Lusca

The Lusca, sometimes known locally as the scuttle or "Him of the hairy hands" is an unknown species of massive octopus reported to inhabit the numerous blue holes scattered around the Caribbean Sea, especially the Bahamas. 

​

Blue holes are large marine caverns or sinkholes, sometimes nearly 1000 feet deep. Many blue holes connect via passageways and are mostly unsurveyed, with less than 8% of them being even remotely explored. Though more than 228 are known to exist in the Bahamas alone, they were only discovered by divers in the late 20th century. 

​

The lusca's anatomy is vague, but are usually described as resembling a common octopus but nearly 50, or even 75 feet, in length. This is significantly larger than the largest known octopus in the Caribbean, the seven-arm octopus, which reaches 11 feet in extreme cases. Luscas are said to only come out into the shallows at night to feed on their prey. The lusca is one of the few cryptids that's been reported to prey on humans, with locals often blaming luscas when someone disappears in a blue hole without a trace. 

​

In 2005, an underwater photographer claimed to have seen a 50-foot 
octopus in a blue hole off Andros Island in the Bahamas. Suddenly, the
creature tried to attack him, but he managed to escape by distracting the creature with his camera, which it apparently snatched out of his
hands. 

​

Another report of a lusca attack, also from Andros island, was when a man swimming with his friends was suddenly yanked under. He managed to free himself, and when he swam up, his leg was covered in wounds resembling giant sucker marks. 

​

In 2009, the captains' Peter Douglas and Rufus Tymur claimed to have witnessed a lusca. They said they saw the 40-50 feet long, brownish-grey creature briefly emerge out of a blue hole, then go back in. They saw it clear enough to make out the creature's many arms. 

​

The only report of a dead lusca was on January 19th, 2011, when a half-eaten carcass of an enormous octopus washed up on a beach near Williams town in the Bahamas. Though most of the octopus's arms were torn off by predators, photos of the carcass and witness testimony suggest that based on the size of the head, it was probably around 25 feet long. Luckily the remains were collected and studied by Clement Campbell, the assistant fisheries superintendent of the Department of Marine Resources of the Bahamas. Though a genuine specimen, the species was never identified.