10

03:37

Emperor Angelfish Pomacanthus imperator

The Emperor Angelfish (Pomacanthus imperator) is a species of marine angelfish. It is a reef-associated fish, native to the Indian and Pacific Oceans, from Red Sea to Hawai and the Austral Islands. This species is generally associated with stable populations and faces no major threats of extinction. It is a favorite of photographers, artists, and aquarists because of its unique, brilliant pattern of coloration.

Stefano

September 20, 2023

9

0

10

02:56

Red Squirrelfish

We met the Red Squirrelfish (Sargocentron rubrum) in the sea of ​​Cyprus while snorkelling among the rocks of the island. We did not expect to have this meeting in the Mediterranean because it is a tropical fish present in all tropical seas and in particular in the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean. The reason for this sighting, as indeed for other tropical species now present in the Mediterranean, we owe it to the climatic warming of the sea, which creates favorable conditions, and to the Lessepsian migration: that is, to the entry and stabilization of animal and tropical species from the Channel of Suez.

Stefano

September 15, 2023

13

0

12

02:25

Red sponge Spirastrella cunctatrix

The Red sponge or spirastrella (Spirastrella cunctatrix) is a sponge of the Spirastrellidae family belonging to the demospongiae class. It is an encrusting red-orange sponge (which can sometimes turn green, blue and grey), characterized by very evident channels that culminate in the osculum, rough to the touch due to the presence of spicules. It can also cover large expanses of seabed. It can be confused with the encrusting forms of Crambe crambe. It is common in the Mediterranean Sea up to 30 meters, sometimes present even at greater depths, in dimly lit, rocky environments, often in caves. Often associated with coralligenous and Astroides calycularis.

Stefano

July 16, 2023

18

0

11

01:07

Acanthurus bariene

Acanthurus bariene is a tropical fish also commonly known as the bariene surgeonfish, blackspot surgeonfish, or eyespot surgeonfish. It was first named by René Primavère Lesson in 1831. This species is widespread in the tropical Indo-Pacific from Mozambique and the Maldives in the west to the Solomon Islands in the east and reaching north to the Ryūkyū and south to the Australian Great Barrier Reef. The habitat of this fish is the coral reefs where it lives on the outer side in depth. The juveniles live in shallow waters and in areas protected from the waves, finding refuge among the soft corals. It can be found between 6 and 50 meters of depth, rarely above 15 meters and usually below 30.

Stefano

July 5, 2023

20

0

10

01:15

Phalium glaucum seashell

Phalium glaucum, common name the grey bonnet or glaucus bonnet, is a species of large sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Cassidae, the helmet snails and bonnet snails. This species lives on sandy bottoms with seagrass meadows, in intertidal and shallow subtidal areas to a depth of about 10 m. Shell of Phalium glaucum can reach a length of 60-147 millimetres.

Stefano

June 21, 2023

23

0

13

03:57

Cleaning station for Titan triggerfish

In this video we show you a particular form of mutualistic symbiosis, quite widespread in the marine aquatic environment, between a Labroides dimidiatus cleaner fish and a Titan Triggerfish. The cleaning operations constitute a mode of relationship in which the cleaner fish feeds on the ectoparasites, on the now dead skin tissue flaps and on the food residues of the host, which undergoes its care. The "customer", i.e. the fish being cleaned, gains a better fit of its body, while the cleaner gains nourishment.

Stefano

May 16, 2023

25

0

12

04:43

Starfish Astropecten jonstoni

Astropecten jonstoni is a sea star of the family Astropectinidae. Starfishes of genus Astropecten live on mobile seabed (sandy, muddy or gravel seabed) and they remain largely buried under sediment during the day. During the late afternoon and the night starfishes go out to hunt mainly bivalve molluscs, which are their favourite preys. Unlike other Astropecten, this species is active and easy to find during day, especially in early morning and late afternoon. However, if they perceive a danger or if they are disturbed, in this case by a diver who is snorkelling as you can see in the video we are showing you, they tend to get covered up quickly. This species lives only in the Mediterranean Sea and it prefers sandy seabed at low depths as between 1 and 12 m.

Stefano

May 6, 2023

30

0

13

05:07

EDRO III shipwreck

The vessel EDRO III, flying the flag of Sierra Leone, ran aground to Cyprus in the area of the Maritime Caves off Pegeia in the county of Paphos,on 8 October 2011, during a storm with rough seas and following the failure of the engine which prevented her from being controlled. The shipwreck occurred during a voyage from Cyprus, Limassol, to Rhodes with a cargo of plasterboard. The ship had a crew of nine sailors including the commander: seven of Albanian nationality and two of Egyptian nationality. Rescue was activated quickly, and thanks a British military helicopter present in Cyprus, the crew was saved.

Stefano

April 11, 2023

89

0

13

10:09

Orangespine Unicornfish Naso lituratus

Naso lituratus is a species of fish in the family Acanthuridae, the tangs and unicornfishes. Its common names include barcheek unicornfish, naso tang, and orange-spine unicornfish. Unique to members of Acanthuridae, including Naso lituratus, are the Epulopiscium bacteria. These bacteria influence the digestion of Naso lituratus, helping them process the algae in their diet. Naso lituratus can be found in the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean. This species can be easily recognised by two bright orange forward-hooked spines on the caudal peduncle (the tail base), its orange lips and black face mask. The body is brownish grey with yellow nape and there is a broad black band on the dorsal fin. It reaches about 45 cm in length.

Stefano

April 2, 2023

46

0

13

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.

Stefano

March 14, 2023

58

0

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

Stefano

March 7, 2023

38

0

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.

Stefano

February 22, 2023

64

0

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.

Stefano

February 16, 2023

58

0

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.

Stefano

February 4, 2023

82

0

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.

Stefano

January 12, 2023

74

0

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.

Stefano

December 22, 2022

75

0

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.

Stefano

December 11, 2022

88

0

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.

Stefano

December 8, 2022

72

0

27

04:39

Purple Starfish

The Purple Starfish, is a species of starfish from the East Atlantic (from mainland Portugal and the Azores down to the Gulf of Guinea) and the Mediterranean Sea. It has a big variation in colour (from red to orange) and may present brown spots. The central disc is small, covered by irregular plates, and the arms are thinner near the central disc. Each arm has lines of respiratory papillae. It can reach 40 cm in diameter.

Stefano

May 10, 2022

154

0

24

03:09

Volcanic spring

They are often hot springs rich in mineral salts with varying temperatures. These thermal waters originate from the groundwater which, descending in depth, meet the hot rocks or are due to the condensation of the steam generated by the encounter of the water with the hot rocks.

Stefano

April 21, 2022

81

0

18

05:46

Spotted sea hare

The Spotted sea hare, Aplysia dactylomela, is a species of large sea slug, a marine opisthobranch gastropod in the family Aplysiidae, the sea hares. As traditionally defined, this species of sea hare was cosmopolitan, being found in almost all tropical and warm temperate seas, including the Mediterranean Sea where first seen in 2002 and likely self-established due to increasing temperatures.

Stefano

March 14, 2022

289

0

11

09:39

Mediterranean Parrotfish

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.

Stefano

February 15, 2022

206

0

28

07:37

Bearded fireworm

Hermodice carunculata, the bearded fireworm, is a type of marine bristleworm belonging to the Amphinomidae family, native to the tropical Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. Bearded fireworms are usually 15 centimetres in average length, but can reach up to 30 centimetres. The bearded fireworm is a slow creature, and is not considered a threat to humans unless touched by careless swimmers. The bristles, when flared, can penetrate human skin, injecting a powerful neurotoxin and producing intense irritation and a painful burning sensation around the area of contact.

Stefano

January 23, 2022

367

0

22

54:57

Pantelleria Mediterranean black pearl

Pantelleria is an Italian island and comune in the Strait of Sicily in the Mediterranean Sea, 100 km southwest of Sicily and 60 km east of the Tunisian coast. On clear days Tunisia is visible from the island. Administratively Pantelleria's comune belongs to the Sicilian province of Trapani.

Stefano

December 2, 2021

180

0

5

01:20

The Bluespotted Grouper

Cephalopholis argus, also known as roi, bluespotted grouper, and celestial grouper, is a fish from the Indo-Pacific which is variously a commercial gamefish, an invasiv species, and occasionally an aquarium resident.

Stefano

October 9, 2021

172

0

28

00:55

Red Lionfish

Red Lionfish (Pterois volitans) is a fish venomous who live coral reef  in the family Scorpaenidae, order Scorpaeniformes. Pterois volitansis natively found in the Indo-Pacific region, but has become an invasive problem in the Carribbean Sea ...

Stefano

April 21, 2021

69

0

25

01:09

Yellowtail Clownfish

Yellowtail Clownfish (Amphiprion clarkii), known commonly as Clark's anemonefish, is a marine fish belonging to the family Pomacentridae, the clownfishes and damselfishes. ...

Stefano

March 3, 2021

154

0

11

01:42

Yellow Soft coral - Dendronephthya hemprichi

Dendronephthya hemprichi is a common soft coral found from Red Sea to WesternPacific. It is usually pink or orange with transparent trunk and it grows up to 70 cm. It exists at 30° N latitude. The smallest unit of this coral, ...

Stefano

July 12, 2020

261

0

9

01:27

The One-spot snapper

The One-spot snapper, Lutjanus monostigma, is a species of snappers belonging Actinopterygii class, order Perciformes, Lutjanidae family. Lutjanus monostigma can reach a maximum length of 60 centimetres in males ...

Stefano

June 11, 2020

381

0

10

00:55

The Eritrean Butterflyfish

The Eritrean butterflyfish or crown butterflyfish  (Chaetodon paucifasciatus) is a species butterflyfish belongns Chaetodontidae family. It is essentially just known in theRed Sea and the Gulf of Aden ...

Stefano

May 28, 2020

198

0

13

01:14

The Red Lionfish

The Red Lionfish (Pterois volitans) is a fish venomous who live coral reef  in the family Scorpaenidae, order Scorpaeniformes. Pterois volitansis natively found in the Indo-Pacific region, but has become an invasive problem in the Carribbean Sea ...

Stefano

May 25, 2020

440

0

13

02:02

The Clown Coris Fish

The clown coris (Coris aygula) is a species of wrass native to the Indian Ocean and the western Pacific Ocean, belonging to the Actinopterygii class, to the order Perciformes, Labridae family ...

Stefano

May 17, 2020

124

0

0

The Masked Puffer

The masked puffer (Arothron diadematus) is a pufferfish belongs Actinopterygii class, Tetraodontiformes order, in the Tetraodontidae family. He lives Red Sea only. ...

Stefano

May 11, 2020

195

0

11

01:12

The giant trevally

The giant trevally (Caranx ignobilis), also known as the lowly trevally, barrier Trevally, giant kingfish or ulua, is a species of large marine fish classified in Actinopterygii class, Carangiformes order, and in the jack family Carangidae. ...

Stefano

May 9, 2020

561

0

13

01:53

Sponge Callyspongia ramosa

The sponge Callyspongia ramosa belongs  to the Porifera phylum, Demospongiae class, Haplosclerida order, Callyspongiidae family. Sponges, the members of the phylum Porifera are a basal Metazoa (animal) clade as a sister of the Diploblats. ...

Stefano

May 3, 2020

158

0

12

01:08

The red-breasted Wrasse

The red-breasted wrasse (Cheilinus fasciatus) belongs Actinopterygii class, Labriformes order,Labridae family. It lives in the lagoons and coral reefs of the Atlantic Ocean, the Indian Ocean and the Red Sea; ...

Stefano

April 29, 2020

124