Flamboyant Cuttlefish

Photo: Mark Rosenstein · CC BY-NC

One of the most toxic cephalopods in the ocean, the flamboyant cuttlefish walks across the sandy rubble between boulders at Secret Garden using modified arms and undulating fins, hunting shrimps and small fish. Their pulsing chromatophore displays of magenta, white, and yellow serve as warning colouration advertising their toxicity rather than camouflage. At 8 to 14 metres they are encountered on most macro-focused dives and provide exceptional photographic subjects given their slow, deliberate movement.