Mourning Cuttlefish

[ATJ]

Rel asked so nicely that I had to oblige.


Mourning cuttlefish, Sepia plangon, at Shiprock, Dolans Bay, NSW. Depth: 11.4 m.

Nikon D300, Nikkor 60mm f/2.8D, Ikelite housing and dome port, 2 x Ikelite DS125 strobes

ISO 200, 1/125s, f/11

Another shot from a night dive. Mourning cuttlefish are one of 3 relatively common species of cuttlefish found around Sydney. The are probably the most common of the 3 species in harbours and estuaries. They are the least colourful and also tend to be a bit more shy that the others. They almost always raise their centre 2 arms when approached.

[biggerry]

very nice Andrew, great composition with that little bit of orange stuff (technical term) on the left! What kind of size are we looking at here, it looks small? 4 inches long?

[ATJ]

Thanks, Gerry.

It would have been between 100 and 150mm (4-6"). There was actually a pair of them (they are usually seen in pairs) but I would have had to be too far away to get them both in and there was too much particulate matter in the water. As it is I had to do a lot of clean-up in the background.

The orange stuff are soft coral colonies, not that distantly related from Steve's sea pen.

[dviv]

Nice shot Andrew

Mourning cuttlefish

So it's not just sad?

[ATJ]

So it's not just sad?

It misses its glasses.

[blacknstormy]

Thank You Andrew
She/he is beautiful - almost delicate !!!! Maybe she just wants a hug ???
Thank you again - I'm so jealous - must be like another world down there, and the shots you get are just sooo beautiful !!!
Hugs
Rel

[aim54x]

Wonderful image Andrew, I am always in awe of the things that you capture in your diving. As Rel said, it is another world there.

That cuttlefish is really something, and rightly named as well, its expression conveys a sense of sadness. Nicely captured.

Do you have any more, maybe one with more of the soft coral in the background?

[DebT]

pretty little thing , thanks for sharing
DebT

[Steffen]

She/he is beautiful - almost delicate !!!! Maybe she just wants a hug ???

You mean - it's actually a cuddlefish?

Andrew's nature shots never cease to amaze me…

Cheers
Steffen.

[surenj]

Whoa! Nicely done. 11.4 meters? Can you see much with your naked eyes in that depth?

Good to see that your gear is working again.

[ATJ]

Thank You Andrew

You're welcome.

She/he is beautiful - almost delicate !!!! Maybe she just wants a hug ???

It was either a he or a she. There was a pair so the other one was a she or a he. Not easy to tell apart as you'd have to closely examine one of the arms.

Do you have any more, maybe one with more of the soft coral in the background?

I have a couple of others but none with more of the soft coral.

Whoa! Nicely done. 11.4 meters? Can you see much with your naked eyes in that depth?

Well, it was a night dive, so without the torches it's pretty dark. If there was a full moon you'd probably be able to make stuff out once your eyes adjusted.

During the day it is plenty light enough. I've dived to 45 metres at Osprey Reef and there was sufficient light to see clearly and I could probably see 20-30 metres deeper again looking down the wall (which gets to around 1000 metres).