“Occhio” of Pellaro

In the stretch of sea off the coast above the seaside village of Pellaro, in a place so-called “Occhio” (i.e. Eye), a large expanse of sand, interrupted by small Halophila stipulacea prairies, is home to large numbers of invertebrates and fishes, including colored seahorses. A protective wall separates the road from the narrow beach of the place, making it a very comfortable access to the sea water from the shore; the seabed, that descend steep down to the depths, makes even easy to arrive to bathymetric of 30/40 m, not far from the coastline.
Half-hidden in the fine sandy sediment, we find large specimens of tub gurnards (Chelidonichthys lucernus) and lizard fish (Synodus saurus), with some stargazers (Uranoscopus scaber) and many mullets (Mullus surmuletus). Large specimens of sea breams live to a few inches from the bottom, especially in the winter months. Small red scorpionfishes of different species, turbots and common soles share the spaces, with different preferences for sandy or pebbly areas.
In the areas with prairies there are many mollusks as octopuses, cuttlefishes and sea slugs, and it’s common to meet large specimens of seahorses (Hippocampus guttulatus). Frequently there are shoals of longspine snipefishes (Macroramphosus scolopax), rare elsewhere; along the ropes of the numerous buoys, used for mooring small boats, there are large and numerous spiral tube-worms, which create a habitat used by many species of annelids, tunicates, echinoderms, sponges and small fishes. It’s a mixed habitat, with sand, mud and debris, very populated, ideal for night dives full of surprises.