Insights about “My Octopus Teacher”

The octopus is a fascinating creature that shows remarkable intelligence, playfulness, and inquisitiveness. We love encountering these animals during our scuba diving UAE trips. The fun part is spotting them in the water. Their camouflage abilities enable them to change color, pattern and even shape to blend in with their surroundings. Sometimes it takes a while before realizing that you are in the presence of an octopus.

Insight into the life of an octopus

If you want a unique insight into the life of an octopus, we recommend that you watch “My Octopus Teacher” on Netflix. It is a great documentary that chronicles the year-long friendship between a man and an octopus. Watching it will open your eyes to the incredible world of an octopus. 

This nature piece, set in a kelp forest off the Western Cape of South Africa, lets you witness the remarkable journey of renowned nature filmmaker Craig Foster as he befriends an octopus. Feeling burned out at work, Foster takes on a much-needed break. At that time, the filmmaker was seeking some form of change to give him a fresher outlook on life. Little did he know that a cephalopod would give him that and much more. 

Feeding curiosity with caution

Octopuses are inquisitive and resourceful animals. These highly evolved invertebrates are considered among the most intelligent creatures in the underwater world. They love to investigate things in their surroundings. Octopuses have a knack for using tools. For instance, young octopuses use various objects they find underwater as a make-shift home or hiding place to avoid predators.

In “My Octopus Teacher”, the creature finds a strange object (Foster’s underwater camera) outside its home. Naturally curious, the soft-bodied mollusc goes out to check the strange thing. Not knowing if the object is harmful or not, it ventures out of its home with caution using a seashell as a shield. It also uses the seashell to camouflage itself. The octopus appeared like a ball of various colors and shapes. How clever! 

Being brave and resilient

Foster finds himself smitten by the underwater creature. The nature enthusiast is mesmerized by the octopus’ cleverness in finding food and resilience in overcoming challenges in life. The filmmaker was devastated when the creature was attacked by a shark resulting in a loss of a limb. The feeling of distraught turned into awe as he observed how his friend recovered with the regrowth of a new arm. Nature is incredible!

Underwater playtime

There’s a scene where the octopus shows its playful side. It appears to play with the passing fish coming from different directions by reaching out to them. The creature was not in a hunting mood but a playful one. 

Getting a hug from an octopus

One of the highlights of the documentary is the “hugging scene”. After winning the trust of the octopus, the creature crawls on the filmmaker’s hand and stays on his chest as if embracing his newfound friend. It’s a touching moment that pulls the heartstrings. You can watch the documentary to see how the story unfolds. 

Octopus encounters 

Choose the scuba diving packages ideal for you and your adventure buddies. Be awed by the beauty of the underwater world and incredible marine creatures like the octopus.