Tag Archives: blue ringed octopus

The hunt for the elusive blue-ringed octopus

Blue-ringed octopus at Atmosphere Resorts & Spa Philippines - photo by Don Tan

I’ve been Atmosphere Resorts & Spa’s marine conservation biologist for 14 months now and I dive regularly. In fact, it’s unusual to see me with dry hair. Coming from a coral reef and megafauna (the BIG stuff) background, many of our critters I’ve excitedly encountered for the first time. However, there is one particular little 8-armed guy that I have yet to set my eyes on – the elusive (I recon “mythical”) greater blue-ringed octopus. Octopus can pop up at many of our dive sites. However, we have one particular site which, at certain times of the year, is your best bet …

At Atmosphere October is all about octopus!

13th October 2019 Kirsty Richards Leave a comment
Critters, Diving blue ringed octopus, day octopus, mimic octopus, octopus, Wunderpus

Blue Ringed octopus by Donald Tan at Atmosphere Resorts & Spa Philippines

Octopus season is upon us! At least seven species are seen along Dauin’s coast (if you know where to look). However, there is more to these clever cephalopods than meets the eye. What you don’t know about octopuses… They’re related to your common garden snail Octopuses are members of the Phylum “Mollusca”, which puts them in the same mixing pot as snails, nudibranchs and scallops. All molluscs have some form of shell and bilateral symmetry (split them in half & the two sections appear the same). One heart just isn’t enough – they have 3! The main heart pumps blood …

Octopus Sex

15th January 2017 Daniel Geary Leave a comment
Critters, Diving, underwater photo, Underwater Sightings blue ringed octopus, mototi, octopus, sex

Octopus are one of the most interesting critters a diver can encounter while underwater. Whether the fact that they can squeeze into any crevice that their beak will fit into or that they can change color and texture in an instant, one of the most interesting things about octopus is actually their sex life. Octopus will begin to metabolize their own muscles when they become sexually mature to make their eggs and sperm. Because of this, almost all species of octopus lay one clutch of eggs and then die. The male mototi, the one with the stripes, showing off …

Octopus October in full swing!

27th October 2016 Daniel Geary Leave a comment
Critters, Underwater Sightings blue ringed octopus, october, octopus

Mototi Blue Ringed Mimic Day Wonderpus Octopus. Octopus October at Atmosphere resort in the Philippines. Photos by Daniel Geary

Octopus October is officially in full swing. Every year we look forward to October because Cephalopods seem to infest the coast. This year they definitely got the message and have returned in full force! Although we found a Blue-ringed Octopus, Wonderpus, and five Flamboyant Cuttlefish on a dive in September, that was just a preview. Octopus October started on the first day of the month, with dive center manager Marco finding a Blue-Ringed octopus on the house reef which stayed around for a few days. Our current favorite dive site, Secret Corner, has exploded into life. We have encountered a …

The Big Three

27th June 2014 Daniel Geary Leave a comment
Critters blue ringed octopus, mimic octopus, octopus, wonderpus

When divers arrive at Atmosphere Resort, they usually come prepared with a list of the critters they want to see the most. Many of these ‘critter lists’ vary due to the sheer number of critters you can see along the Dauin coast. Some people prefer nudibranchs, some are in need of frogfish, but nearly all of our divers want the “Big Three.” The “Big Three” are found almost exclusively in muck diving environments. What are they, you ask? Well, they are the most sought after octopus on the Dauin coast – the Mimic octopus, the Wonderpus and the Blue-ringed octopus. …