Snorkeling

One of the favourite activities of many of our guests is snorkeling. Our bay directly in front of our property is quite a nice area for snorkeling. The best time of the year for snorkeling is early summer or September when the water is warm enough but it is usually not too windy.

“our” bay

In most of our bay the seabed is sand. These sandy areas may seem empty with the first look, but they are in fact inhabited by countless small animals that spend all their lives buried in the sand.

The sea gras species Cymodocea nodosa grows in a few meters water depth.

It is not an algae but a higher plant that lived on the land once but then moved back into the sea and adapted to the marine environment. It sprouts root runners, so that the plants often stand in straight rows.

Further away from the beach the seabed changes to rock.

In many places big rocks lie on the ground with smaller stones and pebbles in between.

Near the small island in our bay one reaches some sea gras meadows (Posidonia oceanica). These meadows look a bit gloomy, but they are a very rich habitat, comparable to a tropical rainforest in abundance and its ability to bind carbon. Many fish and crab species live in the sea gras meadows.

Most diverse and interesting for the snorkeler are the coastal rocks, which are overgrown by countless algae and sessile animals and where you can also encounter many fish and crab species.