In November last year, a remarkable discovery was made at my local beach at the Ythan Estuary, Newburgh, Aberdeenshire — one that would quickly capture international attention and spark an unexpected media storm.
It all began on a Sunday evening when a friend sent videos showing large cephalopod appendages washed ashore on the beach. The following day, I headed down to investigate the remains in person. Meeting up with Rob — who had first reported the find in a local bird group — and following earlier photographs shared by Paul Guntrip in a regional wildlife group, the search led to the discovery of three separate sections of suckered arms scattered along the shoreline.
After taking extensive photographs and measurements, it immediately became clear that these remains were far too large to belong to any of Scotland’s native coastal octopus species. Initial thoughts leaned towards a large squid species, possibly even Architeuthis — the legendary Giant Squid — especially given previous records from Aberdeenshire, including one from Newburgh itself in January 1998. However, one key detail stood out: the suckers lacked the distinctive “teeth” normally associated with Giant Squid.
Determined to solve the mystery, I shared photographs online and contacted cephalopod specialists around the world. The response was astonishing. The remains were ultimately confirmed as Haliphron atlanticus — the Giant Gelatinous Octopus, also known as the Seven-Arm Octopus (note it actually has 8 arms like all the other octopus species!)— an elusive deep-water species typically found at depths exceeding 500 metres.
The identification was initially suggested by renowned cephalopod expert Steve O’Shea and later independently confirmed by the Natural History Museum and a specialist cephalopod research group in New Zealand.
What followed was pretty surprising even for a rare find!
Within 48 hours, the discovery had exploded into a global news story. I found myself giving interviews to both Sky News and BBC television crews, alongside countless radio interviews from across the UK and beyond. Newspapers around the world rapidly picked up the story, with coverage spreading across the United States, Australia, Europe and many other countries.
The level of worldwide interest highlighted just how rarely this mysterious deep-sea octopus is ever encountered — especially in Northeast Scotland, where records are even scarcer than those of the Giant Squid itself.
The experience was a whirlwind. with this extraordinary discovery proving once again that even our everyday shores can still reveal mysteries from the deep ocean.”
