However, I don’t suspect any giant eels have washed up there either and some giant squid sightings have taken place under odd circumstances. In addition, Some of these sightings may not have taken place near a ridge, since the same warm water currents that brought the squid up might have drifted them along.

Giant squid have oddly been seen in fairly shallow water too, far from where they are supposed to be found. There was even a report from Maine of two men watching a battle between a whale and a squid from a lighthouse on the shore. The battle apparently lasted for two hours and the squid allegedly won, so it seemed to have a lot of fight left in it. A squid that could stay alive that long could potentially wander fairly far.

Or it could have been something else and not a squid at all. I’m not completely close minded to that possibility. I’m just saying that strange things have happened, and sometimes they happen with known species.

Anyway, I apologize if I misinterpreted anything you said.

Size estimates for the giant squid are about 43 feet for females, and 33 feet for males. One of the largest specimens ever recorded was washed up in New Zealand actually, in 1887. It was reported as 55 feet long, but this was probably an exaggeration.

The colossal squid gets even larger, and is thought to reach lengths of 39 to 46 feet long.
That’s how big they get. Compare to the whale statistics I mentioned earlier.

Male sperm whales reach lengths of 49 to 59 feet and they weigh 35 to 45 tons. Females are smaller, about 36 feet and 13 to 14 tons. they are found all over the world including Australia.

Humpback males are 40 to 48 feet long and females 45 to 50 feet. they weigh 25 to 40 tons. A squid that could fight a sperm whale could fight a humpback whale, although there would likely be no reason to do so unless the squid was the aggressor (although it could have been considering the report of one attacking a boat, possibly because it thought the boat was a whale).

Giant squid are found in Australia.

So let’s look at that. Giant squid are found in Australia, Sperm whales as well. The squid are food for Sperm whales. Giant squid have been seen at the surface, even been seen fighting with whales. These squid were probably dragged up, hence the fighting spirit. It is not so simple as saying the squid would not be in a “state to fight”.

I would say that my geographical knowledge is not an issue here. The facts add up and at this point I would suggest that a squid and whale is a more probable scenario than a completely undocumented giant eel for these reasons plus the other physical reasons I mentioned in earlier comments here. I see no reason to throw out this possibility.

The sperm whale IS found in Australia. In fact, it is found in all ocean waters of the world, in most marine waters over 1,000 meters deep except the Black Sea. Also, the Sperm whale reaches bigger sizes than the humpback whale, so I’m not sure where you got the idea that a squid would not tangle with one. Sperm whales can reach 49 to over 50 feet long, whereas humpback males reach 40 to 48 feet long and females 40 to 50 feet long. So sperm whales are bigger than the “huge” humpback whales you describe, and they are found in Australian waters. So I’m not sure what you are getting at. Sorry, but your facts are incorrect.

Squid? Yes. I think it is a very good chance.

Giant eel? No evidence whatsoever.

Firstly this was reported in New Zealand but the incident happened in Geralton, this if you didn’t know is on the western most point of Australia.

There is a ridge there but it is way way of shore and not on any shipping routes.

The only great whales that migrate along this path are humpback whales. I do not doubt a Sperm whale ever came that way - but considering the plate ridge is so far out it is unlikely to have been on a shipping lane.

No giant squid have ever been washed up (to my knowledge) in Western Australia.

Squid? .. No.

Giant Eel… sure. How big do you think these things get? Big enough to wrestle a massive Humpback? - hardly.

The description

1) It had an identifiable head I.E. eyes and Mouth
2) It was ribbon shaped (not sure what this means)
3) its body was 6 feet WIDE
4) Was at least 20 feet Lone

The short of it - hypothetically just say it was a sperm whale and a Giant squid (impossible at that location) the squid would not have been in any state to “fight”

I promise you seaman could identify a squid not matter how big or small it was.

For what it was? No idea, but not a squid.