Sepia Apama - The Giant Australian Cuttlefish

Paul Macdonald · Issue 78, May/Jun 2014 · pp. 38–40

Products mentioned: Nikon D700, Sea & Sea housing, Sigma 15mm fisheye lens, Sea & Sea YS110 strobes, Ricoh GX8, SeaLife strobe, Nikon D200, Nikkor 12-24mm lens, Nikkor 10.5mm fisheye lens, SeaLife DC310, SeaLife Housing

The Sepia Apama congregate every year from mid June to mid August in the shallow rocky waters of False Bay which is bound by the industrial city of Whyalla and the picturesque Point Lowly in South Australia. It estimated that during this period around 40,000 or more cuttlefish are present in the bay. This is an amazing spectacle to literally see 25 to 40 cuttlefish in your mask vision. These are the largest known cuttlefish in the world and can grow to a tube length of 60cm and weigh up to 10kgs. This bay is very special as it is the only known site in the world where cuttlefish are known to aggregate in such large numbers for the purposes of reproduction. Later in the year and for a shorter period of time Southern Calamari are also known to aggregate in the bay for mating purposes. The importance of False Bay has been recognized by the South Australian Government and all cephalopods are…