Massive Squid Washes Up on Beach in Quake Aftermath

Here we have quake and sea animals on land in one single event...

Bay Area News

Massive Squid Washes Up on Beach in Quake Aftermath
Jumbo Humboldt squid wash-up minutes after 4.0 earthquake hit off the coast of La Jolla

“I was having coffee up on the balcony and I felt it shaking,” Kate Lutkemeier said.

She wasn’t the only one.

“I heard my doors and windows rattling, thinking that somebody was trying to get in my front door actually,” La Jolla resident Mary Skeen said.

The quake was felt all over the county, which isn’t uncommon in San Diego -- but what happened just minutes later was a little fishy.

“We just got here about 15 minutes ago and Lilly, what did you see on the beach?” John Feher asked his little daughter. “Squid, squid, squid, squid, squid.” she replied.

Dozens of dazed Humboldt squid that were about three to four feet long and weighed close to 40 pounds were flapping around on La Jolla Shores beach.

“It’s like their equilibrium is all messed up and they don’t know what they’re doing and they can’t back out there,” Bill Baumann said. “It was like they got -- I don’t know -- all shook up.”

It didn’t take long for the seagulls to swoop in and start feeding on the squid, so beachgoers ran to the rescue and tried frantically to save them by throwing them back in the water. That proved to be a difficult task for several reasons -- they were extremely heavy, very slippery, and when the good Samaritans did manage to get them back them in water, the squid didn’t know where to go and kept washing back up.

“Some people were saying it was the earthquake this morning that caused them to get disoriented but who knows? Feher said.

He wasn’t the only person to mention that theory.

“A state guy was out and said the earthquake caused (it),” Baumann said.

Lifeguard Sgt. David Rains said that is one of several possibilities -- there are a lot of fishing boats in the area so there is a lot of fish activity and those kind of creatures always follow the food supply. He also said there have been a lot of water inversions and the water has turned from warm to cold -- but he doesn’t know for sure.

Man thats pretty cool. Im a squid lover( hence the profile name) and probably would of tried to pick them up and put them back into the ocean, thats just me lol. Well likewise, very interesting occurence.

reply to post by ConspiracySquid7


And I just found this one , should prove the beaching of sea animals is related to quakes out in the sea..

Offshore quake confuses squid

Offshore quake confuses squid
Posted on: Saturday, 11 July 2009, 23:43 CDT

An offshore earthquake that rattled the Southern California coastline early Saturday may have confused squid, sending them toward a beach.

The squid were first spotted at La Jolla Shores beach about 45 minutes after the 7:30 a.m. quake, San Diego 6 reported. The squid, most of them 3 feet to 4 feet long, not only turned up in shallow water, they moved up onto the beach.

Some swimmers and joggers launched an informal squid rescue, getting the invertebrates back in the water.

Scientists say the earthquake, which measured 4.0 on the Richter scale, may have disoriented the squid, sending them landward.

The U.S. Geological Survey reported the earthquake was centered about 30 miles west of La Jolla and 37 miles off San Diego, the Los Angeles Times reported. While it was large enough to be felt in much of western San Diego County and to do some damage if it had been closer, no injuries or property damage was reported.

reply to post by ChemBreather


I sense a enormous Earthquake on the horizon coming by July 17th. People in Socal should leave!!!

I would think it would be rather obvious to folks by now that events like earthquakes have an effect on living creatures. It's just common sense.


I mean, think of this scenario... a big group of squid are out eating teir way through lunch, and all of a sudden an earthquake hits, causing major disturbances in the water ahead of them.. what are they going to do? swim the opposite way, and fast, to get out of the area. Wouldn't YOU?

So they start swimming away, and the next thing you know, they've hit the beach, cause they're too panicked to think straight.


Makes sense to me, and is just as logical as anything a scientist would throw out there to explain it


I mean, seriously, if we, as "consciously thinking beings" would turn and go the opposite way from something scaring the crud out of us, why wouldn't an animal? Stampede anyone?

reply to post by Jomina


Excactly, but there are some ats'rs saying that is not the case.
That is why I posted it .. See !

reply to post by light2012


Im thinking Flood in Mumbai july 25th..

more than one line !

For me the best part of this entire discussion is that only a couple of years ago people really thought that the "Giant Squid" was only a myth and not real at all. Now we've got 40 of the suckers washed up on shore in 2009.

I wonder what "myth" is going to wash up on a shore in the future? It's an interesting world we live in.

Everyday is truely a new adventure. I'm glad to be a part of it.

I have been watching the earthquakes activity for well over a year now, and their are signs that something much bigger is afoot for the cali and oregon area. Whether 'the big one' is about to hit or a series of quakes causing damages along the entire border of both states, either one is a great possibilty in the very near future. For those who believe that humans have the ability just as animals do, to predict or know when something like this is about to take place: I have had constant headaches, back of the head and temples, with building pressure in my ears, two tone ringing all the time, an old perforation in my left ear exploded Sat night while I was working, sent me to the ER. Low back pain and right knee pain.