Locals have named Krystal Janicki ‘the octopus whisperer’ for her uncanny capability to all the time discover the animals when out for a dive
Article content material
Two Vancouver Islanders — one a painter, the opposite an underwater cinematographer — had been a part of the workforce that filmed a Nationwide Geographic collection on the large pacific octopus, one of many largest octopus on earth.
Krystal Janicki, a residential painter and Maxwel Hohn, a cinematographer, had been a part of the worldwide crew employed by SeaLight Footage to movie the Canadian portion of the collection, Secrets and techniques of the Octopus.
Commercial 2
Article content material
Article content material
The collection premiered April 21.
“What we might do is exit and spend all day on the water and await slack tide, and try to discover an octopus that was going to be pleasant,” mentioned Hohn.
Hohn, who was a part of the workforce that gained an Emmy award for the Netflix collection Island of the Sea Wolves, was contracted for the filming work and pitched getting Janicki on board. Locals have named her “the octopus whisperer” for her uncanny capability to all the time discover the animals when out for a dive.
“She simply has this superb reference to most marine species, primarily due to her manner — she’s very calm and relaxed underwater,” mentioned Hohn.
Each Hohn and Janicki are enthusiastic and skilled divers.
The collection streams on Nat Geo TV, Disney+ and Hulu.
Hohn estimated that when filming in Canada, the crew went on about 80 dives over 30 days to get the wanted content material, and it was over three wonderful days of diving within the final stretch of filming that they received the majority of their footage.
Octopus may be difficult to establish underwater, Hohn mentioned, as they may use close by rocks to barricade themselves of their dens to cover from predators and might camouflage their color. Naturally, this proved a problem for filming. Octopus, that are very smart, all have totally different personalities, Hohn mentioned.
Article content material
Commercial 3
Article content material
That they had success, although. One specific octopus, Hohn mentioned, “principally adopted us into its atmosphere.”
“The connection between her and I used to be immediate, which made it really easy to start out filming together with her and dealing together with her as soon as we did, as a result of she was simply so prepared and as excited as I used to be,” mentioned Janicki.
One other filming problem was the water temperature, operating about 7 Celsius; a swimming pool is extra like 26 Celsius.
“We’re very restricted on how lengthy we are able to truly be underwater,” mentioned Hohn.
The climate, the underwater visibility, the tide, and the present all have an effect on the content material filmmakers might get on any given day.
“We’ve an entire bunch of things that make it fairly difficult, after which additionally on high of that you’ve the wildlife — you’ll be able to’t dictate what wildlife does. So it’s a must to be very affected person and hope that each one 5 of these issues align and also you get the photographs and make a sequence,” Hohn mentioned.
After filming completed, Janicki went again to the dive website in hopes of seeing the identical pleasant octopus once more, however it had already moved dens. They’re solely in a single den for per week or two after which they transfer on.
Commercial 4
Article content material
“That’s the factor — they develop so extremely quick,” she mentioned.
The connection between her and I used to be immediate
The enormous pacific octopus weigh round 33 kilos, with an arm span of 14 toes, and the most important ones have been measured at 110 kilos with 20-foot arm spans. They’ve 9 brains and three hearts, and an extremely quick lifespan of three to 5 years.
“Octopuses are thought to be one of the clever animals on the planet. They’ve the power to unravel puzzles, open childproof bottles, use instruments, and have visible and tactile reminiscence centres of their brains,” says a press launch on the collection.
A press launch for the collection says a workforce of 5 native divers assisted within the filming.
Hohn hopes individuals take away from the collection how stunning wildlife and nature is, and the way it must be protected.
“I simply need individuals to study extra concerning the pure world that we reside in and select to respect it, and cherish what we’ve right here. We’re so fortunate,” mentioned Hohn.
Beneficial from Editorial
Article content material