A Filipino fisherman clubbed an octopus with a bamboo stem to escape its suffocating grip on his face.
Jesser Cervantes, a fisherman in the Philippines, was on a wooden dinghy near Puerto Princesa Island in Palawan on July 10 when the attack occurred.
The octopus latched onto his face with what witnesses described as an eight-armed death grip.
Cervantes desperately tried to peel off the creature as it spread around his head.
At one point, the octopus covered his mouth with its powerful suckers and refused to budge.
“The octopus I caught was very hard to handle,” Cervantes said in an interview.
“It almost ripped my face,” he added.
To escape, Cervantes grabbed a cut bamboo stem and repeatedly hit the octopus to loosen its grip.
The marine menace eventually let go.
Cervantes tossed the octopus back into the ocean after the terrifying encounter.
He caught his breath following the struggle.
In the viral moment, footage shows Cervantes reeling in the spunky sea creature before it suddenly latched onto his face. He was on a wooden dinghy near the Philippines last month. The tentacle-waving terror spread around his head as he desperately tried to remove it. The octopus covered his mouth with its powerful suckers at one point, refusing to budge until Cervantes grabbed a cut bamboo stem and repeatedly hit the creature to loosen its grip.
Octopuses have incredible intelligence and powerful suckers that allow them to cling tightly to prey and almost any surface.
Each of their hundreds of suckers function as independent, airtight vacuum seals.
These seals are powered by their decentralized nervous systems.
This makes it almost impossible to remove one without peeling away each limb.
The strength of an octopus’s grip can range from 0.1 pounds up to 15 pounds depending on the species.
Octopuses have been known to open jars with their grip strength.
One species, the giant Pacific octopus, was able to open childproof pill bottles without much difficulty.
Their flexible bodies contain no bones.
This allows them to squeeze through incredibly small spaces.
Cervantes survived the encounter with only the terrifying memory.
He returned to fishing after the incident.
The octopus was released back into the ocean unharmed.
Cervantes has not posted about the incident on social media platforms.
Local fishermen in Palawan regularly encounter octopuses in the waters around Puerto Princesa Island.
The area is known for its rich marine biodiversity.
Tourism officials promote the region’s diving and fishing opportunities.
Marine biologists note that octopus attacks on humans are rare but can be dangerous when they occur.
The creatures typically avoid human contact unless provoked or accidentally caught.
Cervantes’s quick thinking with the bamboo stem likely prevented more serious injury.
Fishing remains a primary livelihood for many residents of Palawan province.
The island is one of the largest in the Philippine archipelago.