In the frame
A sea otter floats on its back on calm grey-blue water, its paws on its chest and strands of brown kelp draped across its belly. Loose bits of kelp drift on the surface around it.
This dive cuts the picture into 15 square tiles on a 5 × 3 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 otter's face, paws and the kelp across its body.
- Save for last: the calm, smooth water. About 32% 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, 14 swaps or fewer finish all 15 tiles.
- Place tiles with an outline, a fin or an edge first; the plain ones are easier once only a few spots remain.
- Fix the corners first: they are the easiest tiles to place by eye.
Colours of the picture
Main colours, measured from the picture's pixels: grey (48%), brown (14%), sky blue (13%) and white (13%).
- grey48%
- brown14%
- sky blue13%
- white13%
- charcoal12%
How deep it goes
Depth 3 of 5 — a steady dive.
Reef dives sit in the middle: enough pieces to need a plan, never so many that a phone screen feels crowded.