The largest specimen with reliable catch data was found in the Bering Sea, a male with a total length of 3.72 m (12.2 ft) and weighing 41.73 kg (92.0 lb).

[10] Some time before 1993, a large individual of O. robusta was photographed by Japanese diver Kubota H.[8] in shallow water off southern Japan.

[11] In this image, the animal, which appears to be sick or dying, is shown with a diver, although the use of a wide-angle lens exaggerates its size.

[11] The image was published in the 1993 book European Seashells by Guido T. Poppe and Goto Yoshihiro, where it was identified as Architeuthis dux, the giant squid, and said to have been taken in the North Atlantic.

[12][clarification needed] If true, this image would represent the earliest known photograph of a live giant squid.