Pointing Cuttlefish, Great Barrier Reef
© 1992 Christine Krieg
This beaut of a squid blended in so perfectly with its environment I swam right past it. Thanks to my experienced diving partner, I was able to record marine life in action.
He stopped me and pointed, but I still couldn’t see it. The brilliant defense mechanism of this species is to emulate color and shape of its surroundings so that it goes undetected and uneaten. It reacts instinctually and in a matter of seconds. It also sees and swims backwards. This cuttle fish was sleeping inches above the rock outcropping, all of its tentacles curled up tightly.
My partner slowly swam around it, then stretched out his arm, pointing three fingers forward and his index finger up. Almost instantly its tentacles unfurled, straightened and one tentacle pointed up, straight as an arrow. Even for the Great Barrier Reef with it’s profusion of life, this was a rare sight. I saw schools of squid on subsequent dives, but never of that size, nor was I able to approach them that closely.