Sea Cucumber

This sea cucumber defends itself by expelling their sticky cuvierian tubules to entangle potential predators. When touched or startled, these cucumbers can expel them through a tear in the wall of the cloaca (cakey button) in a process known as evisceration.  Replacement tubules grow back in one-and-a-half to five weeks, depending on the species. 

On finding such a Sea Cucumber it can be an extremely interesting sight.  You have to be careful not to get the tubules entangled on your equipment or you'll spend the rest of the dive picking off the substance which is very much like a spray of chewing gum.

The tubules are surprisingly strong and if you intertwine some into a strand you find that it is extremely strong.

The release of these tubules can also be accompanied by the discharge of a toxic chemical known as holothurin, which has similar properties to soap.  This chemical can kill any animal in the vicinity and is one more way in which these sedentary animals can defend themselves.

For more information, pictures and videos on evisceration visit the Echinoblog by ChrisM.

Watch this video for some humourously told facts about sea cucumbers:

Moray Eel

The Cathedral and Three Caves, Mallorca

This was another of my favourite dive sites.

Confident divers could enter the cave on the right which descended down towards the left.

At the back of this cave, sometimes hidden by dead sea grass, was a little tunnel.

Entering this tunnel with lamps the group exited from the second cave.

 The exit of the big cave (second from the right in the diagram)

Entering the middle cave 

Lights out

 

The Cathedral

Heading to the Cathedral, Costa de los Pinos

 The Cathedral and the Three Caves was located on the east of Mallorca.

The majority of the dive sites where I worked were here.

The video shows the Costa de los Pinos and Cala Bona.

Ballarina Starfish