A giant octopus tried to bite a diver’s leg and clung onto their flipper in the sea of Japan.

Terrifying footage shows the animal, that appears to be as long as a human from tentacle tip to bulbous head, wrap its tentacles around the scared diver’s right leg.

It was filmed on the Garrow Peninsula on Monday last week.

The giant octopus latches onto the diver’s leg as they swim through the sea of Japan, near the Garrow peninsula

.

After latching on the octopus appears to try and bite their right leg using its sharp beak, which is hidden among its eight tentacles. Octopuses generally avoid humans although they have been known to attack them, along with relatives the Humboldt squid

Horrifying footage shows the huge octopus suddenly grab the diver’s limb and surround the limb with eight large tentacles.

It appears to be preparing to bite down on the body part using its sharp beak, hidden where it’s mouth is.

As the diver tries to pull away the octopus drops down and latches onto their fin, causing the person filming to shout to move away.

The diver hits the octopus’ tentacles with the fin which sends it swimming back to the depths below.

Video shows it changing colour to match the seafloor before disappearing under a rock.

The octopus lets go and suctions onto the diver’s fin. When it is hit with the plastic object, however, the animal quickly retreats to the depths below

.

The octopus changes colour and then tries to conceal itself among some rocks. The giant pacific octopus lives in waters around Alaska and Japan. The largest individual ever found weighed the same as three baby elephants, at 600lbs

Octopuses are known to generally avoid humans, although have been known to attack humans in the past alongside their close relatives the Humboldt squid.

Last year a squid grabbed an octopus grabbed a diver’s arms and his camera equipment in the Russian far east.

In 2013, Humboldts living in the eastern Pacific reportedly tried to drown a diver when they wrapped their tentacles around his head and kneck and tried to drag him deep underwater.

The giant Pacific octopus lives around Alaska and Japan.