VIDEO: Watch this octopus moving along West Seattle shore

| West Seattle beaches | West Seattle news | Wildlife

(Photo and video courtesy Vlad Oustimovitch)
On the rocky shores off Emma Schmitz Memorial Overlook (4503 Beach Drive SW) at low tide today, Vlad Oustimovitch and other beach explorers were mesmerized by the sight of that small – he guessed maybe a foot and a half – ~~Giant Pacific Octopus~~ octopus, as it headed toward the water, and then arrived, as Vlad’s two short clips show:

The lowest low tide will be even lower the next two days – per our favorite long-range chart, -2.3 feet at 10:42 am tomorrow, -2.5 feet at 11:23 am tomorrow.

Lamont June 14, 2015 (10:54 pm)

I don’t think I see horns on its head, so its probably a red octopus (Octopus rubescens) rather than a small GPO (Enteroctopus dofleini).

WSB June 14, 2015 (10:56 pm)

Thanks, Lamont. Will update the headline to simply, octopus. I have to give up reporting species without absolute airtight locked-down verification …

Eilene Hutchinson June 14, 2015 (11:06 pm)

Thank you for sending these videos of the octopus – interesting to see it navigate on land. Not a sight you see every day on the beach!

Susan G Holland June 15, 2015 (6:22 am)

The octopus has tools rock climbers would covet. I love these videos…really!

vlado June 15, 2015 (6:47 am)

It is hard to differentiate between red and giant octopus when they are this size. The Seattle Aquarium has some guidelines: http://www.seattleaquarium.org/page.aspx?pid=1132, the red would have eyelashes but I couldn’t tell if this one did or not. Would like it if it was a giant, but best just to leave it at “octopus”.

MarineBioligist(intraining) June 15, 2015 (9:12 am)

This looks more like a red octopus to me, due to the lack of horns, but as the others have said at this size it is very hard to distinguish between a red and a gpo.

H June 15, 2015 (9:37 am)

Oh! What a treat to see! MY favorite animal :)

westseattledood June 15, 2015 (11:16 am)

Elegant and fearless, no?

Such a nice treat!

G June 16, 2015 (6:23 pm)

Great footage. I have a feeling that the beach, and perhaps the Sound, is healthier in general, than it was when I was growing up and spending summers on exactly that stretch of beach. Just a gut feeling.

Sorry, comment time is over.