Tuscan Archipelago

113 Videos
Salp – Taliaceo salpa – www.intotheblue.it-2024-06-24-15h06m30s451
19
02:25

Salp

During a decompression stop the surface sea current carried with it numerous transparent marine organisms. They were various Ctenophores that I managed to identify. What you are seeing in the video is a salp. A salp is a barrel-shaped, planktonic tunicate in the family Salpidae. It moves by contracting, thereby pumping water through its gelatinous body, one of the most efficient examples of jet propulsion in the animal kingdom.
Ascidia mentula – www.intotheblue.it-2024-05-20-14h48m31s665
13
02:09

Ascidia mentula

Ascidia mentula is a species of solitary tunicate. It is found in the north east Atlantic Ocean, the Mediterranean Sea and Black Sea. It occurs round the coasts of Britain but is seldom seen on the east coast of England or Scotland. Ascidia mentula has a tough leathery envelope or tunic composed partly of cellulose. The translucent tunic encloses a fluid-filled body with irregular bulges and two unmistakable siphons.
Ostrea cochlear and Astrospartus mediterraneus – Ostrica Neopycnodonte cochlear e Astrospartus mediterraneus – Neopycnodonte cochlear – www.intotheblue.it-2024-05-20-19h12m46s984
20
03:17

Ostrea Neopycnodonte cochlear

Neopycnodonte cochlear is a species of marine bivalve molluscs belonging to the family Gryphaeidae.This species can be found in the North Atlantic Ocean (Azores) and in the Mediterranean Sea. The peculiarity we want to point out is that it is a small oyster that plays the same role as corals. That is, it forms aggregations as they grow and multiply, create agglomerations of more or less large dimensions comparable to corals.
Dorid nudibranch – Doride dipinto – Felimare picta – www.intotheblue.it-2024-02-08-11h48m18s079
16
02:44

Dorid nudibranch Felimare picta

Felimare picta is a species of colourful sea slug or dorid nudibranch, a marine gastropod mollusk i the family Chromodorididae. The color of the body is variable and goes from blue to purple, yellow or green, with irregular yellow spots. It can reach up to 20 centimeters in length.
Melon sea urchin – Riccio Melone – Echinus melo – www.intotheblue.it-2024-05-21-11h50m55s944
16
02:38

Melon sea Urchin

Melon sea Urchin, Echinus melo, is a species of sea urchin in the family Echinidae. This species grows up to 17 cm in diameter. It is spherical or slightly cone-shaped, and the colour of the test is mainly pinkish, yellowish, or greenish-yellow, and banded with white and pale brown, giving it a segmented appearance. The long primary spines are few in number and olive green with pale tips.
Basket star in appointment to reproduce – Stelle Gorgone in procreazione – Astrospartus mediterraneus – www.intotheblue.it-2024-05-22-14h14m12s619
19
08:11

Basket star in appointment to reproduce

In many years of scuba diving I have never encountered so many Basket star all at once. Surely there are precise reasons to justify this concentration. The reasons can be various, the most logical ones lead me to think that it is an appointment to reproduce and that in these rocks there are optimal conditions, of currents and plankton, for their life and feeding. This beautiful video, made in a single dive between Livorno and the island of Gorgona, is the demonstration of what has been stated.
Mediterranean lobster Palinurus elephas Aragosta med-2024-05-19-21h03m38s001
13
12:21

Mediterranean lobster

Lobsters are increasingly rare. There are many reasons: a larval life that lasts about 20 years, overfishing, the change of one's habitat due to the usual causes, warming of the waters, tropicalization of the Mediterranean Sea, etc. etc. In this isolated patch at about 52/54 meters deep we found them and some, as can be seen from the video, even large ones.
diving point – punto d’immersione – www.intotheblue.it-2024-02-02-14h48m55s113
20
31:18

Diving near Gorgona island

We planned this scuba dive in the area between Livorno and Gorgona Island. We are over 12 nautical miles from Livorno and about 6 miles from Gorgona. In this area the seabed rises from over 100 meters deep to 48 metres. It is an area that we know well in the part between 48 and 54 meters deep, but the sea always reserves unexpected surprises: in fact from the echo sounder we saw that there are reef at depths of 60, 70 meters and more.
Giant Barrel jellyfish – Polmone di mare gigante – Rhizostoma pulmo – www.intotheblue.it-2024-03-15-22h14m33s424
10
07:38

Giant Barrel jellyfish

Barrel jellyfish is a very beautiful jellyfish! and this one in the video is really big, probably the diameter exceeds 50/55 cm, as can be seen from the proportions of the undersigned's hand. It is one of the classic jellyfish of the Mediterranean Sea, perhaps the most common to encounter. Here on intotheblue.it we have published it numerous times.
Falso corallo nero Savalia savaglia T-2023-12-08-14h07m08s056
20
26:36

New future colony of Savalia savaglia

During this immersion in a completely populated area of the colony of red Gorgonia (Paramuricea clavata), we discovered also some "rami" of False coral black, the very rare Savalia savaglia. Abbiamo documentato spesso questo beautiful coral giallo chiamato Falso corallo nero su fondali di circa 78 / 80 meters fine almost to 90 meters deep.
Sand steenbras or Striped seabream – Mormora o Marmora – Lithognathus mormyrus – www.intotheblue.it-2023-05-19-15h00m56s938
19
05:36

Sand steenbras

The Sand Steenbras (Lithognathus Mormoryus) belongs to the class Osteichthyes, subclass Actinopterygii, order Perciformes, suborder Percoidei, family Sparidae. It is a beautiful elegant silver-colored fish with six very dark and highlighted vertical bands and an equal number of narrower and less evident bands, the body is long and compressed laterally, the profile is high and rounded. The lips are fleshy and the teeth are arranged in different rows; it can reach a length of 30 cm.
Black seabream Tanuta Cantaro Spondyliosoma cantharus-2023-12-01-13h37m53s959T
13
03:14

Black seabream

Black seabream, Spondyliosoma cantharus, also called Cantaro in Italy, is a fish belonging to the Sparidae family, like the more common bream, and sea bream. We usually encounter this fish on the shallows in the open sea and at depths of 10 to 100 meters. In this video we see it close to the coast and a rocky seabed of about 4/5 metres. This fish is usually quite shy and wary and tends to flee from the presence of the diver; this Tanuta, on the other hand, allowed herself to be approached and filmed at a distance of just over one metre.. ...
Variable spiny starfish Coscinasteris s082
19
03:12

Variable spiny starfish

The Variable spiny starfish (Coscinasterias tenuispina) is called this because instead of the classic five arms it usually has seven. It is therefore an exception regarding the classic five-ray symmetry of echinoderms. Furthermore, as can be seen in this specimen, three of the seven arms are very small and are therefore slowly growing back. ...
Giant triton – Charonia tritonis – Tritone mediterraneo-2023-11-01-15h01m21s141
27
04:22

Giant triton

Meeting Giant triton - Charonia tritonis - always arouses a strong emotion, both because it is the largest mollusk in the Mediterranean Sea and because it is increasingly rare. Fortunately here on intotheblue.it we have published several videos of this splendid shell so despite all the alarms we give about the health of our sea, when we encounter the Triton the hope that the sea can really regenerate itself returns to be present. ...
T_Luria sea snail – Luria lurida – Ciprea Mediterranea-2023-08-22-16h41m46s397
15
02:14

Luria sea snail

Meeting Luria lurida is becoming more and more difficult, then finding the shell with the mollusc inside alive is practically a very rare event. In the video we obviously see the Cyprean shell without the animal but given the sheen of the shell this mollusk was probably recently eaten by some predator, probably the usual octopus. ...
T_Pelagia noctiluca Medusa viola-2023-08-13-610
10
02:30

Purple jellyfish

Given today's many views on an article from a while ago: Purple Luminous Jellyfish - Pelagia noctiluca, we're publishing today's meeting with the infamous Purple Jellyfish. On other occasions we were able to get closer to the jellyfish and film it much closer. As you can see today it wasn't really the case since our jellyfish had completely outward stinging tentacles, and as you can see in the video dangerously almost a meter long. ...
T_Leerfish Lichia amia Leccia amia-2023-07-23-12h56m04s530
27
03:40

Leerfish or Garrick - Lichia amia

We had been trying for a long time to film Leerfish or Garrick - Lichia amia - one of the most beautiful and most elusive Carangidae endemic to the Mediterranean Sea. It is a pelagic species but, like all carangids, Leerfish usually approaches the coast at the beginning of June, disappears, returns at the end of August until October. In the video we met her during the final phase of a storm, when the large carangids of the Mediterranean (Learfish and Amberjack) approach the coasts in search of food, this is why their elusive nature allows them to be spotted by divers only for a few moments and then disappears into the blue. ...
Spiny starfish Stella marina spinosa-2023-07-17-17h28m41s252
15
06:50

Spiny starfish Martasteria

Martasteria or Thorny starfish (Marthasterias glacialis Linnaeus, 1758) is one of the most common starfish in the Mediterranean Sea, it is an echinoderm of the Asteriidae family. In this video we see it lying on a cliff that varies from 41 to 49 meters deep, rich in red Gorgonians of the Paramuricea clavata species and the classic yellow sponges of the Verongia species, therefore a guaranteed show of colors at the expense, however, of the visibility of the water about two or three meters. ...
Pompano Trachinotus ovatus Leccia stella-2023-07-11-19h17m28s508
12
18:35

Pompano - Trachinotus ovatus

The Pompano, Trachinotus ovatus, is a bony sea fish belonging to the Carangidae family. In the video we see a specimen trying to capture anchovies, Engraulis encrasicolus, with rapid and lightning attacks. Distribution and habitat It is widespread throughout the Mediterranean Sea and in the eastern Atlantic Ocean between the English Channel and tropical Africa. It has very rarely been found as far north as Sweden and Norway. In Italian waters it is very common. It is pelagic but typically coastal, ...
T_Garfish Belone belone Aguglia intotheblue.it-2023-07-10-07h54m30s727
12
04:11

Garfish

Garfish, Belone belone is a bony sea fish belonging to the Belonidae family. It commonly lives in the Mediterranean Sea and the eastern Atlantic, in coastal areas around the Canary Islands, the Azores, Madeira and Cape Verde, as well as in the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov. Garfish is a pelagic species, i.e. it lives mostly in the open sea and usually in the Mediterranean it approaches the coast from the end of August until October. ...
T_Cylinder anemone Cerianthus membranaceus Anemone-2023-07-02-09h45m23s019
12
04:52

Cylinder anemone

Cylindrical or Cylinder anemone, Cerianthus membranaceus, (anemone cilindrico), is one of the species of deep sea anemones typical of the Mediterranean Sea. Autochthonous to the Mediterranean Sea, it can also be found in the eastern Atlantic Ocean, on sandy or muddy bottoms from a few meters up to 40 meters deep, even if in this dive we are on a rock and sand bottom that varies from 45 to 48 meters deep. ...
T_Red scorpionfish – Scorpaena scrofa – Scorfano rosso – www.intotheblue.it-2023-06-26-14h50m24s850
21
05:50

Red scorpionfish

In this beautiful dive we met many specimens of Red scorpionfish, Scorpaena scrofa, and these that we see in the video are particularly large, almost a meter long. This species is typical of the Mediterranean Sea and we have met them at a depth of 52/53 meters in what would be their ideal habitat, i.e. the typical coralline seabed full of holes and ravines where Gorgonians and sponges thrive on which they settle perch waiting to launch some ambush to fish like the red damselfish.
Glass Ctenophore Bolinopsis vitrea Ctenoforo di vetro intotheblue.it-2023-06-05-22h10m23s926
15
05:09

Wanderers of the sea - Glass Ctenophore

Also this summer we met one of the many "wanderers of the sea" that is one of those species such as tunicate jellyfish and ctenophores that let themselves be carried away by the currents, reducing their movements to a minimum. We are talking about the Glass Ctenophore - Bolinopsis vitrea - which we have already filmed some time ago, this specimen seems quite old but as soon as touched it showed us the splendid reflections of bioluminescence that the ctenophores activate when they are stimulated. ...
Moray eel Murena helena Murena Mediterranea www.intotheblue.it-2023-05-27-14h45m16s174
12
09:49

Moray

Moray Eel is often identified as an aggressive and dangerous fish but as we can see from this video it is anything but an "evil titan of the seas". We are on a rocky and coral seabed typical of the Mediterranean Sea at about 46/48 meters deep, where we often meet the Mediterranean moray Moray eel, Muraena helena, and in this case it is seen in the typical diurnal pose, i.e. with the head and a small part of the body outside its den while it rests from the nocturnal raids in search of food but always vigilant in controlling its own territory. ...
Eunicella Cavolinii Gorgonia gialla Yellow gorgonian-2023-04-14-15h42m43s732
10
08:00

Yellow gorgonian - Eunicella Cavolinii

We met Yellow gorgonian, Eunicella Cavolinii (Gorgonia gialla) on a seabed of about 42 meters deep and as we can see from the images these colonies of yellow gorgonian are almost completely covered by marine mucilage. Due to the heating of the waters, the phenomenon of mucilage is now constant and these gorgonians are the first to suffer its effects ...
Astrospartus mediterraneus Paramuricea clavata intotheblue.it-2023-03-26-16h41m14s737
18
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. ...
T_Aplysia depilans Sea hare Lepre di mare -2023-03-23-17h06m11s954
15
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. ...
T_Mediterranean scallop Pecten jacobaeus Capasanta-2023-02-11-17h35m57s675
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. ...
t_Giant triton Charonia tritonis Tritone mediterraneo-2023-01-29-14h23m30s741
19
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. ...
t_Mauve stinger Pelagia noctiluca Medusa luminosa-2022-12-23-20h36m14s269
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. ...
t_Gorgonia bianca Eunicella singularis White gorgonian-2022-10-06-15h11m42s386
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 ...
Pencil urchin Stylocidaris affinis Riccio matita-2022-09-25-14h14m38s244
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 ...
T_Zerro Spicara smaris Picarel www.intotheblue.it-2022-08-30-23h18m22s857
19
05:32

Picarel - Spicara smaris

Spicara smaris in italian Zerro, are those little fish that practically always accompany us in our dives to which we often do not give too much importance since we always hope to find more important species to film and photograph. ...
T_Antedon Mediterranea Giglio di mare Mediterranean feather star into-2022-08-06-15h22m22s754
34
03:28

Mediterranean feather star - Antedon Mediterranea

Antedon Mediterranea - Mediterranean feather star - is one of the most filmed animal by underwater photographers, certanly for the colors of this splendid owl but above all for the scarce mobility and morphological characteristics of the ten tentacles of the starfish remeber the most famous feathered starfish of tropical seas. ...
Chromis chromis-2022-07-25-18h43m41s019
14
07:00

Chromis chromis - Mediterranean chromis

In this collage of various videos you can see the various stages of growth of the Chromis chromis, the very common black damselfish that inhabits the depths of the entire Mediterranean Sea. At first we encountered the fry in their characteristic electric blue livery. Chromis chromis Mediterranean chromis Castagnola nera intotheblue.it ...
Scyllarus arctus-T-2022-07-19-16h54m44s966
15
06:32

Slipper lobster - Scyllarus arctus

Slipper lobster, Magnosella, Scyllarus arctus (Ciacala di mare or Batti batti) are becoming increasingly rare in our Mediterranean Sea. Slipper lobster has even become a protected species in Italy due to indiscriminate fishing and the change in the conditions of its habitat ...