natjtan Happy December!
Boops Boops/Bogues. I think! I’m not sure.
5 months ago the sea water was warm as the air temp, the building’s solar panel hot water system meant everybody in the block had hot hot water. So hot hot, you could only use it at warm as it was too hot to shower in. Now when you want that hot hot solar water there isn’t any as winter begins to take its bite. Do fish feel hot and cold water in temperate waters like land mammals do? Do they eat and eat for the colder months like land animals? So many questions to ask that only lead onto more questions! In my last Under The Med Sea I asked where fish go in bad weather. Especially coastal fish where to they go when the waves are crashing the shore. Nobody knows on the internet. The best answer was they sense bad weather is coming and go into deeper waters to ride out the storm.
Can you hear me squeal?! White striped sea bream/Diplodus Sargus, Two banded sea bream/Diplodus vulgars, Striped red mullet/Mullus Surmuletus
While I’ve been cronologically posting the fish this summer, I’m going to skip the last 2 weeks of July. I mentioned previous posts I was getting a little bored disappointed that the sea floor had changed during the winter storms and nearly all the fish had gone. Early August I swam the the beach divider rock thingys or groynes, where a whole new world opened up with so many fish! I felt like I landed the jackpot just meters from the beach. I wish I had discovered it earlier as summer gently rolled into autumn, the water got too chilly and too rough by the groynes to go in. These photos are from my first swim to this part of the beach and I still hadn’t sorted out the right camera settings. Did I ever this summer?! I did! Please believe me when I say better photos are to come in future posts. I also took loads of videos which I’ve been sharing on my Insta Reels!
Striped sea bream/Lithognathus mormyrus and either boops boops or small/young greater amberjacks/seriola dumerili. I swear I saw a baby yellow amberjack on my last few snorkels. The only one, as it stood out.
Striped red mullet/Mullus Surmuletus looking for food
Striped sea breams/Lithognathus mormyrus
Female Rainbow wrasse/Coris Julis. The first of many types of wrasses here!
Female Rainbow wrasse/Coris Julis, saddled sea bream/Oblada melanura, two banded sea bream/Diplodus vulgaris, striped red mullet/mullus surmuletus
I saw this little one a lot snorkelling, a two banded sea bream/diplodus vulgaris with a blue snout/nose and forehead.
The beautiful female rainbow wrasse/coris julis. I saw so many of these as the summer went on! The females stuck more to the inner parts of the rocks. The males visited the inner rocks but spent more time on the outskirts of the rocks where it was more open.
Striped sea breams
My friends, saddled sea breams/Oblada Melanura. They had so many babies by the end of the summer!
Swimming back to shore, mullets foraging or hunting for food. I’m not sure if they’re thicklip grey mullets/Chelon labrosus. It’s crazy how close the rocks and beach divider or groynes (groins US) can be shallow with 2 meters following the shore deeper then shallower.
Thank you for getting this far! The sea is a scary and beautiful place. I hope I can share it’s beauty so more can see why she, the seas and oceans needs to be protected! Thank you for stopping by!
