some little detail. They can also fit into surprisingly small spaces so think small... And keep trying. The fact is you can't find octopus on command. Sometimes you'll go for dozens of dives without spotting one.

R..

 

[Skookumchuck]

Keystone jetty on Whidbey Island in Washington state is as close too a sure thing as you'll find without takeing a ferry. They can be found everywhere though, the biggest I've seen was at Whytecliff and the smallest at Porteau.

 

[Diver0001]

Keystone jetty on Whidbey Island in Washington state is as close too a sure thing as you'll find without takeing a ferry. They can be found everywhere though, the biggest I've seen was at Whytecliff and the smallest at Porteau.

You've seen them at Whytecliff and Porteau? Hmm.... Must be me then...

I've been to Keystone (at least I think it was the place you mean) only once and we saw a really big octopus there. My buddy touched it and a big tentacle came out for a feel and wrapped up his arm to above the elbow. He totally freaked out and I wasn't able to help him much because I was laughing so hard that my mask was full of water.

(I've become a better buddy since then).

R..

 

[Les]

Jeckyll and I have seen them at Whytecliff. some in the open and others in a den. There was one we frequented every dive but one day he moved on. we then found another maybe the same? Yes they are at Porteau as well.

 

[Diver0001]

Well.... I'll be darned. If I go diving there again I'll have to take a look. I made dozens and dozens of dives there in the mid to late 80's, when it was still a Marina and never saw one.... Maybe now that it's a marine park it's different... I don't know.

It's probably just me, though.

How deep do you guys usually look?

R..

 

[ryanmacneil8448]

i usually do a friday night dive every week at porteau and 8 times ouuta ten we see octos sometimes not very big sometimes huge once we seen 6 octos in 1 dive 2 small 3 medium and 1 HUGE

 

[SeanQ]

Vancouver Island is a pretty good place to look.

Diver0001 posted good advice for finding them. Piles of shells are the first thing I look for. Then I start searching under rocks or in cracks looking for any sign of them.