It’s hard to describe all the feelings I have, sharing this very special episode of Rare Air. It has been well over two years since the footage was captured, and in that time, everything has changed. The setting for this encounter is Hansen Bay in St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands. I don’t think we were ever there before July 11, 2017, the day this footage was captured. In fact, we set out that day – the dreaded last day of our vacation – to snorkel in a spot on the north side of the island. Caught in a torrential cloudburst at the Annaberg Sugar Plantation parking lot, we decided to switch coasts. Finding things wonderfully peaceful at Hansen Bay, we took our chances below the waves. The subject of Rare Air episode 41 is just one of many undersea friends we met that afternoon.
Essentially, everything about the timing that led to our encounter with this amazing creature seemed completely random. And yet, it happened within 50 yards of the beach house we have now stayed in on two subsequent vacations (2019 and 2020). Meanwhile, the sequence of events driving “Rare Air” programming has had its own unique cadence. Again, it’s all random, but occasionally, things have lined up in cool ways. Last month, the extraordinary documentary “My Octopus Teacher” was made available to 170 million subscribers on Netflix. While the Rare Air schedule was set many months ago, I’m very excited to share an experience I consider to be equally remarkable.
That Netflix feature film from accomplished filmmakers Pippa Ehrlich, James Reed, Craig Foster, Roger Horrocks and their colleagues is deeply inspiring for me. I’m also a huge fan of the sublime nature series “Moving Art” and “Tales by Light,” both also currently available on Netflix. Taking these filmmakers’ examples to heart, I am continuing to capture footage for Rare Air, and in 2021, I will expand into longer form content.
Back along the western edge of Hansen Bay, just off the Estate Haulover coast, we have returned to the scene of this featured octopus encounter (our first) many times, but we have never again spotted the shape which so surprised me and captured my attention. Regarding the frantic camera work, I’ll just point out how quickly it all happened, and mention, I was simultaneously trying to ensure Beth could witness the amazement. When cornered, this highly sensitive creature sized me up, dazzled me with brilliance, then dove for cover at the first opportunity. In the aftermath, my heart was racing, and I was blown away.
About 7 weeks later, Hurricane Irma reduced St. John to a “wasteland,” according to a Washington Post story. Beth and I returned in July of 2019 and 2020. While we are always thrilled to visit and explore, it’s hard to feel ultra-confident about life occurring below the waves. Anyway, despite searching all around Hansen Bay, we’ve seen no other octopi.
Except once. This year, we booked our cherished beach house again in late July, and were able to slip in and out safely. We arrived just ahead of a tropical storm, and had front row seats for a show that transformed our haven dramatically. Even as the storm receded, we tried our luck swimming and snorkeling through the giant, surging walls of water. At one point, looking through some large rocks just off the shore, I spotted a tiny white octopus, no larger than the tip of my thumb.
Apologies again for the poor camera work. Since it was a solo excursion, I’d hoped to have a better image to share with Beth, when I told her about my find. Despite that disappointment, that odd encounter with the smallest octopus imaginable is yet another experience I’ll treasure for as long as I live.
Please stop back soon for more Rare Air.
Saint John, U.S. Virgin Islands, July, 2017
Rare Air Episode 36, Part 1: Second trip to St. John for two
Rare Air Episode 37, Part 2: Sunset at Caneel Bay Resort
Rare Air Episode 38, Part 3: Honeymoon Beach, Caneel Bay Resort
Rare Air Episode 39, Part 4: Close Encounter with Otherworldly Locals
Rare Air Episode 40, Part 5: Diving Leduck Island
Rare Air Episode 41, Part 6: Our Octopus Friend
Rare Air Episode 42, Part 7: A Perfect Day Above and Below the Waves
Rare Air Episode 43, Part 8: Hello, We Must Be Going
Rare Air Episode 44, Part 9: Running Down a Dream
Rare Air Episode 45, Part 10: Reef Bay Sunrise
Rare Air Episode 46, Part 11: Coral Bay Sunset
