Snorkelling in Gibraltar with The Nautilus Project
Summer’s finally here, and after months of keeping
kids entertained at home, many will wonder what on
earth else to do to keep their young ones engaged,
learning and entertained until September comes
around, especially if you are in two minds as to whether
to join the crowds heading to the beach.
With that in mind, local marine conservation NGO
- The Nautilus Project (TNP), have come up with a
Virtual Marine Summer Camp due to take place in
July. The week of online activities will teach kids
more about our diverse marine life and conservation.
All being well, TNP is also looking to launch a
week-long Summer Camp in August, which will combine
learning activities with snorkelling trips to the
best spots around Gibraltar.
So, in early June, OTWO were invited to join Nautilus
on one of their snorkelling trips to Rosia Bay, to
show us why Gib offers some of the best snorkelling
around.
Goggles, snorkels and flippers on, we tentatively
‘goose-stepped’ our way into the water, knowing full
well that the crystal-clear conditions on this bright,
westerly morning were going to be a touch on the
cold side…. and we weren’t wrong! After several
minutes of flailing waste deep in the water and
pointlessly exclaiming how cold we were, our bodies
acclimatised and for the next hour, we didn’t think
about the temperature once.
As we swam about, Lewis from TNP told us a
bit more about the species living in Rosia, many of
which can be found just a few metres from the shore,
some of which are harder to spot. Some of the
most surprising marine animals found in Rosia are
the endangered short-snouted and long-snouted sea
horse, which sadly we weren’t lucky enough to see.
They dwell in the centre of the bay, where the typical
calm conditions make it the perfect feeding ground
for these beautiful creatures.
After about 10 minutes, Lewis spotted a Cotton
Spinner Sea Cucumber, which he gently brought up
for us to hold. Not long after, we found several large
Spiny Sea Stars lying on the sea bed, which we also
held, learning that the purple dots on the end of each
of its five arms are their eyes.
We quickly realised how little we appreciated
the diverse marine life we have right here along our
coastline. In just a couple of hours, the species spotted
at Rosia included brittle sea stars, snakelocks
and beadlet anemones, sea urchins, triton shell, nudibranchs,
cuttlefish, mauve stinger jellyfish, salps,
common octopus and the endangered orange star
coral.
The best part of snorkelling with TNP is having a
swimming marine encyclopaedia alongside you the
whole time, affording us a better understanding of
the species in Rosia and the dangers these marine
animals face every day.
If you fancy having a go and would like help identifying
the species in our waters, TNP offers guided
small-group snorkelling trips for people of all ages.
The Virtual Summer camp is available to kids
aged 7-11 years and will run from 13th – 17th July.
Throughout the week, children will learn about
our marine diversity with a focus on conservation
through a series of online activities covering topics
such as sharks and dolphins, plastic pollution in our
oceans, turtles and jellyfish and the protected species
of Rosia Bay.
Limited spaces are available. To reserve
email: [email protected].
Watch this space for an announcement about the
possible Summer Camp in August!
28 OTWO 12 / JULY 2020