Attack of the giant squids: Terror as hundreds of 5ft long creatures of the deep invade Californian coastline



Marine biologist John Hyde holds a jumbo flying squid, which have returned to the Californian coast

Hundreds of aggressive jumbo flying squid have appeared off the coast of San Diego, attacking divers and washing up dead on beaches.



The 5-foot long sea monsters, which have razor-sharp beaks and toothy tentacles, have been bringing terror to scuba drivers and swimmers on the coast's tourist-packed beaches.



The carnivorous calamari, which can grow up to 100 pounds, came up from the depths last week and swarms of them have pounced on unsuspecting divers.



Some divers have reported tentacles enveloping their masks and yanking at their cameras and gear, leaving many too scared to go in the water.

Increasing numbers of the squid, which come from Mexico, are being found in California and scientists say they may have moved because of global warming, a shortage of food or a decline in natural predators.

Stories of too-close encounters with the alien-like cephalopods have chased many veteran divers out of the water and created a whirlwind of excitement among the rest, who are torn between their personal safety and the once-in-a-lifetime chance to swim with the deep-sea giants.

The so-called Humboldt squid have been known to attack humans and are nicknamed 'red devils' for their rust-red coloring and mean streak.



The squid hunt in schools of up to 1,200, can swim up to 15 mph and can skim over the water to escape predators.



'I wouldn't go into the water with them for the same reason I wouldn't walk into a pride of lions on the Serengeti,' said local diver Mike Bear.



'For all I know, I'm missing the experience of a lifetime.'

The squid are too deep to bother swimmers and surfers, but many longtime divers say they are staying out of the surf until the sea creatures clear out.



Yet other divers, including Shanda Magill, couldn't resist the chance to see the squid up close.

On a recent night, Magill watched in awe as a dozen squid circled her group, tapping the divers before dashing away.

A marine biologist holds the beak of a Humboldt squid which have taken over the Californian coastline, bringing fear to swimmers and divers

The squid's beaks are almost as large as a grown man's hand

But the next night, things were different when a large squid surprised Magill by hitting her from behind and grabbing at her with its arms, pulling her sideways in the water.



The powerful creature ripped her buoyancy hose away from her chest and knocked away her light.



When she recovered, she didn't know which direction was up and couldn't find the hose to help her stay afloat as she surfaced.



'I just kicked like crazy. The first thing you think of is, "Oh my gosh, I don't know if I'm going to survive this". If that squid wanted to hurt me, it would have,' she said.



Other divers have reported squid pulling at their masks and gear.

Veteran scuba diver and amateur underwater videographer Roger Uzun swam with a swarm of the creatures for about 20 minutes and said they appeared more curious than aggressive.



He said the animals taste with their tentacles and will touch to determine if people are edible.



'As soon as we went underwater and turned on the video lights, there they were. They would ram into you, they kept hitting the back of my head,' he said.

The squid have razor sharp teeth and have been known to attack humans

'One got hold of the video light head and yanked on it for two or three seconds and he was actually trying to take the video light with him,' said Uzun, who later posted a 3-minute video with his underwater footage on YouTube.

'It almost knocked the video camera out of my hands.'



The wayward squid have also been hauled up by fisherman in waters off Orange County, just north of San Diego.

Research suggests the squid may have established a year-round population off California at depths of 300 to 650 feet and divers have been encountering them at about 60 feet to 80 feet under water.



No one knows how many squid are in the shallow waters, but one biologist estimated they could number in the hundreds, or possibly thousands.



'Usually where there's one squid, there's a lot of squid, so I would assume that there's a good number,' said John Hyde, a biologist with the National Marine Fisheries Service in San Diego.

Diver Shanda Magill said her light and hose was ripped from her diving rig by a Humboldt squid last week







