Researchers at University of Auckland documented the real-life sharktopus during a December 2023 expedition in the Hauraki Gulf near Kawau Island. The sighting was unusual for several reasons, not the least of which is that octopuses aren’t known for hanging out near the water’s surface.

Forget your sk8er bois and surfers, there is officially a new coolest way to get around and it’s riding on the back of a shark, as demonstrated by an octopus in Hauraki Gulf near Kawau Island. Stunning footage of what’s being described as a “mysterious sight indeed” was shared by the University Of Auckland (UoA),