In the frame
A whale shark covered in white spots and pale stripes swims just below the surface, with a group of small yellow-striped fish leading the way in front of its mouth. Sun rays slant down through turquoise water.
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 whale shark's spots and the yellow fish.
- Save for last: the turquoise water and the hazy sand below. About 66% of the frame has little detail, mostly in the bottom 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: teal (62%), turquoise (26%) and slate grey (12%).
- teal62%
- turquoise26%
- slate grey12%
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.