In the frame
Waves roll onto a wide sandy beach in the golden light of evening, and gulls skim low over the foam. Wet sand mirrors the warm sky, and a headland fades into haze in the distance.
This dive cuts the picture into 24 square tiles on a 6 × 4 board and shuffles them. Swap two tiles at a time until the picture is whole; tiles that reach their home spot lock.
Dive plan
- Start with the easy part: the white foam and the flying gulls.
- Save for last: the smooth wet sand and the orange sky. About 42% of the frame has little detail, mostly in the top third, and those pieces look alike.
- Swap each tile straight to its home spot; it locks there, and the tile you displaced is the next one to place.
- If every swap sends a tile home, 23 swaps or fewer finish all 24 tiles.
- Place tiles with an outline, a fin or an edge first; the plain ones are easier once only a few spots remain.
- Before each swap, compare the tile with the preview; a careful swap beats two quick ones.
Colours of the picture
Main colours, measured from the picture's pixels: golden yellow (39%), grey (26%), olive (15%) and sand (11%).
- golden yellow39%
- grey26%
- olive15%
- sand11%
- brown10%
How deep it goes
Depth 4 of 5 — a demanding dive.
Wall dives drop off into bigger boards, where the plain parts of a picture start to slow you down.