Giant Pacific octopus is rescued at Bay View State Park

BAY VIEW STATE PARK — Educators at Padilla Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve were surprised by a call Wednesday afternoon asking for their help with a stranded giant Pacific octopus at Bay View State Park.

Giant Pacific octopuses, while common near rocky reefs in the area, are rare on tidal flats.

The octopuses require water to wet their gills. Stranded, they are exposed to predators and can die quickly.

Padilla Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve environmental educator Annie England said in an email that “the tide was going out, and (the octopus) wasn’t going to survive for long out of water.”

Marine educator Mira Lutz Castle said it’s likely the tide retreated rapidly in the tidal flats and the octopus didn’t move fast enough.

A family visiting Bay View State Park from Vancouver, B.C., alerted ranger Brandon Hoekstra about the octopus, which was about 200 feet from the water.

Hoekstra called the Padilla Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve.