Underwater is not just a landscape
To understand life under water, you must first look at the ground. Rocky surfaces, softer sandy-muddy bottoms and marine plant habitats offer different conditions. Just because they are in the same gulf does not mean that the same creatures will be seen together at every point.
Complexity of rocky habitats
Cavities, cracks and steep surfaces between rocks can provide shelter or feeding opportunities for different species. In macro photography, details hiding small organisms can become visible. When introducing the local reef dive sites around Çandarlı, we refer to dated underwater records rather than describing the living nature of the gold with images taken from the surface alone.
What does bottom trawl research say?
Ege University research published in 2014 detected 60 fish species in the sampling carried out in the Çandarlı Bay in 2003-2004. Of these, 49 were bony fish and 11 were cartilaginous fish. Samplings were based on trawling method and specific research stations. It would be a scientific mistake to use the results as a direct species list for rocky shallow dive sites.
green fields in the sea
Posidonia oceanica seagrass meadows, unique to the Mediterranean, are important in terms of creating vegetative cover and shelter. This general scientific importance does not prove that this species is found in all bays of Çandarlı. Region-specific habitat information can be developed with field photographs and expert diagnosis.
Çandarlı's future genre diary
The Deep Diving team can collect dated observation records with the contribution of photographers. For each record, the observer, date, permitted location, photograph used, and verification status of the species must be stated. Data becomes more meaningful when surface and underwater images are matched to the same location.
More: 60 fish species research · Posidonia guide.
Sources: https://dergipark.org.tr/tr/download/article-file/57284 · https://www.unep.org/resources/report/out-blue-value-seagrasses-environment-and-people