A man who runs dolphin-watching boat trips in Ceredigion in Wales was the first to witness the mysterious phenomenon of Octopuses crawling up the beach. He said he spotted more than 20 octopuses leaving the water and “walking” up the beach in New Quay and took Video footage, while helping some of them return to the water. However, many were later found dead on the beach on Saturday.

Dozens of octopuses taking to the beach in Wales

There are regularly stories in the media about dolphins or whales beaching themselves with tourists attempt to aid them, but this is possibly the first to involve so many octopuses.

The reason for their actions remains a mystery.

The sighting was made by 39-year-old Brett Jones, who runs SeaMôr Dolphin Watching Boat Trips. He told Walesonline that he was returning from a sunset boat trip at 10 p.m. when he first noticed the octopuses on the beach. He said they were dragging themselves out of the surf and onto the sand.

Jones said they have no idea what is causing the marine creatures to beach themselves, although he did say the waves have been quite rough lately. He added that he has never seen anything quite like it, as they were literally walking onto the sand on the tips of their eight legs, or six arms and two legs to be more accurate.

Jones added that a friend saw the same thing happen the previous night, adding his own sighting involved around 20 octopuses.

He said he and his crew picked up as many octopuses as they could, taking them to the end of the pier and dropping them back into the water. However, he stressed the fact that it is necessary to get them back very quickly as several dead octopuses were found on the beach on Saturday. Jones is encouraging anyone who spots the stranded marine creatures on the beach to pick them up and put them back into the ocean as quickly as they can.

First video footage

Walesonline reports that video footage of octopuses playing with dolphins on the Welsh coast has been previously captured by the dolphin tour company.

This was however the first footage to be taken of the creatures beaching themselves. There have reportedly also been sightings of the marine creatures on dry land in Norfolk, England, and there is yet to be an explanation for this odd behavior.

A report published by the Guardian in March speaks of the intelligence and problem-solving abilities of octopuses. They have reportedly been able to perform various semi-compex tasks in captivity, including solving puzzles and navigating mazes. Some have even managed to open the screw tops of jars. Maybe they know something we don’t?
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