The Coral Oasis Wooden Puzzle
A photographed reef with a wave-cut border – 200 pieces hiding mermaids in the open water
Specifications
| Material | Wood |
|---|---|
| Dimensions | 40 × 28 cm |
| Thickness | 4 mm |
| Pieces | 200 |
| Recommended age | 14+ |
| Made in | Ukraine |
Shipping
Every order ships from our fulfilment centre in France – never dropshipping. Orders are dispatched within 24 hours on working days; order before 10:30 and it leaves the same day. You’ll receive your tracking number by email at dispatch.
France: 2–4 working days – free home delivery from €40.
Rest of Europe: 2–10 working days, depending on destination.
Returns
You have 14 days from delivery to change your mind – no reason needed. Write to us first at info@creatifwood.com, then send the product back unused, in its original packaging.
Return shipping is at your charge; we refund the full order amount within 14 days, to your original payment method.
Received a damaged or wrong item? Contact us within 14 days with photos – we’ll make it right.
About this product
A photograph, not an ornament
A reef scene: a turtle swimming through open water with a big triggerfish patrolling below it, angelfish and a polka-dotted clown triggerfish threading between the coral heads, the whole thing photographed rather than drawn. The board is a rectangle with a scalloped wave edge rather than an animal silhouette.
It is the only photographic board in this collection, and at 200 pieces it shares the top count here with our Blue Whale.
Two zones with different rules
The lower band is coral: dense, high-contrast, every square centimetre carrying a different shape and colour. Those pieces go in quickly.
Above it is open water. It shades from sunlit turquoise near the surface to deeper blue below, with almost nothing crossing it except the turtle and a few fish. That is where the two hundred pieces make themselves felt.
How people build it
Bottom up, which is unusual. The coral is assembled first because it can be, then the turtle and the fish are placed as landmarks in the empty water, and the blue is filled in between them.
It is the one board in our range where working from the bottom edge upward is the sensible approach rather than starting from a central feature.
Mermaids in the water
The empty blue is not quite empty: mermaids, an octopus, whales, a seahorse and shells are cut into it as figure pieces, complete silhouettes that lift out of the board. In the open water they double as landmarks – each one you place pins down a patch of blue that had nothing else to hold it.
The edge
The scalloped border is cut as a wave, which means the puzzle does have an outer boundary to build from – the only design in this collection that does. It ships in a wooden box with a sliding lid, the pieces bagged in linen inside.
Our craftsmanship
Made by our family, piece by piece
Every creatifwood puzzle starts as a sheet of birch plywood in our family workshop. We laser-cut every piece into its own shape – no two are alike – check each set by hand, and pack it in a gift-ready box. No production lines, no shortcuts – just a small family that loves working with wood, and takes it personally that your puzzle brings people together around the table.
Meet the family behind your puzzleFrequently asked questions
Why does this puzzle have no straight edges?
The outline follows the shape of the design itself, so the usual approach of building the border first does not apply. Most people start from the area with the strongest contrast – in animal designs, usually the eye – and work outward from there.
What are the animal-shaped pieces for?
They are called whimsy pieces, a tradition that goes back to Victorian puzzle cutters who added recognisable shapes on a whim while working. Parker Brothers made it a standard in 1908. They do not interlock the way ordinary pieces do, so the pieces around them hold them in place.
Is this harder than a cardboard puzzle of the same size?
Yes, for three reasons. There is no straight border to anchor from, the ornamental patterning repeats so colour sorting barely helps, and the piece shapes are irregular rather than a uniform knob-and-socket grid.
How long will it take?
Honestly: longer than you expect. With no border to anchor from, repeating ornament and irregular pieces, a wooden puzzle takes noticeably longer than a cardboard one with the same count. We think that is part of the pleasure – it is made to be savoured, not raced.
Can I glue it and hang it on the wall?
Yes. Use a glue made for puzzles rather than a general craft adhesive: it runs into the joints and dries as a thin clear film that protects the face. We stock the Cléo'Puzzle glue-varnish, rated for cardboard, wood and MDF, with a precision nozzle for boards that have no straight edges. Work in thin coats and let each one dry. Gluing is permanent – if you would rather rebuild the puzzle one day, or keep the front matt, dry adhesive film on the back is the alternative. Once sealed, the board can be framed or hung as it is.
Why does it smell of wood when I open the box?
Laser cutting leaves a light trace of scorching on the edges. We clean the pieces before packing, but a faint smell of cut wood in the first days is normal and fades.
Which age is it suitable for?
It is shown on each product page under Specifications. Most designs in this range are marked 14+, and a few simpler ones are suitable from 3.
What if a piece is missing or broken?
Write to us with a photo and we will send a replacement. Details are on our Missing Pieces page.