Magic Sea Life

Night snorkeling in Rhodes  The island of Rhodes lacks the spectacular scenery of the Ionian islands, but it does have beautiful beaches, good food, affordable prices and an interesting sea life. The city of Rhodes is crowded.  In the city one can find all-inclusive resorts, but for lovers of quietness the island offers kilometers long sandy beaches. Since my priority is snorkeling, we stayed near Stegna Beach, which proved to be a good choice. I met species I didn't previously know (a long sea cucumber) or that I had not seen in the Mediterranean (lionfish); the visibility was very good and the water relatively calm. Sea cucumber - Synaptula reciprocans  Halocordyle disticha (Hydrozoa) We went snorkeling at night for the first time and we had the chance to see a sea hare, beside octopuses, cuttlefish and various sea cucumbers. Sea Hare - Aplysia dactylomela An excellent place for snorkeling is the Anthony Quinn Bay, with exceptional visibility ...

In Halkidiki, at the end of the Sitonia peninsula, in Porto Koufo, I enjoyed the best snorkeling experience in Europe. Besides the multitude of octopuses and cuttlefish, the colorful Beardworms, yellow sea sponges and various sea urchins species, I saw anemones, a tub gurnard  and various starfish. Flying gurnard - Dactylopterus volitans Cuttlefish - Sepia officinalis Common Octopus - Octopus vulgaris  A curious octopus :)     Snakelock anemone - Anemonia sulcata Starfish - Astropecten aranciacus  Black Sea Urchin- Diadema antillarum and Purple Sea Urchin - Paracentrotus lividus Black sea urchin   and Heart urchin (shell) - Spatangoida Yellow Sea Sponge- Aplysina aerophoba A strange lifeform - Ascidia mentula (Phylum Chordata ) Large Bearded Fireworm   - Hermodice carunculata Feather Duster Worms - Sabellastarte  Surprisingly, the beach is very good, with sand ...

One of the most spectacular Greek islands, with gorgeous landscapes (including the famous Navagio beech) and surreal blue water, Zakynthos also has an interesting marine life. Navagio Beach Blue Caves I chose a more secluded place for staying, at Krioneri beach, and I had the opportunity to witness a true underwater show. Besides the common Mediterranean fish I saw octopuses, slipper lobsters (a medium-sized one a a giant one!), a green Nudibranch, various species of colored worms, crabs, scorpion fish. Common Octopus (Octopus vulgaris) Slipper Lobster (Scyllarides latus) Nudibranch (Hypselodoris picta) Mediterranean Moray (Muraena helena) Flounder (Bothus podas) Feather duster Worm (Sabellidae) Bearded Fireworm (Hermodice carunculata) Red Scorpionfish (Scorpaena scrofa) Mediterranean Red Sea Star (Echinaster sepositus) An interesting place to visit is Xigia beach, where sulfurous springs bring into the sea water white sn...