One day we took a glass bottom boat ride. Rob got to go for a swim and learned to squid wrestle - catch octopus

Three years ago, we took a glass bottom boat ride on the Corral Queen. It's a wonderful experience, so we signed up again this year. Both times we were the only passengers on board. The captain and crew are wonderful, friendly and helpful. This year, I got up my nerve and asked the captain if I might snorkel off the boat. He not only said "yes", he jumped in and taught me to "squid wrestle".

This is an activity I had only learned about during Ken's bachelor party. One of Ken's friends had caught a fairly large octopus (known as a squid in Hawaii) in shallow water. This can be a little dangerous. If the octopus gets hold of the bottom and of you, you may not be able to keep your head above water. In this case large meant about a gallon of octopus, measured by stuffing it in a freezer bag. It's reach was around 5 feet from head to tip.

The octopus that Captain Kalani helped me bring in was much smaller - maybe a 2-3 pounds, with a reach of no more than 3 feet from head to tip. None-the-less, handling it was very exciting. It was strong and very creative in the use of it's many arms. Moreover, by the time I swam 300 yards to the boat, I was quite convinced that it was one of the smartest animals that I've ever encountered.

Here's a view from the boat of Kaneohe Bay.

---

Here's another.

---

Here's where Bryson, Maria Hunter and Sally get there first hint that anything unusual is going on. You'd hardly think that little stripe across my arm was anything much at all.

---

---

But once we got it up on deck, the kids couldn't decide just what to make of it.

---

---

---

---

Here you can kind of tell that the thing is just all arms.

---

Here is a sea urchin that Captain Kalani brought up. You wouldn't even think it was alive, but he put it in the container upside down. It righted itself in about 5 minutes.

---

---

---

---

In the next couple of pictures, Captain Kalani showed us how the sea weed he had pulled up was full of miniture crabs.

---

---

---

While we were busy with the sea urchin and the crabs, the octopus started to make its get-away. Luckly, we noticed before it got overboard. It was interesting that one octopus was really determined to get away. The smaller one pretty much just sat in the bucket and waited.

---

---

---

Captain Kalani started egging me on. He put the bigger octopus on my head for a portrait sitting. He got me to try out an interesting variation on "taco", or raw octopus. I did not actually bite. As you can see, this gave the Bryson and Maria Hunter the confidence to get "up close and personal" with the beast.

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

Here's where the sea urchin does its flip.

---

---

---

---

---

---

---