(Tokyo) Two Japanese divers recently managed to capture rare images of a 2.5m-long giant squid swimming off the west coast of the Japanese archipelago, and describe the experience as “thrilling”.
Yosuke Tanaka and his wife Miki, diving instructors in Toyooka, Hyogo Prefecture (west), were tipped off by a fishing tackle vendor who had spotted the giant squid near the surface in a bay, and set off boat to meet him, near a rocky shore.
“There he was, a huge squid,” Tanaka told AFP. “It didn’t have the nimble movements of a lot of fish and sea creatures,” he added. “Its tentacles and fins were moving very slowly.”
The squid looked weak and bits of skin seemed to be peeling off its body, the diver observed.
The size of the animal and its huge eyes were striking, and Mr. Tanaka said he imagined seeing it how strong a squid must have been to attack a whale.
“I could see its tentacles moving. I thought it would be dangerous to get caught and carried away” by this creature, he added.
Giant squids are known to swim in the waters near Japan and sometimes wash up on its shores, but it is very rare to see them swimming in the sea.
“It was thrilling. I think there are few things rarer” than this sight, Mr. Tanaka said, adding: “I have heard that not much is known about this creature. I would be happy if it helps us learn more.”