Encounter Atlas
The lusca is a sea monster of Bahamian lore said to live in the blue holes around Andros, the deep underwater caves and sinkholes that dot the island and its shallows. It is described as a giant octopus, a giant cuttlefish, or half shark and half octopus, said to grab swimmers and fishing boats and drag them down.
Divers and scientists who explored the blue holes heard the stories from local guides. One diver, George Benjamin, wrote in a 1970 National Geographic article that a guide warned him the lusca, 'Him of the Hands', would kill him if he went in. In 1872 a resident of Nassau reported a large dead octopus on a beach.
Strong tidal currents in the blue holes create whirlpools that can pull down debris and small boats, which may explain the legend.
What witnesses report
- Long tentacles rising from a blue hole
- Whirlpools and sudden sucking currents
- Boats or swimmers pulled under
Famous cases
- 1970Diver George Benjamin's National Geographic article on the blue holes
Andros, Bahamas
Seen the Lusca?
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