We’ve all got that one thing, that bucket list item that we want to do before, well, we can’t do it anymore. For some that might be visiting a far-flung destination, for others it might be jumping out of a plane. For me, it is snorkelling with Giant Cuttlefish, specifically snorkelling with tens of thousands of Giant Cuttlefish in the Northern Spencer Gulf in South Australia.
During autumn and winter the reef comes alive as thousands of these cuttlefish, some of which can be up to a metre in length, converge to mate. And it’s the displays that these cephalopods put on that I really wanted to see. While octopuses are masters of disguise, changing shape and colour to blend in with their surroundings, Giant Cuttlefish go a step further.
Colour-changing cells in their skin, known as chromatophores, allow them to put on spectacular displays with coloured patterns unfurling and shifting over their bodies, underwater kaleidoscopes, a tentacled disco if you will, as they try to impress females and ward off other males.
All of this happens in only a couple of metres of water, which makes it perfect for a snorkeller like myself. I have a milestone birthday this year, so it felt like the perfect time to tick this one off my bucket list.
Except it wasn’t.
What happens if you have that ‘one thing’ that you really want to do, but also a body that really doesn’t want to cooperate? It’s a dilemma anyone living with chronic illness faces. Putting it all down on paper, it became clear that snorkelling with these giants was, for me, perhaps a dream too big. Perhaps I needed to dream smaller.
Giant Cuttlefish can be found all along the Great Southern Reef but I needed somewhere shallow, easy to get to and with a decent chance of finding one of these beauties. And so, I headed to Cabbage Tree Bay, a marine reserve in Manly where Giant Cuttlefish are regularly seen.
I took a deep breath and stepped out into the bay, trying to lower my expectations, while all the time feeling my heart pounding away in my chest. The water was still warm and the sun was shining. There was a fair amount of surge and I found myself getting thrown about as if I was in a washing machine full of hundreds of fish.
After only maybe 10 minutes in the ocean and a lot of frantic yelling from my friend, I dunked my head under to see a Giant Cuttlefish swimming towards me. It was a deep rust colour, huge and slow-moving. I squealed through my snorkel, barely believing what I was seeing as it moved under me and then stopped. I watched as it lifted two of its tentacles, holding them up, signalling to some creature I couldn’t see, its mantle rippling along its side.
I didn’t get to witness the kaleidoscope of colours. Or males battling each other. But what I had was a beautiful quiet encounter, unique to me.
It was a nice reminder that it’s okay to dream small.
You can watch my encounter here.
