With all the dredging and construction work at this new marina during the past year, all the marine life fled. When we arrived in late August we saw almost no fish. And the few fish we did see were very tiny, not longer than an adult's index finger. One day I did see one fish that was about 2-feet long. But it left and never returned inside the marina as far as I know. The water here is crystal clear, like looking through a glass of drinking water; so if anything is swimming around inside the marina it is easy to spot.
When we first moved the boat out to dock on the breakwater wall there was a huge old green turtle that swam near our boat every day. We were docked not too far from the dog-leg to the marina from the tiny bay entrance, near the western end of the breakwater wall. The turtle left around the first week of October and has not been seen since. Green turtles have only 2 nesting grounds in the entire Mediterranean -- a location on the Turkish coastline and several beaches on Cyprus. The turtles return to lay eggs during July and August. Later when the eggs hatch, tourists go to the nesting beaches to watch the tiny hatch-lings make their way to the sea. The final hatch-ling watch was at midnight one Friday near the first of October. Funny that it was at the same time that the big old turtle left the area.
Yesterday as we were walking down the dock on our way out for the day I spotted a small cuttlefish swimming nearby. I was hurrying to meet someone; no time to run back to the boat for the camera; therefore, no photo of that particular cuttlefish. Darn it! But here is an image of a cuttlefish that I found on Google Images, and it looks very similar to the one I spotted. Cuttlefish come in all kinds of shapes and colors. If you are not familiar with this type of fish, check the images available online. The first time I ate cuttlefish was in Sri Lanka. Some of the restaurants served Deviled Cuttlefish, which was cooked in a spicy red sauce and served with rice. Very delicious. Cuttlefish is similar to calamari (squid) in both taste and texture.
In the past few weeks we have seen several small groups of squid in the marina. Yesterday I noticed a few small groups of fish, about 6 to 8 inches in length. Some of the construction workers catch fish off the inside of the breakwater wall at the marina entrance.
The only marina construction in the water is now outside down on the eastern end where there is another small bay. The breakwater wall that will protect the boatyard hardstand area is being completed down there; well separated by land from the interior marina area. So marine life is beginning to return to the marina waters now that underwater construction is completed in the interior of the marina 'harbor' area. Nice.
When we first moved the boat out to dock on the breakwater wall there was a huge old green turtle that swam near our boat every day. We were docked not too far from the dog-leg to the marina from the tiny bay entrance, near the western end of the breakwater wall. The turtle left around the first week of October and has not been seen since. Green turtles have only 2 nesting grounds in the entire Mediterranean -- a location on the Turkish coastline and several beaches on Cyprus. The turtles return to lay eggs during July and August. Later when the eggs hatch, tourists go to the nesting beaches to watch the tiny hatch-lings make their way to the sea. The final hatch-ling watch was at midnight one Friday near the first of October. Funny that it was at the same time that the big old turtle left the area.
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In the past few weeks we have seen several small groups of squid in the marina. Yesterday I noticed a few small groups of fish, about 6 to 8 inches in length. Some of the construction workers catch fish off the inside of the breakwater wall at the marina entrance.
The only marina construction in the water is now outside down on the eastern end where there is another small bay. The breakwater wall that will protect the boatyard hardstand area is being completed down there; well separated by land from the interior marina area. So marine life is beginning to return to the marina waters now that underwater construction is completed in the interior of the marina 'harbor' area. Nice.
Glad to hear that the marine life is coming back! Those cuttlefish are cool looking ... I never would have thought they made good eating! LOL!
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