Summer Is On The Way

Summer is on the way and the ocean is beginning to show all of its marvels, from the flight of the bull sharks in the winter to the arrival of the tarpon and marlin in "Tortugas".

As of the last 3 weeks we have had to opportunity and good fortune to have had visits by hunting marlin , tranquil turtles and spectacular sea horses. Hippocampus guttulatus

To the best of our knowledge we believe that the species is commonly know as “Long Snout Sea Horse” and is listed in the 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species

It turns out that these gorgeous little creatures are more common than previously believed, with at least 3 having been spotted on Barracuda and Sabalos, as well as a relative; the Pipe Horse Acentronura dendritica, being seen in similar areas.

The Phrase “pregnant and still MACHO” sprang to me when writing this as it’s the male that keeps and fertilizes the eggs during pregnancy , anything up to 2000 of them, which he keeps in his pouch for around 2 to 3 weeks . Sadly, of these only about 5 out of every 1000 survive. So the transsexual seen on Oprah who is boosting of his/her first male pregnancy, we hate to say it but seahorses have been doing this for years…

We have to admit, we are not clear as to when mating season is but we are all waiting in awe of the mating spectacular. The female and male have a ritual of a daily meeting every morning for a few minutes as if it where a check up. This ritual includes tail wrapping and clinging to the same anchor as well as color change and noticeable affection between the pair.

As well as the sea horse and relatives we have had many more juveniles and predators alike on the reefs here as of late. Turtle hatching season is around the corner and the weather is getting better by the day.

So, as far as we can tell we are in store for one of the best summers of all times. So dust off your gear, book a flight on get down here for what we can GUARANTEE to be the best dive season ever. All or our divers receive a 15% discount at the hotel so email us at info@abyssdiveshop.com or check our dive packages online at http://www.abyssdivecenter.com/

Hope to see you all Soon!

The Abyss Team
Info supplied by wikipedia

"From birth, man carries the weight of gravity on his shoulders. He is bolted to earth. But man has only to sink beneath the surface and he is free." Jacques-Yves Cousteau