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8
18:32
Astrospartus mediterraneus & Paramuricea clavata
In this amazing dive among Paramuricea clavata, red Gorgonian, we met numerous Gorgon starfish, Basket star or Astrospartus mediterraneus. We are on a rocky bottom between 49 and 52 meters deep, where we have encountered various species of fish and marine species such as sponges, red scorpionfish, Anthias anthias, red mullet, coocko wrasse and more. ...
11
10:18
Aplysia depilans - Sea hare
We publish another encounter with the Sea hare, Aplysia depilans, this time which took place on a depth of about 42/45 meters. We are on a not very high rock wall about 4/5 miles from the coast where, due to the now increasingly present mucillage, animals and marine organisms seem to have disappeared. ...
15
07:28
Brown meagre's hole II
We went back to dive in one of the holes where we are sure to meet Brown meagre, Sciaena umbra.. We often dive into the same holes not only because we are sure of filming particular species of fish, but also in some way to try to monitor the health of our sea and the biodiversity that we increasingly hope to find. ...
15
08:56
Mediterranean coral reef
The Savalia savaglia, commonly known as gold coral, is a species colonial in the family Parazoanthidae. This organism is commonly called "false black coral". It owes its name to its ability to produce a dark-colored horny skeleton, usually blackish. The colonies are generally settled on pre-existing gorgonians skeletons and can grow with ramifications that far exceed one meter in length. The polyps of this coral have six tentacles which is why the species is part of Hexacorallia group. They are bright yellow or whitish, and very large and showy (2-3 cm high), similar to those of Parazoanthus axinellae. Sprout very well from the tissue that lines the skeleton (coenenchyme) and have available alternates, showing smooth tentacles. The polyps do not fall as those of other species but can retract and close in on themselves.
7
02:22
Demosponge
Demosponges are the most diverse class in the phylum Porifera. They include 76.2% of all species of sponges with nearly 8,800 species worldwide (World Porifera Database). Sponges, contrary to what one might think at first sight, are very simple multicellular animal organisms very similar in shape and appearance to plant organisms. There are no apparatus in the sponges and there is no trace of a nervous system.
7
13:57
Galathea - Galathea squamifera
We are in one of the many underwater caves of the Mediterranean Sea where the colors of the red coral, Corallium rubrum and Yellow cluster anemone, Parazoanthus-axinellae, explode in a splendid show that we can only find in caves. However, the caves are also the ideal habitat for many species of crustaceans such as the Galathea, Galathea squamifera, and the cave crab, Herbstia condyliata. ...
11
06:37
Cave with Yellow cluster Anemone
I met these beautiful colonies of Parazoanthus axinellae during a snorkeling activity in the coastal caves of the island of Pantelleria. In my experience as a diver I have never encountered these sea daisies at almost surface level; evidently in this case the colony of Parazoanthus axinellae has found particularly favorable environmental conditions of light and sea currents
11
03:47
Unknown marine organism
During a scuba dive in a beautiful Mediterranean coral reef of Savalia savaglia and Paramuricea clavata, at a depth between 72 and 76 meters, I met this unknown marine organism for the first time. Curiosity prompted me to carry out a series of searches to understand precisely what I was dealing with. Research has not yielded a satisfactory answer. The questions I asked myself were many. Based on my experience of many years of scuba diving it could be an animal belonging to the phylum Prorifera.
8
02:09
Yellow-edged Lyretail
The Yellow-edged Lyretail (Variola louti) is a species of grouper belongs Actinopterygii class, Perciformes order and Serranidae family; also known as the lyretail grouper or the caramel cod. The yellow-edged lyretail is found from the Red Sea to South Africa and the Pitcairn Islands, as far as southern Japan and Australia.
13
02:44
Nimble spray crab - Percnon gibbesi
Percnon gibbesi is a species of crab. It is one of at least two species commonly called "Sally Lightfoot" (the other being the semi-terrestrial Grapsus grapsus from the Pacific coast of the Americas), and is also referred to as the nimble spray crab or urchin crab. It has been described as "the most invasive decapod species to enter the Mediterranean". It populates the rocky ravines of the infralittoral plain at a depth ranging from a few centimeters to a maximum of 30 meters. This video was shot in the reefs of the island of Pantelleria in the Sicily Channel.
11
06:07
Pecten jacobaeus - Mediterranean scallop
We all know or have seen at least once the scallop (Mediterranean scallop) Pecten jacobaeus shell, since it is often collected for its beauty or used as a vessel or container. This bivalve mollusc is rather sought after for the goodness of its meat and, as can be seen from the film, not only by man but above all by the Octopus (Octopus vulgaris) of which it is greedy like almost all molluscs. ...
15
04:48
False coral Myriapora truncata
Myriapora truncata, also known by its common name false coral is a species from the genus Myriapora. The species was originally described by Peter Simon Pallas in 1766. Myriapora truncata is a common species on rocky environments from the water surface to a depth of 60 meter, where it forms calcareous colonies. It has a bright red colour which earned it its common name of "False coral". Studies suggest that M. truncata seem well able to withstand the levels of ocean acidification predicted in the next 200 years. Myriapora truncata is the source of 4 polyketide-derived metabolites.
13
54:23
Alifu Dhaalu Atoll to Maldives
This video was made in December 2022 during a short vacation I spent on Angaaga island; I must say that the weather was not what I wanted and therefore, not being able to do scuba diving with aqualung, I dedicated myself to snorkelling in the coral reef that surrounded the island. The small island of Angaga is located in the center of Alifu Dhaalu Atoll, in the southern part of Ari Atoll. This small island has been used exclusively as a tourist resort for those who intend to spend a holiday in the Maldives.
11
13:14
Charonia tritonis - Giant triton
We are on some isolated rocks at a depth of 40/46 meters, where we have found two beautiful specimens of Charonia tritonis, Giant mediterranean triton. This is the mollusk and consequently the largest shell in the Mediterranean Sea. In this dive we met two of them, we filmed the first one casually on the wall we were exploring, we realized watching the footage that we passed by without seeing it. The second was inside a hole from which we moved it to try to film it better. ...
11
04:22
Octopus vulgaris - Common octopus
We have filmed Common octopus, Octopus vulgaris, several times on intotheblue.it but each encounter with this cephalopod mollusk is always unique and different from the previous ones. In this case, in fact, the octopus was so well camouflaged on the seabed that it was not possible to see it from just a few meters below the surface. ...
12
02:05
Ornate wrasse male with females
The ornate wrasse, Thalassoma pavo, is a species of wrasse native to the rocky coasts of the eastern Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. This species is of minor importance to local commercial fisheries, is also popular as a game fish, and can be found in the aquarium trade.
15
16:52
Diving on Silvio's Wreck
Silvio wreck is now reduced to very bad conditions due to the time that has passed but, above all, due to the fishing boats that cause continuous hooks with their trawl nets and then, in an attempt to recover them, cause further damage to the structure of the tug; the wreck is in fact almost completely surrounded by fishing nets. As you can see from the video, the seabed on which it is located is a muddy seabed and a few movements by the diver are enough to lift the mud and make visibility poor; therefore considerable experience is required to avoid accidents and dive in complete safety.
12
03:50
Lipophrys nigriceps - Rabosa negra
This little minnow is one of the most common Blennid species in the Mediterranean Sea. Lipophrys nigriceps - Rabosa negra - Red blenny is in fact practically omnipresent along the cliffs and rocky and jagged coasts of our sea, the only trick to find it is to look in the shaded areas and in the holes near the of the marine environment between the levels of low and high tide ...
21
06:13
Mauve stinger
In this video made in summer we filmed Mauve stinger or Purle jellyfish, Pelagia noctiluca luminous jellyfish. We stopped to film three specimens we met during the same swim, snorkelling in the waves, trying hard to avoid contact with these jellyfish. In fact, the Pelagia noctiluca - Luminous jellyfish - is the most dangerous jellyfish in the Mediterranean Sea, contact with its tentacles can cause painful skin irritations and burns. ...
13
00:59
Australian spotted jellyfish
Phyllorhiza punctata, also known as the floating bell, Australian spotted jellyfish, brown jellyfish or the white-spotted jellyfish, is a species of jellyfish belongs to the Rhizostomatidae Family and the genus Phyllorhiza. The species has been found in the waters off the Mediterranean Sea since at least 1965. While it is not known how it was introduced to these regions, it has been theorized that budding polyps may have attached themselves to ships, or were carried in a ship's ballast tank which was subsequently dumped.
10
06:46
Salema - Salpa sarpa
Salema - Salpa sarpa - is one of the most common and easiest to meet Sparidae species in Mediterranean Sea. It is a gregarious fish that lives in held of even numerous individuals. In this video we see it in various conditions and habitats that it shares together with other spawners such as Seabreams, but also together with predators such as Sea bass ...
14
03:17
Mediterranean Parrotfish male
The Mediterranean Parrotfish (Sparisoma cretense) is a species of parrotfish found at depths up to 50 m along rocky shores in the Mediterranean and the eastern Atlantic, from Portugal south to Senegal. It is generally common, but uncommon or rare (locally even absent) in the northwestern Mediterranean and in the Adriatic Sea. It prefers relatively warm temperatures and there is an ongoing northward range expansion, probably because of global warming. The primary adult habitat is rocky reefs, especially in areas with macroalgae, but they may visit adjacent seagrass patches. Juveniles also occur more widely in the latter habitat.
11
02:52
Mediterranean Parrotfish female
This video was shot between the reefs of the island of Pantelleria in the Sicily Channel. In this stretch of sea it is easy to meet parrot fish because the climatic conditions of the sea make it their favorite habitat. The females of Sparisoma cretense are very showy due to the beautiful colors of the livery and because, unlike the males, they are less shy and therefore move us between the reefs with more ease and it is easier to meet them while snorkeling.
15
04:18
European conger
Conger (European conger - Conger conger) is one of the first marine species of the Mediterranean Sea that colonizes wrecks and we met it right among the plates of one of the many wrecks on which we often dive. It is a nocturnal predator species that lives in caves and ravines during the day and then hunts on the seabed during the night. ...
15
02:01
Spiny dye-murex
Bolinus brandaris (originally called Murex brandaris by Linnaeus and also Haustellum brandaris), and commonly known as the purple dye murex or the spiny dye-murex, is a species of medium-sized predatory sea snail, an edible marine gastropod mollusk in the Muricidae family, the murex snails or the rock snails. This species is known in the fossil record from the Pilocene (age range: from 3.6 to 2.588 million years ago). Fossil shells of this species have been found in Cyprus, Spain and Italy. It was used by the Phoenicians in ancient times to extract imperial Tyrian purple dye.
14
02:17
Aiptasia mutabilis - Trumpet anemone
Aiptasia mutabilis Trumpet anemone or Brown anemone is one of the species of anemone typical of the Mediterranean Sea, it is not as common as the classic anemone Anemonia sulcata, but it is easy to find if we dive into reefs where the sea conditions are not yet too man-made. ...
21
02:28
Warty comb jelly Sea walnut - Mnemiopsis leidyi
Also this year we met the Mnemiopsis leidyi, Warty comb jelly - Sea walnut. Fortunately, we have seen only a few of them, so at least for now there hasn't been the invasion of Mnemiopsis leidyi that we witnessed a few years ago. Warty comb jelly Sea walnut Noce di Mare Mnemiopsis leidyi ...
13
03:57
Boops boops
Boops boops commonly called the bogue, is a species of seabream native to the eastern Atlantic. Its common name in most languages refers to its large ("bug") eyes. A demeral and semi-pelagic, it can generally be found at a depth of 100 m, and infrequently down to 350 m. The Bogue reaches a maximum length of 30 cm. and a weight that can reach half a kilogram. Its color ranges from silvery green on the back to white on the belly. The fins have the same color as the back except the ventral ones which are white. On the side it has a dark lateral line under which we find four or five lateral lines of a beautiful golden color.
14
08:11
Dotted sea slug - Peltodoris atromaculata
In this dive we met one of the many nudibranchs (sea snails) that populate our sea, Peltodoris atromaculata - Dotted sea slug very similar to the Jorunna funebris (Dotted nudibranch), also called Sea cow or Leopard snail. Peltodoris atromaculata Dotted sea slug Vacchetta di mare intotheblue.it ...
22
01:05
Maldive Anemonefish
Amphiprion nigripes (Maldive Anemonefish or blackfinned anemonefish), is a marinefish belonging to the family Pomacentridae, which includes clownfishes and damselfishes. The Maldive anemonefish is a small fish which grows up to 11 cm as a female and 8 cm as a male. It is oval-bodied and laterally compressed.
16
02:17
Amberjack / Yellowtail - Seriola dumeriili
Amberjack, Seriola dumerili is a pelagic species, that is, it spends most of its life in the open sea. However, it happens that almost always in autumn and sometimes in spring it approaches the coasts in search of food and stays here for a few months and then returns to the blue of the open sea. ...
10
01:40
Struggle for life II: Anemones that eat jellyfish
In this video we see a "family" of anemones of the Anemonia sulcata species (the typical anemones of the Mediterranean Sea), which have captured a Barrel jellyfish (Rhizostoma pulmo) and which are almost certainly being eaten. It is now widely demonstrated that jellyfish are ...
12
03:42
Striped red mullet - Triglia di scoglio
In this dive we met the Red mullet - Mullus surmuletus - in one of the many typical Mediterranean seabeds. As always, when we dive we try to film and document the marine species that populate our seas but also the conditions in which our sea is found. ...
12
06:06
White gorgonian - Eunicella singularis
White gorgonian Eunicella singularis, is a gorgonian typical of the Mediterranean Sea, grows on rocky, muddy and detrital bottoms and often colonizes bottoms that have undergone stress caused by the change in water temperatures or damage caused by trawling, replacing the other species ...
10
01:00
Raccoon Butterflyfish
The Raccoon Butterflyfish (Chaetodon lunula), also known as the crescent-masked butterflyfish, lunule butterflyfish, halfmoon butterflyfish, moon butterflyfish, raccoon butterfly, raccoon, raccoon coralfish, and redstriped butterflyfish, is a species of marine ray-finned, a butterflyfish belonging to the family Chaetodontidae. It is found in the Indian and Pacific Oceans.
14
05:10
Pencil urchin - Stylocidaris affinis
Pencil urchin is certainly one of the most curious and most characteristic species of Mediterranean urchins. Its common name derives from the shape of its thorns which resemble a classic pencil or "Lapis" as we say in Tuscany. However, these thorns are quite fragile as they are funny ...
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