Giant Squid spooks divers in San Diego waters

Recent abundance of giant squid off the California coast attracts adventure minded divers and scares off the safety conscious

Heather Linich

• Squid moving from Mexican waters to the shores of California
• Prey could be moving closer to the shore, causing the squid to follow
• The squid have not harmed any divers, though some have narrowly escaped

In San Diego, scuba divers are facing a new issue in the deep, dark waters of the ocean--namely, giant squid.

Thousands of them have been showing up in the shallower waters around San Diego lately and scientists are not sure what is causing the phenomenon.

Also called the Humboldt squid, the creatures grow to be five feet in length and up to 100 lbs., with razor like beaks and strong tentacles.

They usually live in very deep waters farther south of California but Nigella Hillgarth of the Birch Aquarium at Scripps Institution on Oceanography speculates that the squid are now making their home in the California ocean in waters around 300-650 feet deep.

Hillgarth recently came upon a dying squid lying on the beach and was awestruck. She told the Associated Press that “It was an amazing privilege to touch a creature like that and see how amazingly beautiful it was. They have these wonderful eyes. ... They look all-seeing, all-knowing.”

Divers have been stumbling on the squids this summer at very shallow depths of 60-80 ft. Hillgarth stated that the cause for the squid in such shallow water could be due to its prey moving closer to shore and then getting caught in the tide.

This has also caused many of the dying or dead squid to wash up on the tourist packed beaches.

Reaction from divers has been mixed, with some wanting to go out exploring in the hopes of firsthand seeing the squid and others staying out of the water completely until the squid move on.

There have not been any injuries or deaths caused by the squid, but several divers report having close calls. Diver Shandra Magill has had both positive and negative experiences with the squid.

During one diving excursion, 12 squid surrounded Magill and her diving group and gently swam just feet from them and then swam away.

Just the next night, Magill had a much more tumultuous experience. The squid dragged her through the water and ripped away her buoyancy hose and light.

Magill was disoriented and initially could not tell which direction the surface was. She regained her hose and was able to surface unscathed.

The occurrence of these giant squid in recent years along the west coast of the United States, much farther north than their usual habitat near Mexico, is an unusual and seemingly unnatural happening.

Scientists do not have a definitive reason for this migration but initially believe it could be due to global warming, food shortage or decline in predators which keep the population under control. Only time and further study will shed light on these mysterious creatures.

Our Take

Those who are adventure seekers will love this new and exciting piece of wildlife in the ocean. However, all divers should be extra vigilant with their safety due to the size and potential danger of the creatures.