Rebecca Jaffe — the founder of Sea to Shore Explorers, a San Diego ecotourism company that specializes in tide pooling adventures — has met countless ocean creatures while guiding students, families and curious adults along the local shoreline. But during one recent visit, she stumbled upon something that instantly stopped her in her tracks.
She had just wrapped up a citizen science outing and decided to wander the beach for a few minutes to see what else she might discover. When she lifted a rock coated in moss, a tiny movement caught her eye.
“It looked like a little brown blob at first,” Jaffe told The Dodo. “Then I noticed the tentacles.”
Sitting right on top of the rock was a baby octopus — and Jaffe could hardly believe how small it was.
“I was so excited,” she said. “It was the smallest, most adorable octopus I’ve ever seen.”
The little cephalopod was nearly invisible against the rock, blending perfectly thanks to its coloring and soft, flexible body. If she hadn’t picked up that exact stone, Jaffe said she never would’ve spotted it.
“Being unnoticed is how they survive,” she explained. “They squeeze into tiny crevices and change their appearance to match their surroundings.”
The octopus was far too tiny for Jaffe to identify the species, but given the area, it was likely either an East Pacific red octopus or a California two-spot. Both species hide their eggs in secure nooks — once the babies hatch, they’re immediately on their own.
As Jaffe held the rock, the little octopus surprised her by climbing onto her thumb and then wandering across her hand. She stayed perfectly still, making sure the fragile youngster didn’t fall or get hurt.
“It was unbelievably cute,” Jaffe said. “But I was mostly focused on being gentle and keeping it safe.”
After a brief moment together, she carefully placed the baby back into the water. Protecting the wildlife she encounters is always her top priority.
“This is their home,” she said. “We can admire them, but the only things we should take with us are memories and photos.”
The encounter was fleeting, but Jaffe knows she’ll never forget the day the tiniest octopus she’d ever seen decided to crawl right across her hand.