Mother and baby octopuses photo, taken shortly before mother’s death, wins best in show underwater photography contest #scubadiving #octopus 📷Kat Zhou https://news.scubatravel.co.uk/heart-rending-mother-and-baby-octopuses-photo-taken-shortly-before-mothers-death-wins-best-in-show-underwater-photography-contest.html

Northern Red Sea reefs resist bleaching, providing a haven for coral and the life that depends on it https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2022.938454 #scuba #scubadiving #coral #reef #marinelife

A boring sponge

Not just any old sponge that is a bit tedious, but the Red Boring Sponge.

It's called the boring sponge as it drills into coral and sea shells. The sponge breaks down dead and diseased (and sometimes live) coral.

In "normal" conditions they play an important part in the reef, recycling calcium carbonate. But if the coral is struggling, the boring sponges can erode the reef faster than the corals can replace it.

A fascinating animal #scubadiving #RedSea #Egypt

Recently finished Helen Scales' excellent book Spirals in Time. I'm now desperate to see the Pinna nobilis giant mussel sea silk weavings in Sardinia #scubadiving #molluscs #ocean

Recently finished Helen Scales' excellent book Spirals in Time. I'm now desperate to see the Pinna nobilis giant mussel sea silk weavings in Sardinia #scubadiving #molluscs #ocean

I love the beautiful drawings of Jessica Eggers jessieggers.com #scubadiving #art #oceans #scuba

In a rare piece of good news in the marine world, scientists have found two diving areas where manta rays are thriving.

Off the coast of Ecuador, American scientists have identified a distinct population of oceanic manta rays that is more than 10 times larger than any other known subpopulation of the species.

Meanwhile, over in the Raja Ampat archipelago in Indonesia, reef manta ray populations have increased significantly. #scuba #scubadiving #oceans #marinebiology #science