Throughout the years, we’ve learned that octopuses are clever and friendly creatures. We’ve seen them get close with scientists and grab a camera and even hitch a ride on other sea creatures. Still, a man named Matt Hyatt seems to have met one of the sweetest octopuses out there. During a trip to Cyprus, Hyatt went snorkeling near the beach. There, he spotted an “unnaturally looking rock.” Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be an octopus, and so a unique friendship was born.

Having watched the documentary My Octopus Teacher, in which South African filmmaker Craig Foster befriends one of these creatures, Hyatt set out to achieve the same. The first day was uneventful, with the octopus shyly hiding in its underwater home upon being discovered. After giving him some shrimp as a treat, the pair started trusting each other, with the octopus coming out of its cave to greet Hyatt and extending its tentacles toward his hands every time he arrived.

“I’d go down daily, sometimes twice a day, slowly building that trust between us,” he said in an Instagram video. “He’d reach out, touch me, pull away. I’d do the same thing until the point where I’d swim over his little den, I’d hold my hand down, and he’d swim all the way up to my hand, get just to touching distance to my hand and then shoot back down to his little hole. Getting to experience a wild animal want to interact with you and go against all its instincts is a feeling I struggle to put into words.”

Unfortunately, their friendship soon met some obstacles. The octopus, whom he nicknamed Little Mate, seemed to have been intimidated and kicked out of his cave by a bigger octopus. While Hyatt tried to befriend this one too, the newcomer seemed somewhat rougher when engaging with Hyatt. There was also the presence of pelicans, which seemed to further scare away Hyatt’s marine friend.

The separation made the reunion all the more sweeter, with Little Mate immediately reaching out to greet Hyatt and even leading him to his new home. Sadly, Hyatt’s time in Cyprus was over 23 days after they first met, putting an end to the story. Ultimately, it’s something the man will never forget.

“The feeling it’s giving me having these interactions with my little mate is like nothing I’ve felt before! It’s such a magical moment being underwater in an alien world and having a wild animal want to interact with you and reach for you when you’re on the surface like, it’s asking to touch you. It's incredible!” Hyatt said.

You can follow Hyatt’s adventures in nature by following him on Instagram.

Inspired by the documentary My Octopus Teacher, a man named Matt Hyatt set out to befriend an octopus during his vacation on Cyprus.

“I’d go down daily, sometimes twice a day, slowly building that trust between us,” he said.

After giving him some shrimp as a treat, the pair began to trust each other, with the octopus coming out of its cave to greet Hyatt and extending its tentacles toward his hands.

“Getting to experience a wild animal want to interact with you and go against all its instincts is a feeling I struggle to put into words,” Hyatt said.

Matt Hyatt: Instagram

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