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I made this video during a reef dive about 6 miles offshore of Castiglioncello near Livorno. It is a fairly isolated stretch of rocks at a depth between 44 and 46 meters. As you can see, the clear water offers good visibility; the rocks, mainly coralline, are full of dens, small caves particularly suitable for marine life and the biological diversity typical of the Mediterranean. In this short stretch of rocks I met as many as 5 medium-large sized groupers who had probably made an “appointment” for the reproduction period: this was of course a particularly welcome meeting, but i imagine also for all those who go scuba diving. Apart from the numerous and elegant red marine goldfishes almost always present in this type of seabed, I have met few other fish. vita marina sommersa
mediterranean coral reef scogliera corallina mediterranea www.intotheblue.it
The reasons can be deduced from the video. In fact, if you look closely you will see many fishing lines hooked to the seabed lost by sport fishermen; there are anchors from boats caught on the seabed and for this reason, not being able to recover them, they have been abandoned and finally also gillnets of professional fishermen which have been abandoned and which represent serious environmental damage to marine life. In short, an excessive exploitation of the sea precisely in those areas that should be destined for the restocking and reproduction of marine organisms. vita marina sommersa
dusky Grouper Cernia bruna Epinephelus marginatus www.intotheblue.it
For many people the sea is experienced as a period of vacation, rest, where to spend a part of the summer to cool off by swimming or all water sports such as: surfing, windsurfing, kitesurfing or canoeing, or for to do sport fishing, traveling by boat etc. All activities that take place on the sea surface. Under the surface of the sea, on the other hand, an exuberant life is “hidden” that develops in three dimensions, full of countless beings so different from each other where the competition for life sometimes becomes dramatic but always finds a delicate balance of coexistence.
starfish aand Anthias anthias stella marina e castagnole rosse www.intotheblue.it
For us divers, the submerged life does not represent only the curiosity for the exploration of other borders, although now largely known, but an experience that we want to live directly and the testimonies of others will never be able to satisfy. At the end of each dive we feel gratified by the sense of freedom emanating from the “deep blue”. The interest in observation leads us to appreciate a wonderful aquatic life, both animal and plant, present at all depths.
