Its camouflage fooled you.
Now, the mighty arms
of a giant squid
are strangling you.
Pulling you to the most
powerful beak on the planet.
But you weren't born to be
calamari bait.
So you need to fight back.
But how?
For hundreds of years,
Norwegian sailors feared the kraken,
said to be a huge,
tentacled creature
as big as 10 ships.
But in the 1850s,
the creature that inspired
the legendary monster
was finally revealed,
thanks to a giant beak
that washed up on Denmark's coast.
But it wasn't before 2006
that researchers filmed a giant squid
for the first time.
These terrifying creatures
live more than 1,000 m (3,300 ft)
deep in the ocean,
called the midnight zone.
There, they eat fish and other squid.
The largest specimen captured so far
is a 13 m (43 ft) long female.
But because of the huge squid beaks
found in whales' stomachs,
scientists believe that giant squids
can reach 20 m (66 ft) long.
They have two huge feeding tentacles
that can catch you from 10 m (33 ft) away.
Their eight strong arms are weapons,
with thousands of sharp-toothed suckers
that can pull you to the squid's hard beak.
Then it will cut you into little bites.
And it'll take its time
enjoying your tasty meat.
You're going to be dinner,
unless you keep watching.
Yes, they live in waters
over 1,000 m (3,300 ft) deep,
but they venture up to 300 m (1,000 ft)
below the surface,
where humans actually dive.
So you'd better stay away
from those depths.
Like octopuses,
squids can change their color
to blend in with their surroundings.
So you may not see them.
Also, squid can swim
over 40 km/h (25 mph).
That’s five times faster
than Olympic champion Michael Phelps.
So your best chance
of surviving a giant squid attack
is to stay well away.
The powerful suckers
on a giant squid's arms
and feeding tentacles
are armed with sharp teeth
that can rip your skin.
Can you see the scars
on this sperm whale?
Yup,
that was from a giant squid attack.
So, if you're planning to dive
into squid territory,
it's a good idea to wear chain mail.
That'll help to protect you
from those slashing suckers.
But chain mail won't save you
from the beak’s extreme pressure.
In 2010,
scientists inserted a Kevlar plate
into a giant squid's beak
to measure the strength of its bite.
The squid tore the Kevlar plate
in half.
And that Kevlar plate
was 20 times stronger than steel.
If a giant squid grabs you,
it will pull you deeper into the ocean,
where it feels safer.
Scott Cassel experienced this
when he was filming Humboldt squid,
called Red Devils,
off the coast of La Paz, Mexico.
One squid attacked his arm,
and it pulled so hard
that it dislocated Scott's shoulder.
It also broke his wrist in five places,
and bit his head,
exposing his skull
to the ocean's saltwater.
The squid started pulling him down so fast
that one of his eardrums burst,
causing extreme pain.
So, tie yourself tightly to the boat
if you don't want to end up
at the bottom of the ocean.
Even if you're tethered to your ship,
if a giant squid grabs you,
you're close to death.
Your only chance is to fight back.
When two Humboldt squids
were pulling him down,
even though Scott was seriously injured,
he fought for his life.
He hit the squid with his injured arm
and underwater camera.
And the squid released him.
Scott harnessed the moment
and swam back to his boat.
So,
punch as hard as you can.
And go for the eyes,
as they are big as dinner plates,
about 30 cm (1 ft) wide.
A squid's eyes are very sensitive.
So if you get the chance,
give a good sting to the eyes.
That will help convince
the squid to release you.
This giant squid attacks so hard,
and so fast,
that it doesn't give you
a chance to get away.
You're exhausted.
And you can only pray for a miracle.
Wait.
What is that?
It's a huge sperm whale,
the giant squid’s worst nightmare.
These wonderful giants
can hold their breath
for more than 90 minutes.
And they dive deep enough
to catch giant squid for dinner.
Suddenly, the squid releases you,
so it can defend itself
from the attacking whale.
You can swim back to the surface,
but don't go too fast.
You could get decompression sickness,
called "the bends."
Amazing.
Against all odds,
you survived
this terrifying encounter.
But imagine being stranded
inside a horror movie.
Could you survive that?
Let’s find out.