There’s always that one person in your group when you go to the beach who doesn’t actually like to go swimming.
This is because many people are scared of what might be lurking underneath the waves.
You might think it’s funny for people to fear sea monsters these days but one man found something washed ashore that was pretty terrifying.
Dan Aplin of Ocean Hunter Spearfishing and Freediving Specialists says he and his two brothers found a monstrous 14-foot giant squid that washed ashore on a New Zealand beach in Wellington.
“My brother said ‘What’s that over there?’ and pointed it out,” Aplin told The New Zealand Herald. “It was right next to the track so we pulled over and we were like: ‘It’s a big squid.'”
They were driving near the Red Rocks Reserve when they spotted the beast and stopped to take photos.
“After we went for a dive we went back to [the squid] and got a tape measure out, and it measured 4.2 meters long,” Aplin said.
They weren’t sure who to call at first and then reached out to National Institute of Water and Atmospheric to pick up the squid.
A spokesperson for the Department of Conservation said they most likely found a giant squid and not a colossal squid.
Giant squids live in very deep water and grow as large as 33-feet high. According to Fox 13, they can weigh up to 440 pounds.
Aplin said they’ve seen sharks but have never seen a squid in the area.
He says the squid appeared to have shrunk while he and his buddies went for a dive but didn’t seem to have been attacked by another animal.
“It was pretty clean, nothing major on it. There was a scratch on the top of its head but smaller than a lighter, tiny, wouldn’t think that’s what killed it,” he said.
Squid are rarely seen creatures. As a result, scientists know very little about them.
Most of their observations have come from specimens that have been washed ashore, according to Live Science.
The Ocean Hunter Spearfishing & Freediving Specialists posted photos of their members with the squid which ended up being shared more than 8,000 times.
“People worry about sharks. Bugger seeing that in the water,” said one Facebook commenter.
“Yer scary I’d rather take on a great white shark, I bet there is more chances of surviving a shark than giant squids… zero chance of survival I recon…,” said another.
Aplin says the squid seems to have brought them some luck that day. He and his buddies ended up leaving with a bagful of paua and butterfish.
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