Wll its been a fair while since I last posted an update. So what's been happening in my world of diving.
Firstly our project to document Nudibranch species in the UAE and surrounding countries has been going from strength to strength. When I started there were only around 33 species of Nudibranch documented for the UAE on Nudipixel. So using that as a base I attempted to compile a record all all species of Opistobtranch that had been found in the Arabian Gulf and Oman Sea. This was done using a number of differents methods.
1. Nudi photo sites - we looked for reports of confirmed sightings in the surrounding waters and added them to our list.
2. Scientific papers - A few had been produced but to be honest these were few and far between.
3. Self discoveries - Using the UAE Branchers Facebook page as a reference point we posted our different discoveries and attempted to identify them. Others also posted their finds which helped to expand our references.
4. Carole Harris - The pioneer of Nudi hunting in the UAE has helped me tremendously by allowing me access to her own records of her finds over many years whilst in the Gulf.
What this has resulted in is that we now stand at a total of 185 different specied found, some of which are still undescribed. We are hoping to hit 200 by the end of 2014 - but this will depend on how much time I get to spend in the water. We also probably need to look in a few different dive sites and expand our horizons.
Firstly our project to document Nudibranch species in the UAE and surrounding countries has been going from strength to strength. When I started there were only around 33 species of Nudibranch documented for the UAE on Nudipixel. So using that as a base I attempted to compile a record all all species of Opistobtranch that had been found in the Arabian Gulf and Oman Sea. This was done using a number of differents methods.
1. Nudi photo sites - we looked for reports of confirmed sightings in the surrounding waters and added them to our list.
2. Scientific papers - A few had been produced but to be honest these were few and far between.
3. Self discoveries - Using the UAE Branchers Facebook page as a reference point we posted our different discoveries and attempted to identify them. Others also posted their finds which helped to expand our references.
4. Carole Harris - The pioneer of Nudi hunting in the UAE has helped me tremendously by allowing me access to her own records of her finds over many years whilst in the Gulf.
What this has resulted in is that we now stand at a total of 185 different specied found, some of which are still undescribed. We are hoping to hit 200 by the end of 2014 - but this will depend on how much time I get to spend in the water. We also probably need to look in a few different dive sites and expand our horizons.