Behind the Scenes: Venom!/Creatures of Darkness (continued)
GIANT (HUMBOLDT) SQUID (continued)
The squid that we saw turned out to be Humboldt squid, five feet long and weighing between 75 and 100 pounds. They were just as interested in us as we were in them, and approached us cautiously, extending one tentacle to touch you. After making contact, they would withdraw a foot or two and wait. When we reached out to touch them, the squid stayed put, changing color from white to pink to red, then back again. It was like meeting a new species on "Star Trek" for the first time! When we looked down into the dark water below we could see hundreds of huge squid. They were in tight groups, flashing colors back and forth. The squid seemed to be frantically trying to make sense of this bright interruption in their usually dark lives.
We found out the next morning that Alex had been "mugged." Three squid had taken his collecting bags and bottles, his dive computer and the gold chain from around his neck. These squid had quarter-sized suckers, lined with teeth for tearing apart their prey, and Alex was left with a series of round, red scars circling his neck. Adding insult to injury, the squid dragged him down very deep before letting him go.
We asked Alex if, next time, he could let us know this before we dove in.
by Mark Conlin, cinematographer
There is something about waiting -- in the middle of the night -- for something to swim up out of the depths that is just a little creepy. After a long time drifting, the squid started to appear below our boat one at a time. Alex couldn't contain himself a second longer, and asked if he could jump in while we were making final preparations. Howard gave him the OK, and in about a minute, Alex was gone. Five minutes later, Alex got back on the boat and went straight to bed. Howard and I were busy getting ready, and really didn't think much of Alex's quick return.
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