SYDNEY
A swim on holiday at a Western Australia beach has resulted in a painful octopus “whipping” - and a video of the encounter that has gone viral.
Geologist and author Lance Karlson was about to take a dip near the resort he and his family were staying at in Geographe Bay, on Australia’s southwest coast, when he spotted what he thought was the tail of a stingray emerging from the water and striking a seagull.
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Upon walking closer with his two-year-old daughter, he discovered it was an octopus, and took a video, which shows the animal in shallow water take a sudden strike in Karlson’s direction with its tentacles.
“The octopus lashed out at us, which was a real shock,” Karlson said in emailed comments to Reuters.
After setting up a sun protection tent for his family on the beach, Karlston put on goggles and went in the water alone to explore a collection of crab shells, which he believed were left by dead sea creatures.
As he was swimming, he felt another whip across his arm - followed by a more forceful sting across his neck and upper back.
“My goggles became fogged, the water was suddenly murky and I remember being shocked and confused,” Karlson added in the email.
