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Video: Diver Wrestles Giant Octopus, And Wins

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wrestling giant octopus
A man wrestling a giant octopus, caught on camera (Image credit: YouTube screen shot | David Malvestuto)

A new video has captured a man's epic undersea battle — with a giant octopus.

A scuba diver, 56-year-old Warren Murray, and his diving buddy, 34-year-old David Malvestuto, were exploring a cove off Carmel, Calif., when they spotted an elusive 8-foot-long (2.4 meters) giant Pacific Octopus that blended in with the surroundings. Murray took out his camera to capture the rare sight when the undersea giant snaked a tentacle out, wrapped it around the camera, and tried to yank it away.

Murray managed to snap the flash, and the light-startled beast swam away. Malvestuto managed to capture the wrestling match on camera, reported The Jacksonville Observer. This type of octopus can grow to about 30 feet (9 m) with its tentacles extended, the Observer noted.

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Tia Ghose
Tia Ghose
Managing Editor

Tia is the managing editor and was previously a senior writer for Live Science. Her work has appeared in Scientific American, Wired.com and other outlets. She holds a master's degree in bioengineering from the University of Washington, a graduate certificate in science writing from UC Santa Cruz and a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Texas at Austin. Tia was part of a team at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that published the Empty Cradles series on preterm births, which won multiple awards, including the 2012 Casey Medal for Meritorious Journalism.