Aliens
“Like liquid aliens, morphing shape, texture, and colour in the blink of an eye.”
Cabbage Tree Bay – dive with Giant Cuttlefish in NSW, Australia
Images and Article by Federico Facchin
www.federicofacchin.com
Winter Down Under
Growing up in the Italian Dolomites, winter meant snow, fireplace, wool jumpers, and a mug of hot chocolate warming my frozen hands after a day playing in the snow. Years passed, and hot chocolate turned into mulled wine, but the meaning of winter never changed much. Then came the North seasons and those magic winters spent chasing northern lights, layered head-to-toe in polar expedition gear, where daylight is a myth and walking on ice becomes routine. In light of all that, winter in Australia feels like a holiday. Eighteen degrees, sunshine, colorful cockatoos screaming at each other, and whales migrating north by the thousands through an ocean that never really gets that cold.
But the apartments are a different story. Built as if summer is the only season, and merciless when the temperature drops. My fireplace this year? A highly suspicious electric blanket I found stuffed in the back of a cupboard.
GALLERY ABOVE: Winter in Italy, Iceland and Australia.
© Federico Facchin
And yet, cold is still cold, especially when your day starts at 4:30 a.m. and involves diving in and out of the ocean like a sea otter on too much caffeine. Just yesterday, I spent the day drilling over 100 bolts into Sydney’s rocky reefs, setting up my first ever field experiment. One boat, two hours underwater, four tanks, and the growing suspicion that I’ve permanently dislocated both shoulders. I got home around 7 p.m., salty, wrecked, and ready to hibernate until spring.
Then came the message: “Sunrise dive tomorrow? Cuttlefish season?”
How could I say no? A bit of nitrogen never hurt anyone (well… not really).
GALLERY ABOVE: Galah (Eolophus roseicapilla).
© Federico Facchin – 2025 – Australia
Rendezvous with the Weirdest of the Wild
The alarm goes off already. That horrifying ringtone I swore I’d change 12 years ago. Sunrise meet-up at Cabbage Tree Bay Marine Reserve, which, of course, is on the other side of Sydney. You’d be surprised how many people are already stuck in traffic at 5:30 a.m.
My wetsuit is still wet from the day before. Pure joy. Nothing says “good morning” quite like sliding into a neoprene sock full of yesterday’s seawater. The suit is brand new and still does its job respectably, but I’m really just waiting for that moment when the water hits my chin and that stream of what feels like liquid nitrogen runs down my neck to wake me up. There it is, love it every time, and just like that, we’re in. Ocean lovers, united by a shared insanity.
But something shifts when you enter the water at sunrise. The first rays of sun fight their way through the surface, refracting and splitting like they’re tripping on psychedelics. Just a few make it through, enough to light up the waking reef in shimmering waves of gold.
IMAGES ABOVE: Cabbage Tree Bay Aquatic Reserve.
© Federico Facchin – 2025 – Australia
Cabbage Tree Bay Marine Reserve: A Sydney Gem
Cabbage Tree Bay Marine Reserve is a small marine sanctuary tucked along Sydney’s northern beaches, nestled between Manly and Shelly Beach. Declared a “no-take” zone in 2002, it’s now a thriving pocket of marine biodiversity. Over 160 species of fish call it home, alongside sharks, rays, some rare weedy sea dragons, resident sea turtles and, during the colder months, giant cuttlefish.
This isn’t my first dive here, but I’ve learned to never underestimate the sea. It rewards patience and tenacity, and sometimes, a really early alarm. We had a plan (we always do), but once underwater, the sea writes its own story.
IMAGES ABOVE: Freedivers at sunrise on top of a Port Jackson shark.
© Federico Facchin – 2025 – Australia
The shallow reef is already alive and the underwater landscape is incredible, with seagrass and seaweed thriving everywhere, swiped by the swell. Some sea urchins, after their night of grazing, are now tucked under the big rocks. Tiny fish dart around like buzzing insects, and even a cormorant slices through the water like a silver arrow, diving in search of breakfast. For a moment, I feel like I’m inside the dream I had as a kid. And once again, I’m hit by the quiet realization that I’m living it.
We swim close to the shoreline, staying in the shallow water. Soon, we spot our first cuttlefish, a quick-moving shadow passing through the rocky reef. It moves too fast, so we swim a little farther out, where the water deepens and large boulders gather to form a natural amphitheater. And the curtain rises.
IMAGE ABOVE: Split shot of a giant cuttlefish in the shallow.
© Federico Facchin – 2025 – Australia
Giants
I’ve seen cuttlefish before. But nothing prepared me for these, not even the name. The Australian giant cuttlefish (Sepia apama) is the largest cuttlefish species in the world. They can grow up to one meter long and weigh up to 10 kg. Every winter, they migrate from deeper waters to sheltered coastal reefs like this one to breed, forming a massive aggregation seen nowhere else on Earth.
But this isn’t some happy-ending love story. Like Pacific salmon, giant cuttlefish reproduce only once in their lives. They mate, they lay eggs, and then they die.
At first, I can’t spot them. Their camouflage is that good. Luckily, a more experienced diver taps me on the shoulder and points. And there they are.
GALLERY ABOVE: Giant cuttlefish (Sepia apama) portraits at sunrise.
© Federico Facchin – 2025 – Australia
They look like liquid aliens, constantly shifting shape, texture, and colour in the blink of an eye. One moment they flash electric blues and fiery reds, the next they ripple their skin into jagged spikes or melt seamlessly into the reef. It’s not just camouflage, it’s a hypnotic performance.
A “small” one comes out from under a ledge and parks itself on top of a big rock. Like a hovering spacecraft, it glides around, twisting its body into shapes I didn’t even think were possible. For a moment, it turns to face me head-on, and I almost flinch. That thing is weird.
Soon enough, a bigger one comes out and puts the rookie in its place. No questions asked.
IMAGE ABOVE: “Alien”.
© Federico Facchin – 2025 – Australia
We drift toward a sandy patch, where a massive male is putting on a show for a female. He waves his arms like a deranged sea wizard, flashing iridescent patterns and puffing himself up to look even bigger. The resemblance to Davy Jones from Pirates of the Caribbean is uncanny.
Their dance is erratic and beautiful. He chases. She dodges. He flares. She glides. At first, she looks unimpressed. But that doesn’t stop him from trying. Eventually, they both swim under a ledge and disappear. Nearby, a Port Jackson shark is half asleep on the sandbank. Zero interest in the cuttlefish drama unfolding nearby. Classic.
By 8:30 am, I’m wrecked. Two days of diving, no real sleep, and a body running on peanut butter toast and salt water. But my heart is full.
GALLERY ABOVE: Giant cuttlefish in the shallow of a kelp forest.
© Federico Facchin – 2025 – Australia
Cuttle Friends
Giant cuttlefish are found all over southern Australia, but the biggest and most famous aggregation happens in Whyalla, SA, where tens of thousands gather every winter to breed. Here in NSW, we’re lucky to see them too, though in smaller numbers and usually in rocky reefs like the ones at Cabbage Tree Bay.
They’re cephalopods, relatives of octopus and squid, with three hearts, blue blood, and some of the most complex skin on the planet. They can control pigments and light-reflecting cells with millimetric precision, making them literal masters of disguise.
But they’re also vulnerable.
GALLERY ABOVE: Giant cuttlefish in the shallow of a kelp forest.
© Federico Facchin – 2025 – Australia
Cuttlefish are short-lived (1–3 years), sensitive to pollution, and impacted by warming seas. In some areas, numbers have dropped due to industrial activity and habitat destruction. Places like Cabbage Tree Bay, where they’re protected, are vital. Curious, clever, and always full of surprises, all it takes to help is to look, learn, share and leave no trace.
See you next winter, cuttle friends!
Cabbage Tree Bay – NSW
27-06-2025
Images and Article by Federico Facchin
www.federicofacchin.com
“ALIEN”
Print available on Premium Glossy Paper and Aluminium Panel.
© Federico Facchin – 2025 – Australia
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