More diving with Giant Humboldt Squid

[gonetobaja]

rofl

Had another fun trip taking pics of the Giant Humboldt Squid!! Had some real high profile clients on this one so I cant show any pics of them so its all squid on this one.

The hotel where we stayed http://www.innatloretobay.com

A dead squid getting eaten by meat eating starfish!!

No squid attacks on this one, but I did see a big 5 footer eat a 2 footer for no reason other than the 2 footer was distracted looking at us!

Thought it would get interesting but they went on their way. Another safe trip.

GTB
www.sea-wolves.com

 

[Fondueset]

Nice shots!

 

[roy_nexus_6]

beautifull pics! Thanks for posting.

 

[AlexF]

I just got back from Baja and found thousands of dead squid just floating everywhere. Does anyone know why this happens?

The largest concentration of dead squid was on Isla Coronado.

On Isla San Francisco I actually saw a beaching of 4 squid, and got one alive, but it didn't look good at all, appeared to be extremely weak. He ended up making nice sushi.

Didn't get to see any during my dives, but wasn't looking for them.

Great pictures of those squid!!!

I actually spent Sunday night anchored right outside that hotel.

 

[matrixed82]

I just got back from Baja and found thousands of dead squid just floating everywhere. Does anyone know why this happens?

Could be that they were done mating, some female squids die after laying their eggs. [ame="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caribbean_Reef_Squid"]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caribbean_Reef_Squid[/ame]

What a way to go...

 

[gonetobaja]

Why do Humboldt Squid beach themselves?

There are alot of ideas about why the Humboldts are found dead and dying on the beach.

1. breeding related, as matrix pointed out.
2. predators, Scott Cassell witnessed a pod of pilot whales drive a shoal of squid into a shallow bay.
3. starvation, I have found small dead squid out at sea. Most of them are small. Scott and myself have both witnessed Humboldt Squid ruthlessly attack a smaller one for no reason other than they were hungry (We think?) and the victim was smaller and distracted. They have eaten each other for no reason with no bait in the water and no other stimulation than the boat and divers. We have wondered if canabilism is part of the lifecycle of the humboldt squid and that some large groups of small ones can die of starvation because they dont learn that fast enough.
4. hunting, (goes with starvation) We have seen these squid in the morning at 10:00am crusing through a shallow bay in Baja. We were standing on a boat and they swam by in about 2m of water. There was two of them and they looked at us as they swam by slowly.

5. Tides, everyone in Baja knows how strong the tides can be. weakend squid can be swept into bays and island coves during extreme tidal movement stranding them in rock bays that drain out at low tide.

the truth is, no one really knows. Everytime I think I know something about the ocean, it shows me I dont really know much at all....

I can tell you this, Getting good pics of squid and trying to make sure they dont get hurt can get a little interesting. This part of my armor is used on my right forearm for protection when handling or feeding squid. On this last trip I got bit 25 times on my armor in one dive. If anyone wants to try and really do this dive please be carefull. A bite from a bit 5 footer can take a piece out of you the size of a lemon. This plastic is very tough, to duplicate the marks you see would take a knife strike.

Every mark is from a Squid

Dive a safe plan,

GTB

 

[AlexF]

I don't have as much experience as you do with these squid, and still haven't found them while diving (haven't been looking for them either), but here is what I have seen:

Five years ago I was on Isla San Francisco watching some peregrine falcons (I'm also a falconer) when I saw something moving differently than fish. I was on a cliff over the bay and had perfect view of the whole beach. The group of 5 or 6 squid swam paralell to the coast for probably 300 meters and then swam to the beach. It seemed to me like once they get to the very shallow, they can't turn back. In this case there were no dolphins or pilot whales or any other large fish chasing the squid and there was no tide movement either.

If I was to make asumptions, it seemed like the squid got lost, got beached and couldn't turn back.

Regarding canibalism, one year ago I went fishing for squid right outside Agua Verde and we found a whole bunch of squid. We got a few and during the cleaning of them I opened their stomach to see what they were eating. All of them had squid and nothing else (we probably kept 8 or 10 squid).

Of the thousands of squid that I saw in Is. Coronado there were every size you could imagine, from small to very large, so who knows what happened there, the whole place smelled terrible and I left when the wind changed and I had the squid upwind.

 

[Amphibious]

Great pics Dale! more more more!

 

[Yidaki]

Last week, on the discovery channel (also was shark week), there was a programme about giant squid.. One orient guy i guess Japanese succeded got a film about them..It was amazing, they were leaving bait lines and the cam hooked up with these lines..Finally, unbelievable scenes caught on camera when squid try to get baits.. However, giant ended it up leaving his one of tentcles..

 

[gonetobaja]

I don't have as much experience as you do with these squid, and still haven't found them while diving (haven't been looking for them either), but here is what I have seen:

Five years ago I was on Isla San Francisco watching some peregrine falcons (I'm also a falconer) when I saw something moving differently than fish. I was on a cliff over the bay and had perfect view of the whole beach. The group of 5 or 6 squid swam paralell to the coast for probably 300 meters and then swam to the beach. It seemed to me like once they get to the very shallow, they can't turn back. In this case there were no dolphins or pilot whales or any other large fish chasing the squid and there was no tide movement either.

If I was to make asumptions, it seemed like the squid got lost, got beached and couldn't turn back.

Regarding canibalism, one year ago I went fishing for squid right outside Agua Verde and we found a whole bunch of squid. We got a few and during the cleaning of them I opened their stomach to see what they were eating. All of them had squid and nothing else (we probably kept 8 or 10 squid).

Of the thousands of squid that I saw in Is. Coronado there were every size you could imagine, from small to very large, so who knows what happened there, the whole place smelled terrible and I left when the wind changed and I had the squid upwind.

Very interesting info Alex. Im wondering if the beachings are a result of starvation and the search for food, and if the stomach content findings are an indication that canabilism is a normal chain of life for the Humboldt Squid


Perhaps a group of starved squids are looking for food, all of them the same size they cant eat each other so they roam all the way to the shallows and then finaly in delirium they drive up on the shore.

No one really knows.

Here is a shot of a classic torpedo shaped humboldt.

GTB
www.sea-wolves.com

 

[gonetobaja]

Last week, on the discovery channel (also was shark week), there was a programme about giant squid.. One orient guy i guess Japanese succeded got a film about them..It was amazing, they were leaving bait lines and the cam hooked up with these lines..Finally, unbelievable scenes caught on camera when squid try to get baits.. However, giant ended it up leaving his one of tentcles..

This guy had his tentacle snipped off by his buddy. He was freed off of the barbless jig but lost his tentacle in the process. It drifted over and then latched itself on my foot and stayed there the entire dive. Even when cut off the tentacle seemed to know when to dig the teeth in.

 

[Yidaki]

This guy had his tentacle snipped off by his buddy. He was freed off of the barbless jig but lost his tentacle in the process. It drifted over and then latched itself on my foot and stayed there the entire dive. Even when cut off the tentacle seemed to know when to dig the teeth in.

Yeah in that programme on discovery, that enormous tentacle was still alive and moving on the deck of boat..Amazing....
BTW, nice shots..

 

[Oli]

Hi All,

Nice pics!! Regarding the canabalism - these humbolt squid are similar to the Atlantic squid Illex argentinus, just bigger.. They also feed on their own as do many others. Working as a biologist on Asian fishing boats I saw hundreds of these with stomach contents indicating canabalism.

Regarding the stranding - I go with the shallow water theory. These animals breed and feed in deep water, giving neutrally buayant egg masses (tons of it!). They may be confused by the shallows, weaken and strand.

Nice topic! Where were you diving? Off Peru?

Cheers, Oli

 

[Oldsarge]

He's in the Sea of Cortez . . . and he's crazzeeeeeee!!! However, if you just want to go spearfishing, Dale's the man. Squid, though . . . "Can't sleep, squid will eat me, can't sleep, squid will eat me . . ."

 

[gonetobaja]

He's in the Sea of Cortez . . . and he's crazzeeeeeee!!! However, if you just want to go spearfishing, Dale's the man. Squid, though . . . "Can't sleep, squid will eat me, can't sleep, squid will eat me . . ."

rofl rofl rofl rofl rofl

C'mon now Sarge....You know Im not crazy........

My actual condition is described in many words....some of them have "obia" and "acute" and "advanced" in them. I have been reviewed by alot of doctors and I always ask them...."Doc, am I crazy?"

They always give me the same answer, "No Dale, you are not crazy....Its just that people with your condition sometimes experience a different view of the same landscape...."

My treatments include 4-7hr saltwater immersions 3 days per week.....They tell me that there is no cure but they can treat the conditions.

:head :head

But Im for sure not crazy....But Sarge is........:friday

GTB
www.sea-wolves.com

 

[Oldsarge]

Me? Lil' ol' me, crazy? Uh . . . how about rationality-challenged?