Coral Reef Pictures

Galaxea

Characteristics

Small colonies are cushion-shaped or low domes or are irregular. Large colonies, which frequently exceed 5 metres across, are columnar or massive. Corallites are of mixed sizes, usually less than 10 millimetres diameter with

numerous septa reaching the corallite centre. Tentacles are usually extended during the day. Colour: Usually green, grey, red or brown, commonly with tentacles and septa of contrasting colours. Tentacles often have conspicuous white tips. Similar species: Galaxea astreata. See also G. cryptoramosa. Habitat: Reef environments protected from strong wave action.

Family:	Oculinidae
Genus:	Galaxea
Habitat:	Protected reef
Distribution:	Widespread
Abundance:	Common

Source Reference:

Veron (2000). Taxonomic reference: Veron and Pichon (1980). Identification guides: Veron (1986), Sheppard and Sheppard (1991), Nishihira and Veron (1995), Coles (1996).

Scuba In Shark Infested Waters cont

by Patrick Smith

Diving with sharks from the safety of a cage not extreme enough for you? Well there are plenty of places where you can dive in the open water with different species of shark. Most sharks will not attack humans unless they feel threatened or they think they’re prey. This makes scuba diving with sharks relatively safe.

Some of the best areas you can dive in the open water with sharks are in The

Caribbean, Great Barrier Reef off the coast of Queensland, CoCos islands, Mexico, The Maldives and The Bahamas. There are literally dozens of species of shark on offer. What sharks you’re likely to see depends on what time of the year you go. For more information visit our site.

One experience that will literally take your breath away is diving with a Whale Shark. The whale shark is the biggest fish in the world, measuring up to 46+ feet! Scared? You shouldn’t be, the Whale shark is a herbivore! The biggest shark in the world doesn’t eat meat. In fact, the Whale shark is the most docile of all sharks and doesn’t mind a bit of human interaction. Sharing space with this enormous fish truly a life changing experience. Whale sharks are found anywhere in the warm waters near the equator, but they are hard to find and you often need to travel quite a distance offshore.

So does swimming in shark infested waters still sound like a crazy idea or have I wet your appetite for some shark diving? For more information on diving with the sharks you can visit our website, sharkdiving.us. So next time you’re stuck for a summer vacation idea, maybe you should think about going diving with the sharks! part one