by Oubliette

Stories of huge monsters living in the depths of oceans and other large bodies of water have existed for centuries.  Until recently, many of them were thought to be exaggerated accounts of real creatures or else the products of overactive imaginations.  But the latest scientific research, aided by modern technology, has indeed verified that there are giant sea creatures lurking far below the surface.  Researchers believe that the possibility exists that these and like invertebrates may reach sizes that we can only imagine.

Intrigued by tales of a huge, man-eating octopus called the Lusca inhabiting the waters in and around the Bahamian island of Andros, the DT team packs their gear and heads for the beautiful Bahamas, one of the most popular tourist destinations on the globe.  The vertical caves filled with “blue water” that dot the island are entrances to an underground tunnel system that may provide an environment conducive to the existence of such a beast.  In addition, they also provide a relatively easy means to investigate what, if anything, may live in the mysterious maze.

Reports claim that the Lusca has approximately 85 foot tentacles and  a huge mouth lined with rows of razor sharp feet.  With these dimensions, it is not hard to imagine how such a monster could drag down a good sized vessel and find humans to be a delectable meal.  And indeed, there are claims by eyewitnesses that such has been the fate of those unlucky enough to encounter the Lusca.

Packing the essentials for such an endeavor, including a copy of “Twenty Leagues Under the Sea” (for reference) and an octopus repellant  (bite and sting kit), our fearless team is off to try and discover what may be one of the largest octopuses (FYI-I use this as the plural form octopus since it is the most popular one in the US) ever reported.  They arrive at Andros Island, the largest in the island chain but the least populated of any in the Bahamian string.  The 3rd largest barrier reef in the world encircles Andros.  Most intriguing is that the island is as well the least explored area in the Bahamas, which makes the fact that DT is headed out to search for this octopus even more exciting.

Upon reaching Andros, for some odd reason Josh seems to have been bitten by the fashion bug, and has DT patterned shirts handmade for him and Bisha.  These touristy garments (or “Miami Vice” shirts) become, understandably, an object of amusement, making them stand out like a sore thumb.

Off they go, new shirts and all, to charter a dive boat.  Here Josh speaks to Peter Douglas, a boat captain who claims to have personally encountered the ferocious Lusca.  After noting Josh’s taste in island gear (and advising him to leave it behind during his quest), Douglas relates how a Lusca, which was  brownish-gray in appearance and about 40-50 feet in length , emerged from the offshore Blue Hole,long enough for him to see its huge tentacles.  Luckily for the captain, the creature returned to its murky lair.  Josh is informed that probably less than 1% of these blue holes have been explored, making this a perfect challenge for DT.

Not surprisingly, Mr. Douglas passed on the chance to escort Josh and company on their quest.  So it’s off to the town of Small Hope, with the incongruous sign of “Where there’s a will, there’s a way” (a new motto for DT perhaps?).  Another boat captain, Rufus Tymur, relates how he too saw the beast and assures that if Josh can muster up the courage, he also will see the Lusca.  Add to this the warning of another skipper, Ricky Ricardo-no, not THAT Ricky Ricardo-that the Lusca will make a meal of Josh if he encounters it, especially if he is wearing his infamous DT shirt, Josh decides to discard this latest fashion faux pas.  But we begin to get the feeling that the existence of a giant octopus in the Bahamas is becoming a distinct possibility, as these seem to be very credible witnesses.

After obtaining 8 machetes (choosing the Arabian Knights variety over the  Friday the 13th model), they charter a boat and are left to their own devices.  We find Josh in the role of captain, heading for an ocean blue hole.  Sharra’s choice of equipment includes an AquaView camera and also sonar, both of which are a must to track their dangerous descent into the watery depths.

Josh and Jael don scuba gear and immediately come upon shipwrecks which are claimed to have been caused by the Lusca.  The downed ships are quite an impressive site but nothing unusual is lurking there.  They then head toward the blue hole entrance and meet up with several sharks expressing an interest in the two divers.  They wisely decide to return to the boat.

Josh and a camera operator return to the water and come across the entrance to the blue hole.  At a depth of 150 ft. or greater, getting the “bends“ is a real danger.  Extreme caution will be needed at all times as they enter this strange environment.

The opening is dark and foreboding, but more importantly, it is large enough to accommodate an animal of the size of the Lusca.  There is excitement on deck as a huge shape appears on the sonar, and Josh excitedly reports that he has just seen something huge that at first had appeared as part of the cave wall.  Safety concerns cause Josh to return to the surface, but there is no doubt something was with him in that tunnel–extremely large and potentially dangerous.

The next step was to attempt a dive at the other, inland end of the tunnel.  A base camp is quickly set up, using infrared cameras to watch the water’s surface.  Sharra would keep in communication with Josh;  Jael and Gabe embark in a small boat to observe the sonar screen.  Rex would man the AquaView camera.  A great setup and one which shows how well the DT team works together as a unit, something I’ve always found impressive.

This dive of 175 ft. will be the longest one of Josh’s career, and as such Rex will be standing by in case of emergency.  Josh descends into a cavern with a 20-25 foot ceiling and follows a huge chamber which leads him deeper and farther away from base camp.

Rex is the first to signal an alarm of something huge showing up on the AquaView, as Jael informs the group that a shape is also registering on the sonar screen.  Josh notices that something of great size has gone through the tunnel.  This is a tense and exciting moment; at this point I started to get the chills knowing that Josh was far below the surface and at the mercy of anything he might encounter.  Worse yet, Sharra is losing audio contact with Josh.  The last message they receive from Josh is one in which he excitedly exclaims that he seems something very large ahead of him.  Tension-and fear-is running high.  Further attempts to reach him are futile.

Josh has now been under water for 27 minutes, a dangerous length of time given his oxygen supply.  His glow sticks are spotted on the surface of the water, adding to the suspense.  Worse yet, the huge shape again appears on the sonar, along with ripples and bubbles.  It is too close for comfort, and Jael and Gabe are told to dim their lights so as not to attract the attention of whatever is moving close to their small boat.

Finally, to everyone’s relief, Josh appears on the surface, having come dangerously close to his allotted time under water.  Exhausted, he sends Jael to continue the search, but not for long.  There is a large movement registering on the FLIR and she hurriedly makes her way out of the water.  They call it a night, leaving the IR cameras to scan the water’s surface for any further activity.

Back in the States, the captured footage, including what appears to be possible tentacle, is analyzed by the team but yielded nothing that could definitively give a clue as to what they saw and recorded at the mysterious blue hole.  Josh shows the evidence to Dr. Scott Cooper, a marine biologist at UC Santa Barbara.  After describing the environment to the expert, Dr. Cooper believes that there is indeed probably enough food to sustain a huge creature of these proportions and that the caves provide a perfect place for them to live.  With the evidence obtained, it was impossible to identify just what the team saw, but Dr. Cooper seemed upbeat about the prospect that the Lusca might actually exist.

Once again, this episode was pure DT.  The adventure, the excitement, the moments of pure suspense are all present and help to make this show one of the most exciting currently on television.  As for the Lusca, I personally believe that it exists (its behavior is very octopus-like ).  In addition, it is my hope that this episode of DT will stimulate further research involving the area around Andros and conclusively prove the existence of this amazing animal.