San Diego CBS affiliate CBS 8 reported on a recent encounter an underwater photographer had with an especially handsy octopus recently. Though one of the divers in question, David Malvestuto, describes it as the high point of his career, it shows the amount of danger that sophisticated camera equipment can unexpectedly face.
Footage taken by Malvesuto and fellow diver Warren Murray shows the two of them attempting to get up close documentation of an octopus while they were capturing video off of Carmel in California. The octopus acts surprisingly animated and attempts to wrest the video equipment from Murray's hand, much to the man's surprise.
It's an excellent, if accidental, illustration of the strength that these creatures possess, and the way they can cause distress in relatively shallow locations. According to the report, the two divers were only 80 feet down when the encounter occurred.
"It is very rare to see that kind of octopus in the 80 feet of water that we were in," Malvestuto told CBS.
Called "The Octopus Affair," the YouTube video also shows how every slight movement can be crucial in such a situation. Had this been a disaster, the movements captured by the video might have helped diving insurance professionals determine the amount to be reimbursed as a result.
No one can fully predict every aspect of their job, and pursuing an opportunity to get a good photograph can lead to disaster without enough preparation. Contracting good diver insurance can keep your crew and the sophisticated equipment they use fully protected.