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Posts Tagged ‘Humboldt squid’
Get out your dive gear, fishing gear or marinara sauce. The Giant Squids have fulfilled their promise of “I’ll be back!” showing up in huge numbers on the California coast off Newport Beach. These charismatic cephalopods are averaging 30 lbs each, but some are up to 60 lbs. That’s enough calamari in one animal to feed a family of 5 for a week, and still have some left over to pair with linguini for a Saturday snack. Anglers have caught 400 of the beasts so far, though far greater numbers are still out in the ocean.
Though the name ‘Giant Squid’ elicits visions of huge sea monsters with a chip on their shoulders and a bloodthirsty appetite, the official name of these beauties is Humboldt Squid (far less menacing, I grant you.) They can grow up to 100 pounds and 6 feet long. They follow their food sources through the ocean, which explains their appearance on the west coast. The squid have also recently been spotted off San Diego, Oregon and Washington.
When I heard that Hurricane Jimena, currently a category 4 storm and the tenth storm of the season in the Pacific, was barreling down on Baja California, I thought I hope it won’t hurt the scuba diving there. Then I realized I had no clue what kind of diving was there. After a little research I now hope more than ever that Jimena decides she wants an authentic tamale and veers significantly to the right into a low-population area.
The Baja peninsula actually has an amazing array of diving opportunities, from the rocky kelp forests in the north on the Pacific coast near San Diego to the only live coral reef on the western side of North America, Cabo Pulmo, on the Sea of Cortez between La Paz and Cabo San Lucas. The indigenous sea life is insane, including great white sharks, hammerhead sharks, tiger sharks, whale sharks, manta rays, dolphins, marlin, Humboldt squid, octopus, and whales. In some spots divers encounter sea lions frequently eager to play or gnaw the end of your fin.
I can’t wait to book my next trip: the Baja Peninsula has moved up to #1 on my “to dive” list. I’ll just wait until Jimena checks out of the hotel.