Only scuba divers could rate great slug spotting opportunities as an essential ingredient to their vacation. Essentially just an underwater slug, the nudibranch is a scuba diving enigma and you can’t fail to notice the excitement these little guys cause. Which, consequently is way out of kilter to their tiny stature. So what’s so special?

Their colourful ornateness and slow yet determined rhythmic bustle-like progress is endearing and hypnotic. Expect bold riotous colours and striking patterns as well as designer embellishments suitable for an outlandish fashion week runway show. Divers seem to bestow them with characters of their own. We’ve heard them described as looking like anything from ghosts to Shaun the Sheep and pretty much everything in between.

There are over 3000 species to delight enthusiasts and within species, there can be a significant amount of variation too. New species are regularly discovered. The variety this offers and the potential of discovery is part of the excitement and why many divers swim with their noses to the coral to find a unique specimen, so unique they might never see another. For underwater photographers, they’re a dream. Their slow pace and flamboyant nature make for easy to capture beautiful subjects.

While they inhabit the oceans worldwide, you’ll find the greatest number in warm tropical waters which happily is where most of us like to take our scuba diving vacations. If you’re an addict, and only the biggest fix will suffice then, The Philippines are where you must go. There are many great muck diving spots, and vibrant reefs sprinkled all over this island nation, each displaying their cache which wouPhoto by Rick Heydel – Nudibranchld satisfy most cravings. For the biggest hit, however, Anilao is where it’s at. Divers have reported spotting over 90 different species in as little as ten days. Other locations include Indonesia with Raja Ampat, Lembeh Straits and Bali getting notable mentions.

As divers, we tend to use the term nudibranch broadly to cover all forms of sea slug, flatworm, bristle worm and their ilk, yet the actual definition of nudibranch is quite particular. Translated from Latin, nudibranch means naked gills or lungs which gives you more than a clue to how these soft-bodied molluscs breathe. The feathery like protrusion on their back is what this refers to. Their antennae at the front are not eyes but glands for smell; most can withdraw these when they sense danger. Unlike their plant destroying garden dwelling cousins, these guys are carnivores. They eat sponge, anemones, barnacles, other sea slugs and eggs. Their colours can come from their food source. They use this colouration either to blend in or to stand out and warn their predators of their toxicity. Some are faking it!

Commonly referred to as ‘nudis’, they range in size from 4-10cm long, but there are larger species which can grow to 60cm long and weigh in at 1.5kg. Spanish dancers are one of the larger variety which get their name from their swimming fashion which looks like the undulating swishing skirts of a flamenco dancer. Not all nudibranch can swim and mostly they get around at a lazy 10m per day using a muscle ‘foot’ and leaving a slime trail like their land-based brethren.

Nudibranch are hermaphrodites. They join, looking a lot like they’re holding hands, to mate and exchange semen and eggs and each lay eggs. Eggs look like lace or fine muslin attached to the reef in ruffles and are mostly laid in spirals. Nudibranch larvae have shells which they lose as they become adults while going through a process called torsion which spins their body 180 degrees on their foot. Their average life expectancy is one year.

To improve your chances of seeing the greatest number, wherever you are diving, make sure you have an excellent guide who shares your passion for these creatures. Wherever you dive, good local knowledge is essential for getting the most out of your diving. Talk to other local or experienced divers and do your research, know which species you’re looking for and most importantly find out what they like to eat as this will tell you where to look. You never know, you just might discover something new!

A playful baby humpback whale passes by, rolling onto its back, belly up towards the light while its mother rests below. Every winter the south pacific population of humpback whales travels from Antarctica to Tonga and its neighboring islands to socialize, sing, and raise their new born calves, the next generation of humpbacks. They are curious, social animals that will often interact with other species, including humans.

The island’s diving community hopes the initiative will raise environmental awareness among 10,000 tourists over the next year

JOHN’S, Antigua, September, 27, 2019 – Earlier this year, SEVENSEAS reported on Antigua and Barbuda’s adoption of the Reef-World Foundaiton’s Green Fins initiative; a programme run in partnership with the UN Environment to help dive and snorkel operators improve their environmental processes and reduce their negative impact on coral reefs. The country was the 10th government worldwide to officially adopt Green Fins and the second in the Caribbean.

Caudalie, the French cosmetic company,  has funded Green Fins in Antigua & Barbuda

The funding to implement Green Fins in Antigua and Barbuda was generously provided by the French cosmetic company Caudalie who partnered with Reef-World through the 1% for the Planet movement thanks to consultative advice received from PUR Project.

At the time of reporting, Reef-World had just trained and certified a new Antigua and Barbuda national team comprised of the Ministry of Tourism and the Fisheries Division. These new Green Fins Antigua and Barbuda assessors had already undertaken assessments of three new dive shop members and were ready to recruit, train and assess even more dive and snorkel operators across the island. A few months after its initial launch, we checked back with the team on the ground to see how the implementation of the Green Fins programme was progressing.

Vashti Casimir, Antigua and Barbuda’s Senior Tourism Officer Responsible for Sustainable Tourism, explained that another dive shop – South Coast Horizons – had successfully completed their assessment and another business is on track to be certified by the end of October. That will take the total number of Green Fins certified dive operators on the island to five.

In this initial recruitment phase of the programme, Vashti explained, a targeted approach is crucial. The team has been working on establishing: “a comprehensive list of all the dive and snorkel operators in Antigua and Barbuda, which was key.” Working strategically through this list of operators in the country, they will be able to ensure all the country’s dive and snorkel operators are aware of the programme and will be encouraged to join. 

For those who might not be aware of the Green Fins programme, membership (which is free) includes a robust assessment by a certified Green Fins assessor to evaluate the operator’s environmental impact. The information gathered from this assessment is then used to provide best-practice advice, tailored to the specific circumstances and challenges faced by that dive shop. Management receives a one-to-one consultation, during which the Green Fins team works with them to help them develop a plan for improving sustainable practices with practical tips on how best to implement any changes. In this way, Green Fins helps the dive operators find feasible alternatives to common threats to the marine environment; whether it’s anchoring, single-use plastics, proper waste disposal or something else. As the membership is free, this in-depth industry knowledge and advice (as well as training for all the dive shop’s staff) is provided just for the cost of a tank or two of air (enabling the assessor to join and observe a normal dive trip that’s already running for guests). 

The five dive shops already involved in Green Fins have had extremely positive feedback, Vashti explained: “They have indicated that the tips they have received have been extremely helpful and they have been slowly making changes as suggested through their last assessment.”

What’s more, just a couple of months in and they’re already seeing the benefit in terms of attracting new customers and driving business. “Some have actually had guests who have chosen their business as a result of their participation in the Green Fins programme!” Vashti explained.

Overall, it’s been a positive start for Green Fins Antigua and Barbuda. I asked Vashti about the benefits they’ve seen so far: “Adopting this programme on a national level has seen an increase in the awareness of the need to protect the marine environment and efforts by actual operators to adopt practices that ensure that protection. As well, there has been increased awareness of the regulations in place by the government to protect the environment and willingness by the private sector to assist in monitoring which will be extremely helpful with enforcement. The programme has allowed for increased interest, positive changes and increased collaboration.”

So, what next? Despite its early successes, there is still “a bit of a way to go”, Vashti tells me. The national team hopes many more dive and snorkel operators on the island – there are estimated to be around 30 – will sign up to become members so will be working hard on this in the coming months. If your company is based in Antigua and Barbuda and offers diving and snorkelling tours, do get in touch to find out how Green Fins can help you protect coral reefs for future generations. 

The Reef-World Foundation leads the global implementation of the UN Environment’s Green Fins initiative, which focuses on driving environmentally friendly scuba diving and snorkelling practices across the industry globally. To keep up with our latest news and developments, please follow Reef-World on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. You can also follow the Green Fins initiative on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to keep up to date with new materials, updates and sustainability insights from Green Fins members.  

By Melissa Hobson, The Reef-World Foundation

[xyz-ihs snippet=”Prepared-by-PK”]