A snooping diver met his match when a huge octopus attempted to steal his camera.

Professional diver Vitaly Bazarov was filming a hiding octopus in the Red Sea off Dahab, Egypt, when it lunged out a tentacle and wrestled his camera to the ground.

Mr Bazarov, who has more than 5,000 dives under his belt, captured the incredible moment on a solo trip in deep waters at 6am.

Mr Bazarov said: ‘It was a big male, and very curious when I started work with the camera. He tried to take the camera from me.

‘We had three rounds with the octopus and I realised that he is much stronger and more of a clever creature than I originally thought.

‘The octopus was hunting along with the Krylatkami on the grass, at the depth of about 26 metres and when it saw me he went to hide.

‘One of my hobbies is taking underwater videos of various marine animals.

‘The Red Sea is one of the best places for an underwater photographer but, to get the best shots, it is important to dive alone.’