But the team at Niwa have today given their answer as to why the seal decided to swing the eight-armed sea creature at Mulinder with the fury of a cheated spouse.
No, it didn't have a beef with Mulinder, nor was the octopus simply in its way.
Nope, it seems the octopus was being eyed up as the seal's prey and part of its journey on the way to the seal's mouth involves it being thrown at a hard object to try and stun it.
"Seals will often try and get their prey out of the water and above the surface to gain the upper hand in a tussle," Niwa wrote on its Facebook page.
"Once out of the water they will try fling them about to stun them. At that point it is normal for a seal to try fling the octopus against a hard object, although normally the sea's surface, to tear the octopus apart. So to the seal, the kayaker seemed like a reasonable enough object."
Mulinder earlier told the Herald he had been testing the new Go Pro Hero 7 with his friends from Kaikōura Kayaks when the seal approached.
"[We were] just looking at fur seals, birds, just catching some waves and then we saw a giant male seal fighting an octopus.
"Cause that's what they do," he laughs.
"It was quite a way away and then next thing it just went deep and we didn't know where the seal was and honestly out of nowhere ... it popped up right beside us."
"'I don't know who got the bigger fright - the octopus, the seal or me."
