Visitors to the Toyama Bay got an unbelievable Christmas present with the sighting of a very giant squid. This type of squid is typically never seen by the human eye, but a 12-feet long Architeuthis decided to put on a show for a group Japanese spectators on Christmas Eve!

According to CNN, the first giant squid was caught on camera in 2012, so when Akinobu Kimura, owner of Diving Shop Kaiyu, got the first glimpse, he had to get in the water for an up-close and personal view of the red and white real-life sea monster. He told CNN, “My curiosity was way bigger than fear, so I jumped into the water and go close to it.”

Such large squids live deep underwater and are normally only found dead floating on the surface of the ocean or washed up on beaches, according to Ocean Portal. In this footage, the massive squid is seen swimming in the populated harbor with a growing crowd of viewers looking on as it inches closer toward the surface.

Kimura said, “This squid was not damaged and looked lively, spurting ink and trying to entangle his tentacles around me. I guided the squid toward to the ocean, several hundred meters from the area it was found in, and it disappeared into the deep sea.”

The Architeuthis squid is the largest ever to be recorded by scientists at 43 feet long and weighing about one ton. It is estimated that the squid can live up to five years, so they grow to be very large quickly. During that time, they will reproduce only once. Amazing!

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