Red Octopus (Octopus rubescens) and Friends - Spring Low Tide 2020

Fortuitous encounter with a red octopus (Octopus rubescens) on the rocky south shore of Linda Mar Beach May 9 2020. Tides are touchy, and you're only really guaranteed of a nice low tide in the morning during the spring months. Come July in the Bay Area, the tides are far less extreme and therefore less revealing. I have found that the May low tides during the full moon are the best for tidepooling and I feel almost sure of running into an octopus melting into the pebbles of the shore during a May low tide. This year did not disappoint. Within 15 minutes of navigating the rock-strewn intertidal zone, I stumbled upon this incredible critter in between the rocks - sitting right on top, faded and somewhat shriveled and waiting either for me to leave or for the tide to come in. While this particular beast was not interested in being a master of camouflage, s/he was very active and interactive once immersed in a tidepool deep enough for a swim. Often the master hiders are also the masters of sucking themselves to a stone and sitting still, often changing pattern and texture and form to blend in, but not moving a bit - which doesn't generally make for a great capture. This one didn't seem so interested in blending in. Mostly s/he wandered about looking for the best escape route - though deliberate in movement and more aggressive than reclusive. When I feel like there is no more hope in life, I seek out the wonder of an octopus to give me a bit more perspective and a whole lot of wonder. Eventually, this one found an inaccessible crevice under a massive slab of shale and left me alone with my salt water, but I am inexhaustibly grateful for the time s/he humored me before slipping away.

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