Ventotene island, a nursery for nursehound visited by… Manta rays!

Scores of divers are enjoing August in the Med, possibly the best month to dive here. None more so than Aldo Ferrucci, a professional diver and friend, who’s exploring the many beautiful dive sites of tiny Ventotene island – a place known for housing a dissolute Roman princess 2000 yrs ago and, today, for its spectacular dive sites (and great food).
Aldo has had an amazing luck this week – and showed the cool reaction of the veteran photographer when a manta ray (the Mediterranean equivalent, Mobula mobular, possibly-but-who-knows-really an endemic species) passed by during one of his dives. BTW, mobulas seem to be on the rise here in the Med – or at least I’m receiving increasing reports of friends, yachtsmen and divers… but that’s another story!
Anyway – Ventotene is becoming known also for being a hotspot for nursehound sharks mums, who seem to be laying their eggs everywhere on seafans, sponges and… old fishing lines. They seem to have started laying quite recently, as many of the pictures Aldo took are of shiny, polished new eggs.
What is quite interesting in this picture is the number of eggs, and the fact that some look quite old (notice the fouling) and some are instead very recent (the one on the bottom). This tiny old rope must be in an exeptionally good spot, combining nice courrent (to bring oxygen to the baby) and whatever else that makes a good creche for sharks.
Thanks Aldo, and to the scores of other divers who are reporting their findings. Keep diving, and keep reporting!