This is the extraordinary moment a fisherman gets covered in dark ink as he reels in a captured squid and it squirts all over him.

Phone footage shows the moment he scooped up the squid with a small fishing net when he spotted it floating on the surface next to the boat off the shore of Huizhou, located in China’s southern Guangdong Province.

Unexpectedly, as he lifted the creature out of the water, it squirted dark ink all over him.

Stunned by the scared cephalopod’s sudden reaction, he looked at the camera in utter confusion before the video cuts.

The clip attracted widespread attention on Douyin, China’s version of TikTok, gaining more than 70,000 likes and over 90,000 shares.

One user titled ‘Nanmumu’ commented: “At first I thought it had flown onto the boat by itself, and then I looked twice and realised it was ink.”

User ‘Originated from 626’ wrote: “This is the first time I’ve seen a real squid spitting ink.”

And user ‘Say goodbye to worries’ said: “Next time you go fishing, you should prepare an umbrella.”

Squids have a unique defence mechanism known as ink sacs, and they squirt ink as a way to evade predators and escape from potential threats.

When a squid feels threatened, it can release a cloud of ink into the water, creating a smokescreen-like effect.

This ink helps squids avoid predation and increases their chances of survival in the marine environment.