World Octopus Wrestling Championships
Octopus wrestling involves a diver grappling with a large octopus in shallow water and dragging it to the surface.
Octopus wrestling was considered as one of the most popular sports on the West Coast of the United States during the 1960s. At that time, annual World Octopus Wrestling Championships were held in Puget Sound, Washington. The event was televised and attracted up to 5,000 spectators. Trophies were awarded to the individual divers and teams who caught the largest animals. Afterwards, the octopuses were either eaten, given to the local aquarium, or returned to the sea.
How do you wrestle these 8 armed super slippery creatures?
Keeping in mind that you are not wrestling a man, few steps were followed by the wrestlers. By forming a team of two or three, divers would descend as far as 60 feet to the octopus’s lair. The team would actually “wrestle” the Octopus by painstakingly detaching the creature’s suction cups and unwrapping its tentacles before slowly bringing the quarry to surface. Once on shore, the giant beasts were tosed on a scale for judging.
Washington stopped this trend of wrestling octopuses in 1976 law that made it a misdemeanor to “molest” or “harass” an octopus.
Note: 17 Crazy Facts about Octopus, visit: https://mocomi.com/octopus-facts/