When Kayleigh Grant set out for another day of running ocean tours off the coast of Hawaii, she expected to see dolphins, sea turtles, and sparkling waves — not a family of baby octopuses living inside a piece of garbage.
Grant and her team always make it a point to clean up any trash they find floating in the water. They also check every item carefully before throwing it away — because in the ocean, even the smallest piece of litter can become someone’s home.
And that’s exactly what happened this time.
“Since we always examine the rubbish for anything living, we noticed them right away,” Grant told The Dodo.
Inside a discarded snack bag were three tiny baby octopuses, tucked safely inside like it was their little shelter. The sight was heartbreaking and adorable all at once — proof of just how resilient ocean life can be, even in the face of human waste.
While finding baby octopuses might sound rare, it’s actually something Grant has experienced a few times before.
“I’ve been lucky enough to see them many times because I work out in the deep sea,” she said. “They’re so small and cute — they always make me so happy to find them!”
Still, she knew the little ones deserved better than a plastic trash bag. So she and her crew got to work finding them a more natural place to live. Carefully, they scooped the babies into their cupped hands filled with seawater to keep them safe.
Then Grant remembered something: the pineapple they always bring on board to share with guests.
“We usually have a pineapple onboard, so we use the leaves or head of the pineapple as a new home,” she explained.
Within minutes, each tiny octopus had its own cozy spot nestled among the pineapple leaves — a soft, organic refuge far better than their crinkly plastic bag.
Once all three babies were ready, the crew gently lowered the pineapple head back into the sea. They watched as the little octopuses drifted away, disappearing beneath the blue water — heading off to new adventures in their fresh, natural home.
Then, with hearts full and smiles wide, Grant’s team went back to work — cleaning up the ocean one piece of trash (and one rescue) at a time.
“It only took a couple of minutes,” Grant said. “But helping them always makes my whole day.”
You can follow more of Grant’s ocean adventures — and her unexpected rescues — on TikTok.
