At the Seattle Aquarium, love is in the water – Aquarium biologists set the stage for a romantic Octopus Blind Date

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If the idea of embarking on a blind date sounds nerve-racking, imagine a few hundred strangers tagging along to see how it goes. That’s the setup for K2 (female) and Homer, resident octopuses at the Seattle Aquarium. On Monday, Feb. 14, as the public looks on, aquarium biologists turned matchmakers will introduce the pair, hoping for a Valentine’s Day love connection.

At noon on Feb. 14, divers will remove the barrier that separates K2’s area of the tank from Homer’s. Then, with a little encouragement from the viewing public, the two lovebirds … er, love-mollusks … will take over. Of course, aquarium biologists will have done their best to set the mood with decorative hearts, roses and romantic music in the Octopus Exhibit. But, in the end, it’s up to the two giant Pacific octopuses to decide whether or not love is in the water.

The Octopus Blind Date is a prelude to the aquarium’s annual Octopus Week, Feb. 19-27, 2011. The week’s events give aquarium visitors new ways to check out some of the coolest creatures in Puget Sound. There’s hands-on fun for the kids, daily octopus feedings and talks, a live octopus release at noon on both Feb. 19 and 26, and divers swimming with an octopus in the Window on Washington Waters exhibit (11:30 a.m. on Feb. 21, 22, 24 and 25).