Gilt-head bream in shallow seabed

Gilt-head bream, Sparus aurata, is a bony sea and brackish water fish belonging to the Sparidae family. The name derives from the characteristic gold stripe that the fish shows between its eyes. Gilt-head bream is present throughout the Mediterranean basin and in the eastern Atlantic, from the extreme south of the British Isles to Cape Verde. It is a strictly coastal fish and lives between 5 and 150 m from the coast

Leopard Spotted-goby and European Lobster

During this dive I came across a strange pair of Mediterranean marine specimens. It is a European Lobster, Homarus gammarus, and a Leopard-spotted Goby that share the same cave; evidently there is a mutual convenience to which I cannot give a logical explanation. In fact, the European Lobster usually lives alone in the den that it has built and, in general, does not tolerate intrusions by others.

Return to the Missing Island

Diving on this reef halfway between Livorno and Gorgona Island is always fascinating and an adventure. In reality, we're about 8 nautical miles from Gorgona Island and about 10 nautical miles from Livorno. We're practically in the middle of the sea!

Cotylorhiza tuberculata

Cotylorhiza tuberculata is a species of jellyfish of the phylum Cnidaria, also known as the Mediterranean jellyfish, Mediterranean jelly, or fried egg jellyfish. It is commonly found in the Mediterranean Sea. Beautiful and elegant, it lends itself well to underwater photography and video shooting, making itself admired by all those who love the sea.

Two-banded sea Bream

Two-banded sea Bream, Diplodus vulgaris, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Sparidae, which includes the sea breams and porgies. This species is found in the northeastern Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean. It is an important species for fisheries and is grown in aquaculture. Diplodus vulgaris has an oval shaped, deep, compressed body with a moderately fleshy-lipped slightly protrusible mouth.

Gold Coral thousand-year-old

Gold Coral thousand-year-old, Savalia savaglia, it 'a long-lived species, but rather rare. It appears that some very large colonies have reached the thousand years of age. The growth rate of the colony is slow and carbon-14 dating techniques have given an age of 2,700 years, giving this zoanthid one of the longest lifespans of any organism on Earth.

Big mediterranean Barrel jellyfish

Big mediterranean Barrel jellyfish, Rhizostoma pulmo, It typically is up to 40 cm. in diameter, but can exceptionally reach 150 cm. or larger, making it the largest jellyfish in British waters, is moderately venomous but not as deadly as other species. Effects include a burning sensation on the skin, dermatitis, and ulcers which confirms it is toxic to humans. However, it does not pose a serious threat to humans.

Flathead grey mullet - Mugil cephalus

Flathead grey mullets, Mugil cephalus, it is a fish able to withstand wide variations in salinity, in fact we find it regularly in marine waters, fresh or brackish waters. Extremely adaptable to all environments; we often find it at the mouths of rivers, in lagoon areas where sea water mixes with fresh water from the hinterland and inside bays and harbors. We met him among the roks of Castiglioncello: a well-known tourist and seaside resort near Livorno in Mediterranean sea.

Ophioderma longicauda

Among the many starfish that inhabit the Mediterranean Sea we find the funny Ofiure known  Brittle Starfish, Serpent starfish or Ophiuroid, (Ophioderma longicauda). They belong to the phylum Echinodermata, class Ophiuroidea, to the family Ophiodermatidae. The Brittle starfish is present throughout the Mediterranean Sea and generally lives hidden in the crevices of the cliffs or sheltered under rocks or debris present in the sea.

Pennaria disticha

Pennaria disticha, also known as the Christmas tree hydroid, is a species of athecate hydroid in the family Pennariidae. Colonies are common in the Mediterranean Sea growing on rocks close to the surface. This species has been used in research into prey capture. Colonies of Pennaria disticha consist of numerous much-branched stems up to 30 cm high.

Precious coral of Mediterranean Sea

Precious coral, (Corallium rubrum), or Red coral, is the common name given to a genus of marine corals, Corallium. The distinguishing characteristic of precious corals is their durable and intensely colored red or pink-orange skeleton, which is used for making jewelry.

Dolphins Encounter

Encountering dolphins in our seas is fairly easy, but it's one thing to spot them while sailing or see them leaping in the distance, and quite another to find them "playing under the boat", almost touching them. For us, August 15th has become a regular event. The video really was actually taken on August 16th, about 7-8 miles off the Livorno coast ...

Golden anemone - Condylactis aurantiaca

Golden anemone, Condylactis aurantiaca, or sand anemone, is one of the most beautiful anemones endemic to the Mediterranean Sea, both for the colorful arms and the large size it can sometimes reach. On this dive in early August 2025, we are exploring rocky and coralligenous walls ranging from a depth of 36 to a maximum of 42 meters ...

European spider crab - Maja squinado

European spider crab, Maja squinado (spiny spider crab, or spinous spider crab). This crustacean of the Majidae family was very common about thirty years ago, and specimens like the one we see in the video were very easy to find in the intertidal tidal pools, provided they had plenty of rocks to hide in and algae to grow on their backs to camouflage them from predators. ...

Christmas tree hydroid - Idroide piumato

Pennaria disticha, also known as the Christmas tree hydroid, is a species of athecate hydroid in the family Pennariidae. Colonies are common in the Mediterranean Sea growing on rocks close to the surface. This species has been used in research into prey capture. Colonies of Pennaria disticha consist of numerous much-branched stems up to 30 cm high. The branching system is alternate.

Castagnole blu

Even in this summer of 2025, like every summer, we witness the birth and growth of the Black Damselfish, Chromis chromis, the only one of its kind Pomacentridi - Pomacentridae - in the Mediterranean Sea. In these sequences we see it in its shining electric blue livery, when the little fish are still small, a few weeks after the hatching of the eggs laid in winter, spring by the females and guarded by the male until ...

Blow lugworm egg Arenicola marina

The blow lugworm egg, Arenicola marina, also known as sandworm, is a large species of marine worm. Its coiled castins are a familiar sight on a beach at low tide but the animal itself is rarely seen except by those who, from curiosity or to use as fishing bait, dig the worm out of the sand. In the video I made you can see a egg blow lugworm,. ...

Astrospartus mediterraneus

The Basket Star (Astrospartus mediterraneus), (Risso,1826) is a echinoderm belongs to the phylum Echinodermata, to the Ophiuroidea class, Gorgonocephalidae family. The Basket Star is characterized by five tentacles, each branched several times, with which it clings to the branches of the soft corals and which are opened at night to feed on. The body has a diameter that can reach 8 centimeters, ...

Mauve Stinger - Pelagia noctiluca

Mauve stinger, Pelagia noctiluca, is a jellyfish in the family Pelagiidae and the only currently recognized species in the genus Pelagia. It is typically known in English as the mauve stinger, but other common names are purple-striped jelly (causing potential confusion with chrysaora colorata), purple stinger, purple people eater, purple jellyfish, luminous jellyfish  ...

Octopus in den

In this short video we show you a "crafty octopus". That these animals are very intelligent is now well known to everyone; in this case the octopus he are organized itself with two dens close to each other. But if we carefully observe the video we can think that it is the same den with two exits, the main one (the one with all the grouped shells that the octopus generally uses to protect itself) and the secondary one that could be the "emergency exit". ...

Special mission mediterranean Spiny lobster

It is late August and Summer is the period in which many marine organisms prepare for procreation. We have therefore decided to reach a deep Mediterranean coral reef, over 7 miles from the coast, knowing that, with a bit of luck, we will find lobsters. We chose a deep dive because at that depth it is more difficult for fishermen to lower their fishing nets and therefore to be more ...

Blue spiny starfish

Coscinasterias tenuispina, Variable starfish or Spiny starfish is an echinoderm very common in the Mediterranean Sea. It is one of the most common starfish in the "Mare nostrum" and I would also say one of the most fascinating. Usually Echinoderms (sea urchins and starfish) have a pentaray symmetry. This species is indeed variable! ...

European Lobster

European lobster, Homarus Gammarus, known as the Common Lobster, belongs crustaceans class, Malacrostaca subclass, Decapoda order, Nephropidae family, it has a body completely covered by a robust shell with two large claws, different from each other, one more stocky and massive and one more sharp and slender. In front of the mouth it has six antennas as organs of touch, the thorax is smooth with ...

Peltodoris atromaculata Reproduction

When we explore our underwater reefs we are often amazed by the number of species that we find in a few square meters and as in this case even in a few square centimeters. We have said it many times that biodiversity makes a habitat and an ecosystem more stable, solid and long-lasting. Often we fail to realize the quantity of different species that live next to each other and obviously it is almost impossible to know ...

Dussumier's halfbeak

Dussumier's halfbeak (Hyporhamphus dussumieri), also known as the slender garfish, lives in reefs and shallow lagoons. It is an Indo-Pacific species which is found from the Seychelles east to the Tuamotu islands, north to Hong Kong and Okinawa and south to northern Australia. They form schools which are found near the surface of lagoons and seaward reefs. ...

Tree Sponge or Branched Sponge - Axinella polypoides

In this dive on a seabed of about 40-42 meters deep we encountered the Tree Sponge or Branched Sponge, Axinella polypoides, a sponge typical of the Mediterranean Sea that develops vertically often with various branches almost like a coral. Branched sponge Spugna alberello Spugna ramificata Axinella intotheblue.it ...

Diving among gorgonians II

Diving in this reef completely covered with branches of red Gorgonia up to two meters high is always fascinating. Despite the poor visibility our torches manage to bring out all the colors of the underwater world. They range from the scarlet red of the Paramuricea clavata, to the yellow of the countless Verongia sponges and the Parazoanthus axinellae, the sea daisy ...

Striped Eel Catfish

Plotosus lineatus, commonly known as the Striped Eel Catfish, is a species of eeltail catfishes belonging to the family Plotosidae. Like most other members of the genus Plotosus. they possesses highly venomous spines that they can use to sting when threatened. The venom can cause mild to severe symptoms in humans. Plotosus lineatus is native to the Indo-Pcific but has become introduced to the Mediterranean Sea ...

Marine goldfish - Anthias anthias

This article and this video are dedicated to the Marine goldfish (Chromis chromis), companion and guardian of our dives over 40 meters deep. This fish belonging to the Serranidae family (the same as the Mediterranean Brown Grouper) lives on coralligenous seabeds and begins to be present from 30 meters deep onwards. However, it can be found up to 200 meters and in our scuba dives ...

Young Dusky Grouper

Young Dusky Grouper, Epinephelus marginatus, the yellowbelly rock cod or yellowbelly grouper, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a grouper from the subfamily Epinephelinae which is part of the family Serranidae, which also includes the anthias and sea basses. This species is the best known grouper species of the Mediterranea Sea and North Africa coast ...

Jellyfish are food for fish

Jellyfish are an important source of food for fish, sea turtles, cetaceans, whales and dolphins. They are therefore a fundamental link in the food chain in our seas and oceans. Le meduse sono cibo per i pesci Jellyfish are food for fish intotheblue.it ...

Gilt-head bream in shallow seabed

Gilt-head bream (Sparus aurata Linnaeus, 1758) is a bony sea and brackish water fish belonging to the Sparidae family. The name derives from the characteristic gold stripe that the fish shows between its eyes. Gilt-head bream is present throughout the Mediterranean basin and in the eastern Atlantic ...

Biodiversity

We are on an isolated patch of rock and coralligenous about 7.5 miles from the coast; the seabed varies from 49 to 52 meters, the area to explore has a surface area of ​​about a couple of basketball courts (about 600 square meters X 2). All around a sea of ​​mud and a mixture of mud/sand separates us from the main submerged reef 400/500 meters away, always on the bathymetric of 50 meters ...

Red Starfish

Red starfish in this video - Echinaster sepositus - was filmed on a seabed of about 5 meters deep while free-diving, in the waters of the beautiful "Secche di Vada". We often visit these areas near the lighthouse for various reasons: the exceptional transparency of the water, the shallow depth, the presence of Posidonia oceanica that despite ...

Barrel jellyfish invasion

The summer of 2024 was the hottest since temperatures have been measured, and it's not just the thermometer and measurement statistics that tell us this. As you can see in the video, this year too there was the usual, now inevitable, proliferation of jellyfish due to the increasingly warm sea temperatures. Barrel jellyfish invasion Rhizostoma pulmo Invasione di Polmone di mare www.intotheblue.it ...

Melania wreck

Even in this now forgotten summer of 2024 we returned to freedive on the Melania wreck. We often freedive on this wreck since the depth is not prohibitive even for the less trained. The wreck lies on a seabed of maximum 11-12 meters to rise to 9, considering the top of the bow perhaps even 6 meters deep.. ...