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Temp: Surf 29°C Bottom 29°C
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Water: Salt
Recent Divers in South Male Atoll
Recent Pictures in South Male Atoll
Dive Shop & Buddies
Dive buddies:
Kerstin G.
Dive Profile
- 1. Nitrox 32
- 11L Aluminium
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- Average depth: 23.1m
Data provided by EOL.org
Species Identified
Manta birostris (Walbaum, 1792) (Giant manta)
Manta rays are generally solitary, although loose aggregations of individuals may occur where there are abundant food sources or during the breeding season. When ready to mate, a male will bite his mate's pectoral fin to p...
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Manta rays are generally solitary, although loose aggregations of individuals may occur where there are abundant food sources or during the breeding season. When ready to mate, a male will bite his mate's pectoral fin to position himself belly-belly for copulation . The developing eggs remain inside the female's body for possibly as long as 12 months and hatch internally so that she gives birth to live young . The average litter size is two pups, and there is often a two year gap between births . These rays feed on planktonic organisms by filtering volumes of water through their mouths. Individuals have been observed swimming in slow vertical loops whilst feeding, possibly in an effort to concentrate prey items . The fleshy projections on either side of the mouth are also used to funnel prey; when not feeding, these lobes are either furled or closed in front of the mouth . Mantas are often host to remoras (Remorina spp.), which attach to the underside of the larger fish and consume particles of food that fall from the mouth . Exceptionally graceful swimmers, manta rays appear to fly through the water on their large wings. Individuals have also been observed to jump (or 'breach') clear out of the water, possibly in a form of communication or play .
Triaenodon obesus (Rüppell, 1837) (Whitetip reef shark)
Despite its docile nature during the day this nocturnal shark can become aggressive when hunting at night, thrashing through coral reefs looking for potential prey. The whitetip reef shark usually hunts alone, but is non-t...
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Despite its docile nature during the day this nocturnal shark can become aggressive when hunting at night, thrashing through coral reefs looking for potential prey. The whitetip reef shark usually hunts alone, but is non-territorial and will occasionally work in cooperation with others in the pursuit of prey . Feeding primarily on bottom-dwelling octopus, lobsters, crabs and bony fish, it often chases its prey into a crevice before jamming its body in after it, sealing the exit . The extremely posterior location of the first dorsal fin compared to those of other sharks is an adaptation to this feeding habit, which allows them to get their heads and mouths much further into the gaps and holes in the coral . The whitetip reef shark's mating season varies with location . Reproduction is viviparous and after a gestation period of around a year the female will give birth to one to five live pups, which are completely independent at birth . Both sexes reach sexual maturity at approximately 5 years old, and it is estimated that this species can live to an age of 25 years .
Chelonia mydas Linnaeus 1758 (Green Turtle)
Green turtles are long-lived and may take up to 59 years to reach sexual maturity Undertaking tremendous feats of navigation, adults return to the same beach to breed each season, part of the population in Brazil astonish...
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Green turtles are long-lived and may take up to 59 years to reach sexual maturity Undertaking tremendous feats of navigation, adults return to the same beach to breed each season, part of the population in Brazil astonishingly migrates around 2,250 kilometres across the open ocean to breed on the Ascension Islands . Mating tends to occur just offshore of the nesting beaches; using a curved claw on each front flipper and a flat nail at the end of the tail, males are able to grip their mates . Females haul out onto the beach at night and dig large nests with their back flippers beyond the high tide mark, they typically lay between 100 and 150 eggs in one nest and then proceed to cover the eggs with sand; the whole process takes around two hours . A single female returns to breed only once every two to five years but will lay up to nine nests in that one season . Incubation takes between 45 and 70 days, and temperature has been shown to determine of the sex of hatchlings; with females being produced at warmer temperatures . Breaking open their eggs with a special hooked 'egg tooth' that will subsequently be lost; hatchlings use their powerful front flippers to reach the surface, and then proceed to the sea . The soft-bodied juveniles are particularly vulnerable at this time from a variety of predators, such as ghost crabs and gulls on the beach to sharks and dolphins in the water . Unlike other marine turtles, adult green turtles are almost exclusively herbivorous, grazing on seagrasses and algae ; it is assumed that juveniles are more omnivorous although the exact composition of their diet is unknown
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Maldives
Date: 2007-09-28 - 12:35
Max Depth: 34.7m Duration: 52mins
