Archi
In the stretch of sea off a beach in the northern outskirts of Reggio Calabria, locality known as “Archi”, with a wide expanse of fine white sand is home for a large number of invertebrates and fishes. The site is ideal for both daily and night dives and never disappoints fans of underwater photography and of marine biology (the content is provided by Megale Hellas Diving Center)
What to see
Large specimens of tub gurnards (Chelidonichthys lucernus) and lizard fishes (Synodus saurus), with some stargazers (Uranoscopus scaber) and many mullets (Mullus surmuletus) can be seen. Little red scorpionfishes of different species, turbots and common soles live there, with different preferences for sandy or pebbly areas. What really excites the divers, however, is the dense “prairie” of large spiral tube-worms (Sabella spallanzanii) that makes the bottom alive: isolated or collected in huge “bouquet”, these fascinating polychaete annelids, leave their tufts swaying and create “fireworks” on the bottom. At the base of the tubes of the numerous worms there are mollusks such as octopus, squids, sea hares and colorful sea slugs, and it’s possible to meet large specimens of seahorse (Hippocampus). Frequently there are also shoals of longspine snipefishes (Macroramphosus scolopax), rare elsewhere