As they say it’s not the size of the fish in the fight; it’s the size of the fight in the fish. This small Lingcod Ophiodon elongatus was acting very agitated and was clearly trying to scare away this Giant Pacifc Octopus Enteroctopus dofleini. He eventually managed to see it off and the octopus was last seen slowly wandering into deeper water. Male lingcod are much smaller than the females and it’s the male who tends the egg mass after mating. I didn’t see a nest but the fish was acting as if he was defending one.
Meanwhile the octopus looked rather sad and old. Like most octopi GPOs only live 3 or 4 years. This one had some ominous black patches on its mantle and a hole in the webbing between 2 of it’s arms. Their short lifespan is probably good news for us humans as if they lived longer they would surely rule the world given their exceptional intelligence, dexterity and strength.
This picture was taken on the Schmeider Bank west of Point Sur, CA in about 190 feet of water.
Nikon D800 with a Sigma 15mm fisheye lens in a Nauticam Housing with a Zen 230mm dome.
ISO 640, 1/50, f/8, 2x Sea and Sea YS-350 strobes at 1/4 power.
Comments
6 commentsExcellent shot and octopi are pretty cool. Looks like you have good color correction and an interesting scene of this epic sea battle. Thank you for posting this one
...............................Jim
Hi Clinton,
I think this is an incredibly cool shot and just a fantastic post. Not only have you overcome enormous technical challenges and produced a technically solid shot (190 feet below the surface!), but aesthetically it's great too (just love the colours!). And...you've managed to capture a fascinating bit of natural history and animal behaviour in this frame as well. Your excellent commentary supplements the shot nicely and infuses a lot of interest to the "action" (and I have to say I'm going to feel a little odd/uncomfortable the next time I hook a ling cod!)
Thanks so much for posting this - you should be darned proud of this shot!
Cheers...
Brad
This is REALLY great. The story provided really helps us land locked folks understand the situation. Excellent technical image as well as a great story within the image.
Spectacular image Clinton, amazing clarity and a unique couple to have caught on camera.
Clinton: had a similar David Goliath event occurred on land it would have been a great shot. Knowing that it happened 190 underwater makes it that much more special. Congratulations on a great narrative and a truly special photograph. Richard
Hey Clinton,
Excellent work on this one,
Congratulations on the WP . . .