Brixham-based fishermen and women have been hauling in decent profits thanks to the large numbers of octopuses being caught along the South Devon coast.

A single day’s catch recently netted £500,000.

The ‘octopus bloom’ arrived last year and was discovered when pots laid for crabs and lobster were full of octopuses who had tried to eat the shellfish.

Last year’s bloom has been replaced from a new one according to scientists from the Marine Biological Association.

It’s thought they have come up from Spanish waters as the warming English Channel has become more suitable for them.

When filmmaker and diver David Palfrey dropped into the water, he expected a typical week of leisurely diving.

Instead, as he sank beneath the waves, he found himself face-to-face with an underwater enigma: octopus after octopus, out in the open water, watching him right back.

Those unexpected encounters with this most enigmatic of sea creatures became the creative spark for Bloomin’ Octopus! A Tentacular Spectacular, a new short film exploring the ‘octopus bloom’ off the southwest coast of England in 2025. “

David said: “Dive after dive there were octopus out and about, and they are very curious.

“They’re often shy, but sometimes they’ll interact, investigate, and seem to watch you as much as you watch them.

With divers and fishermen now reporting increased numbers of octopus appearing again in 2026, the film comes at a pivotal moment.

As the story of the Common Octopus (Octopus Vulgaris, usually seen in Mediterranean waters), continues to unfold, these out-of-the-blue interactions raise urgent questions about warming seas, changing marine ecosystems, and what these shifts mean for coastal communities and the future health of the ocean.

“Afterwards there was this buzz everywhere – people asking why this was happening, whether it was a population boom, what it meant for crabs and lobsters…I couldn’t stop thinking; there’s a story here.”

To watch the film visit: https://tinyurl.com/ushf9ruu