The One Place I Never Want to Visit: Home of the Vampire Squid 

Despite my love for rare and obscure creatures, there’s one place on Earth that I will never voluntarily visit: the midnight zone of the deep sea — the home of the vampire squid (Vampyroteuthis infernalis). Its name literally translates to “vampire squid from hell.” That alone should tell you everything you need to know.

This isn’t your average snorkelling spot. We’re talking 3,000 to 4,000 metres down in pitch-black water where the pressure is like having a hippopotamus sit on every square inch of your body. The temperature hovers just above freezing, and sunlight is a myth. Down here, nothing has eyes big enough, teeth small enough, or a sleep schedule that makes sense. Creatures like the vampire squid don’t suck blood — they shoot bioluminescent ink from their tentacles like a horror movie squid-powered disco ball. It’s an environment that screams look, don’t touch, admire, don’t descend. Humans would last about two seconds without an expensive metal tube around them. No thanks. I’ll admire the abyss from a safe, dry distance… preferably on a couch, with a nice hot tea.

What place in the world do you never want to visit? Why?

Speaking of admiration — meet my new Deep Dive wallpaper, a surreal and psychedelic tribute to the mysterious creatures of the ocean’s inky depths. Inspired by both the vampire squid and the delightfully cartoonish dumbo octopus (their cuteness is inversely proportional to the environment they live in), this wallpaper was made for ocean art collectors and lovers of the weird and wonderful. The palette is soft — mint greens, bubblegum pinks, dreamy aquas — but the vibe? Deep sea drama.

The best part? Deep Dive is also available as an NFT on Rodeo Club, a curated digital art marketplace that supports independent artists. It’s where art meets innovation, and your purchase goes directly to supporting artists like me who are obsessed with the strange and beautiful.

So no, I’ll never step foot (or fin) in the abyssal zone, but I will keep making art about it. And maybe, just maybe, you’ll collect a piece of it — not in a submarine, but on your wall or in your digital wallet.