Marine life profile
Anemones
Recorded at 91 dive sitesWhere divers encounter it
Explore Anemones around the world
Sea anemones ( ə-NEM-ə-nee) are a group of predatory marine invertebrate animals constituting the order Actiniaria. Its movements may be subtle, but feeding, filtering and defensive responses are constantly reshaping the reef at close range.
Meet the species
What to look for
How to Recognize It
Slow down and look for distinctive texture, symmetry and color rather than a familiar fish-like silhouette.
How It Behaves
Its movements may be subtle, but feeding, filtering and defensive responses are constantly reshaping the reef at close range.
Special Ability
Specialized tissues, stinging cells, regeneration or chemical defenses solve survival without speed or heavy armor.
Dive responsibly
Share the water well
How to Approach
Perfect your buoyancy and observe from above without touching the animal or the surface supporting it.
Safety
Many invertebrates are fragile, venomous or irritating to skin. Keep hands, fins and equipment clear.
Worth knowing
The detail you remember
Interesting Facts
Because of their colourful appearance, they are named after the Anemone, a terrestrial flowering plant.
Where to Find
Look closely on reef walls, coral heads, sand, seagrass, jetties and shaded overhangs.
Known countries
Sightings map
Anemones locations
Plan a dive
Dive sites with reported encounters
Atlantic Princess
Dominican Republic
Get excited to experience something special. Atlantic Princess is a perfect wreck for both beginners and experienced divers. Full of marine life, this wreck provides lots of nooks and crannies for a great abundance of life from anemone as well as soft and hard coral, encrusting the boat, parrot fish, Sargent majors, lobster, many species of crab, barracuda, frog fish, lionfish (perfect for hunting on request) and that is just scratching the surface on what you can see here! Not only is it full of life, the wreck itself is something magnificent to see. There may be areas of this site, if not the entire site, that require additional training and experience beyond simply being a certified diver, for you to safely visit. This may include, but not be limited to, training and experience in deep diving, wreck diving, cavern/cave diving, or even technical diving. Always remember to dive within the limitations of your training and experience.
USAT Liberty Shipwreck
Indonesia
This is probably the most famous dive site in Bali. The wreck is 120m long and it sunk off the coast of Tulamben in 1963. This is an easy dive site accessible by shore, but at the same time very interesting and home to amazing creatures. Anemones, soft and hard corals are grown all over the wreck.
4 PARED DE LAS GORGONIAS
Spain
This dive has beautiful gorgonians from 22m to 29m (maximum depth 29 m). Descending the western slope of the Crater, we find this underwater valley that stands out for the presence of different spectacular gorgonians to inspect them closely.
Anemone Bommies - Lady Elliot Island
Australia
Embark on an extraordinary adventure at Lady Elliot Island’s Anemone Bommie dive site! Delight in a kaleidoscope of colors as you encounter playful clownfish nestled in their anemone homes. Admire the breathtaking array of vibrant corals and witness a diverse array of marine life, from graceful sea turtles to mes
Arbutus Point
Canada
Arbutus Point sits north of Piers Island and then just west. This is an advanced dive site due to the cold water and potentially strong currents.
Baixa do Max
Portugal
Diving on a wall reef between 15 and 33 meters, subject to currents, sometimes strong and with some undulation, only for experienced divers and not every day.
Barrack Rock
South Africa
Barack rock is a deep dive site only accessible by boat. Barack rock is a pinnacle formation with two different depths, about 25m on the north side and bout 30m on the south side. the peak of the pinnacle is approximately 3m on low tide.
Corralito
Mexico
Great dive site for large marine life, nudis, and everything in between. Light to moderate current with max depth 18m/ 60 feet and water temp in the high 21-26 Grad/ 70s/low 80s. Also a good spot for a night dive.
Dheraha Thila
Maldives
Deep thila starting at 18m deep going down to 30m. Good dive site for advanced divers, ideally with Nitrox certification. The thila looks like a broken rock separated in many blocks.
Dolphins Den
Honduras
A shallow cave/cavern dive at 5-12m accessible from either inside or outside the reef. Torches are advisable but an experienced diver can work through with the natural light
Gatzea
Greece
Τype : ReefDepth variation : 0m - 35mLevel of experience : Open Water DiverAccess : Shore, BoatDistance and time from dive center, Afissos : 3,5 miles, 12 min
Nabucco Jetty
Indonesia
House reef of Nabucco Islands Center. Shallow reef with sandy bottom, maximum depth 5 meters. Best near high tide for diving. Very good for snorkeling.
Paaltjies
South Africa
Paaltjies is Poles marking a cluster of rocks that are a danger for shipping in Saldanha Bay. The way of accessing this site is by boat and the drop of depends on the tide.
Penguin Cove
New Zealand
This marine reserve site starts on shallow shelf. From here a rocky reef slopes to deeper waters on a 45 degree angle. Features large black coral trees. Both sides of the cove turn into steep and deep wall dives.
Pinta Shipwreck
United States
The Pinta sank as part of a collision in May 1963. She lays on her port side on the sandy bottom. A small wreck starts at 55 ft and is 90 ft to the sand.
Satelite Point
India
Shallow open water site with a nice sandy patch for skills surrounded with reef laden with fish. Lots of stag horn and table coral on the reef.
Slipway Saldanha Bay
South Africa
This is a wreck dive situated in Saldanha bay harbour at slipways restaurant. The entry point is the slipways restaurant jetty. The wreck is an old crayfish boat, that took on water while moored to the Saldanha que.
Wissenkerke Westnol
Netherlands
Westnol is a dive site that is only accessible at low tide, it is not an easy place where the current can be quite strong and the risk of poor visibility is considerable. Due to the presence of shallow oyster banks, for the west side of the nol, it is good to make a dive plan.
A Frames
United Kingdom
Shore dive on the remains of an old pier with pier foundations down to 24 metres. The highlight is a large frame at 18 metres nicknamed the monolith as it towers above the diver as you fin around it.
Ao Mook
Thailand
An abundant reef in small cove. This dive site is for snorkeler, free diver, and scuba diver. Since the reef is located in shallow water, start at 2 meter depth to 7 meter. This dive site can be manage both shore dive and boat dive.
Ao Tien
Thailand
With depth 3-10 meter, this dive site is very easy to dive. And suitable for training dive, since it is a sand bar at 3-5 meter next to the reef.
Aquarium de Cook
French Polynesia
Less than 5 minutes away from the diveshop, a perfect dive site for beginners : introductory dives, refresher dives, first lessons of training (Open Water Diver) : shallow and without current. A sandy bottom with a lot of coral potatoes housing a rich underwater fauna.
Bommenede
Netherlands
The great added value of this spot is that you can easily park on the outside of the dike, so you don’t have to walk over it! Furthermore, the spot is quite shallow and you quickly dive towards the channel where diving is prohibited.
Bommenede Polder
Netherlands
The spot is practically only accessible by boat. The remains of the village are little more than a pile of overgrown rubble. It may be worth diving here, but in the summer the location can be dangerous. The shipping channel and the busy pleasure boating pose a risk.