Diving in the Miramare Marine Reserve

Our activities continue, on November 8, 2020 the diving trip to the Miramare Marine Reserve took place with the group of 11 divers from ATIS Diving Club.

The immersion in the waters of the marine reserve allows the observation of a protected environment and therefore of high biodiversity, it is an immersion suitable for everyone, very simple but rich in naturalistic interest.

The stretch of coast protected thanks to the establishment of the Miramare Marine Area represents in fact a precious biological unicuum because, despite being relatively small, it has diversified into specific micro-environments that reflect the presence of three distinct areas – the tidal zone, the rock and gravel environment and sandy and muddy bottoms – rich in species that can be observed during diving.

In the tidal area, you will come across barnacles, bivalve molluscs, crabs, sea tomatoes and the sea oak, an authentic biogeographical relic of the last glaciation, as well as the famous peacock blenny, a species symbol of the Marine Protected Area.

Instead, green and brown algae, organ pipe sponges and coelenterates such as sea anemones colonize the rocks, while sea bass, sea anemones, sea bream and sea bream swim within four meters of depth, and even deeper sea bass and corvine.

Sea cucumbers, ophiures or serpentine stars, starfish and crustaceans compete to blend in on the sandy and muddy bottoms, where the largest bivalve mollusk in the Mediterranean also lives – the Pinna nobile, whose shell up to 70 cm large offers hospitality to sponges and encrusting sea squirts – and murmurs it.

The photos and videos are by our instructors Alberto Tumminelli and Davide Furlani.

We thank all the staff of the Miramare Marine Protected Area (http://www.riservamarinamiramare.it) for organizing this wonderful day.