Giant squid makes rare, casual appearance in Japanese harbour

A giant squid made an appearance in a Japanese harbour on Christmas Eve, giving onlookers a rare glimpse of the elusive sea creature.

The squid was spotted in Toyama Bay on Thursday, circling the bay for several hours just below the surface.

A local dive shop owner swam alongside the massive sea creature and reportedly helped escort the squid back into the open waters off the Japanese coast.

“My curiosity was way bigger than fear, so I jumped into the water and go close to it,” Akinobu Kimura told CNN. “This squid was not damaged and looked lively, spurting ink and trying to entangle his tentacles around me. I guided the squid toward the ocean, several hundred metres from the area it was found in, and it disappeared into the deep sea.”

The giant squid is the largest invertebrate on Earth. According to National Geographic, the largest giant squid ever found measured 59 feet in length and weighed just shy of a ton (2000 lbs.). Kimura estimated the squid he recorded to be about 12 feet in length.

Little is known about the giant squid and scientists have based most of their research from carcasses that have washed up on beaches, according to National Geographic.

Sightings of giant squid have been rare. In 2004, researchers in Japan were able to capture what is believed to be the first images of the elusive sea creature.