Blue Ring Octopus
Blue ring octopus (Hapalochlaena sp.) are one of the most commonly requested critters to see here in Lembeh! Rumoured to be Beyonce’s favourite animal (she likes them very much…) their rareness and unique beauty combined makes the blue ring octopus a very special animal to find in the water. Armed with suckers all the way down its arms (yes, octopus have arms not tentacles!) some octopus species can grow to be 6m large with suckers the size of dinner plates.
The blue ring octopus doesn’t grow quite that large reaching just 20cm depending on the species but it makes up for its size in other ways. This small size, along with the camouflage skills, of all octopus makes them very difficult to find – but when they are seen they often put on a dazzling show! The blue rings on this species’ body are an excellent example of aposematism which is when a creature displays overt warnings to others that it is poisonous. Flashing blue rings all over seems like a good warning to show as the blue ring octopus is one of the most toxic octopus around, however, they are not aggressive and the few cases of human injuries have resulted from accidental handling.
This beautiful blue ring was seen on our house reef! We are very fortunate at Two Fish Divers Lembeh that we can shore dive right in front of the dive shop and still see amazing critters. We’ve been making use of our house reef a lot this week with the arrival of Conny for her divemaster internship! We’re starting off with rescue training and some specialty courses in Lembeh before she continues on to Two Fish Divers Bunaken to complete the rest of her divemaster training. This is an awesome way to see two completely different styles of diving during an internship – imagine finding some of the world’s rarest critters while learning about muck diving in Lembeh, before diving the stunning coral walls of Bunaken with turtles and sharks!
If you’re interested in divemaster training in Indonesia, let us know – we have seven stunning locations in Indonesia for you to choose from – or combine. For any questions or for more information or to make a booking, fill in the contact form below and we will get right back to you.
We look forward to diving in Indonesia with you soon!
