'Came after me': Man 'whipped' by octopus at popular beach
A man has been "whipped" by an octopus while swimming at a West Australian beach.
Lance Karlson was about to take a dip in Geographe Bay outside Ramada resort in Dunsborough when he spotted the tentacles of an octopus fly out of the water and lash out at an unsuspecting seagull.
Wanting to get a closer look, Mr Karlson walked towards the octopus, with his daughter in his arms and started filming on his phone as it again lashed out, but this time towards the pair.
“After going after a seagull it then decided my daughter and I deserved a lashing!" Mr Karlson wrote on Instagram, sharing the video which has since been viewed almost 7000 times.
About 20 minutes later Mr Karlson and his family set up a tent further down the beach, and he decided to don some goggles and take a dip alone.
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As he swam over a pile of crab shells Mr Karlson suddenly realised he was in the octopus's territory, "its home amongst a crab graveyard".
Mr Karlson said "it came after me again” and he felt a “whip across my arm”.
“My goggles became fogged, and I remember being shocked and confused,” Mr Karlson told Yahoo News Australia.
The octopus lashed out again, hitting Mr Karlson across the neck and upper back, leaving him with red marks similar to sunburn.
While he explained the pain was not as bad as a bluebottle sting he has felt before, he did say it was painful.
“I can only describe it as a whipping sensation followed by a stinging,” Mr Karlson explained.
The former lifesaver said he would usually pour vinegar over a sting, but the only thing he had on hand was a coke soft drink, so Mr Karlson’s wife poured it over his neck which he said helped subside the stinging.
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