Both snorkelers and divers can come into contact with nudibranchs. The secret is to sharpen your eyesight: from afar it could be a tiny colored dot but if you get closer you could have a wonderful surprise! Let's try!
How can we observe nudibranchs?
Nudibranchs in the Mediterranean Sea like to stay quite hidden among the coralligenous where they find everything they need. Their ideal places are shady places like caves or crevices where they can feed undisturbed.
From the surface, while snorkeling, it will be a little complicated to see the nudibranchs, given their small size, but with a little freediving we can go and peek under some rocks or inside some crevices and find one! Never say never!
During the dives, however, it will be easier because we can calmly dedicate ourselves to observing the rock wall in search of some bright colors. The help of an underwater torch is essential here to enhance the colors and find them more easily. Remember not to look only at the wall but also to observe any hydrozoans (tree-like structures that emerge from the wall to exploit the current and filter it in search of nourishment), up here we can find the flabellines, small and colorful nudibranchsi.
Tips for observing them
Once we have identified them, we approach slowly and delicately. If the nudibranchs do not feel threatened, they will continue to do their business and show us their beautiful tuft of gills. If they do, they will retract it, showing us that they are afraid. We will be able to admire them and observe their funny rhinophores (“antennae”) without arousing any suspicion. It is important to always respect their living space, without causing damage to the surrounding environment.
Touching the nudibranchs
We will continue to reiterate the concept that underwater we do not touch anything for our personal safety and to respect the wonderful environment in which we are.
Touching or even lifting a nudibranch is absolutely not respectful towards it and could cause serious damage given its delicate nature.
In addition, some of them have stinging cells on their backs, which, if touched, could hurt us.
Tips for photographing them
We evaluate the times and places to film or photograph these wonderful animals.
Let's avoid lying on the bottom, hold urself to the coralligenous or rocks to steal a video or a shot; because we create damage to other organisms in the meantime! Above all, the coralligenous environment is very delicate and we would risk breaking or killing organisms that took perhaps a hundred years to grow.
We always respect the environment in which we are with our movements and behaviors. Everything can be done and seen, the important thing is the way, so we will preserve this unique heritage of which our nudibranch friends are also part!
Famous species of Mediterranean nudibranchs:
The sea cow (discodoris atromaculata): like a real cow, it has a white color with black spots. Extremely beautiful and graceful to admire, it is a fairly large nudibranch, reaching up to 10 cm. It is among the most common nudibranchs and we will practically always find it busy munching on its favorite sponge: the petrosia ficiformis, recognizable thanks to its purple color, (as you can see in the photo).
Flabelline: they are very small, measuring a few cm but are clearly visible thanks to their bright colors that vary from purple, to pink, to white and orange. They are very elegant with their long and thin cerata that move with the current. (Find out what cerata are by clicking here!)
The dondice: this is also a fairly large nudibranch, measuring up to 7 cm. We recognize it immediately because it is wonderfully orange with a white line running down the center of its body, the cerata are very numerous and bright orange with red shades. Its rhinophores are very long!
Janolus cristatus: it is a nudibranch that is not very common to spot but it lives at low depths, which makes it interesting especially for snorkelers. It is quite small and has a yellow body with very evident cerata, long and stocky, transparent with blue tips! They look like lots of small light bulbs! Don't miss it!
Now Friendly Fins, all we have to do is launch ourselves into the adventure and sharpen our eyesight, looking for nudibranchs everywhere!!!
Click here if you want to know more about their life!