I love octopuses – or is it octopi? They’re so smart, I can’t bring myself to eat them. I was snorkeling off the coast of San Pedro in Belize in very shallow water, when I spotted some movement – my first octopus sighting! Quick as a whistle, it darted into a reef and changed color, turning white to blend in with the coral.
Then, much to my amazement, it latched on to a conch shell and started pulling it over itself, until only two beady eyes remained.
We stared at each other for a few minutes in a tense standoff, and then I let the octopus be. I went back to my kayak – it took me about ten tries to climb over the side and get inside the damn thing! Especially because the person I was with decided to take pictures instead of help me.