Extraordinary moment seal throws live octopus at kayaker

When heading out onto the open water, many hope they’ll be able to catch a glimpse at some of the marine life in the waters below.

But one kayaker in New Zealand got more than he bargained for after he was hit square in the face with an octopus launched by a mischievous seal.

Remarkable GoPro footage captured off the coast of Kaikoura on New Zealand’s South Island over the weekend shows Kyle Mulinder paddling among fellow kayakers when a ferocious altercation between two predators appears to his left.

“We were just sitting out in the middle of the ocean and then this huge male seal appeared with an octopus and he was thrashing him about for ages,” Mr Mulinder told Yahoo7 News.

Mr Mulinder said the fight disappeared under water before the pair reappeared by his side.

The video then shows the seal breaching the water’s surface, with the octopus in his mouth, before flicking its neck and wrapping the live octopus around Mr Mulinder’s face.

“He thrashed it in mid fight and my face happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time,” he recalled.

A stunned Mr Mulinder can be seen wincing from the impact before the two animals disappear into the water.

“I was like ‘mate, what just happened?’ It was weird because it happened so fast but I could feel all the hard parts of the octopus on my face like ‘dum dum dum’.”

He can then be seen letting out a defiant roar amid a raucous response from his peers.

The group, content creators for GoPro, were out kayaking to test the company’s latest model Hero7 in the picturesque area when they captured the amazing moment.

Mr Mulinder revealed despite the seal’s apparent dominance in the scrap, the octopus came out victor.

He said the octopus clung to the end of his kayak after the fight and only managed to release it with the help of their instructor.

While his encounter may have been frightening at the time, it was a far cry from the horror of one kayaker who was pursued by a shark at Coffs Harbour in July.