Rebecca Jaffe, founder and owner of Sea to Shore Explorers, a San Diego-based tide pooling ecotourism company, has encountered plenty of wildlife in her many trips to the beach. Through her business, she helps students, families and adults have unforgettable encounters with the San Diego coastline’s many unique sea creatures on a daily basis.
But the other day, Jaffe came across an animal who took her breath away. She’d just finished a citizen science event and was exploring the beach to see who she might find. When she picked up a moss-covered rock, she saw something wriggling around on top of it.
Sea to Shore Explorers
“I noticed a little bit of movement,” Jaffe told The Dodo. “And it just looked like a little brown blob, and then I saw the tentacles.”
As Jaffe looked closer, she realized there was a baby octopus on top of the rock. She’d never seen an octopus who was quite so small.
“I was really excited to find it,” Jaffe said. “It’s the cutest, tiniest octopus I’ve ever seen.”
Jaffe was amazed by how well the baby was blending into their surroundings. If she hadn’t happened to pick up that exact rock, she would’ve never noticed the octopus.
“[P]art of their survival is to not be found, to fit into tiny spaces [and] to blend in through both their coloring and their lack of any bones,” Jaffe said.
Because the octopus was so small, Jaffe couldn’t identify the exact species. Based on the location, though, she knew the baby had to either be an East Pacific red octopus or a California two-spot octopus. These kinds of octopuses lay their eggs in safe crevices, but once the babies hatch, they have to survive on their own.
As Jaffe held onto the rock, the octopus climbed onto her thumb and up onto her hand. Jaffe held her breath as she tried to make sure the animal stayed safe.
“To have it crawl on my hand was so cute, but I was really just kind of trying to be so careful,” Jaffe said.
After a few seconds, Jaffe guided the octopus back into the water. For Jaffe, her main priority is protecting the beach’s delicate animals.
Sea to Shore Explorers
“These are the places where these animals live, and it’s their home, and we need to protect it,” Jaffe said. “We can’t be taking anything home with us other than pictures.”
Even though Jaffe’s encounter was only a few seconds long, she’ll never forget the moment the smallest octopus she’d ever seen crawled onto her hand.
To learn more about Sea to Shore Explorers, you can check out their TikTok and Instagram.