Diving in Okinawa this summer, I came face to face with my favorite undersea creature: the octopus.

I was diving at Maeda Point on the main island when my guide directed my attention to something that was right in front of me.

I stared but could only see coral. I made an open-palm gesture, as if to say, "I can't see anything," and the movement caused what I had previously thought to be a rock to burst into life.