Beirut, 9 September, 2019

Contrary to the regular belief, Lebanon has a rich marine life that surprises the divers and makes their dives joyful and interesting.

From Guitar Rays, to various species of sting rays, Octopus, Spanish Dancer, Sea Turtles, Moray Eels, Groupers, Lobsters, Cuttlefish, a huge variety of fish and lately the invasive Lion fish, all make up beautiful consecutive scenes that divers enjoy throughout their 40 to 50 minutes dive, making Lebanon a very interesting diving location for both locals and travelers.

Guitar Ray

A guitar ray seen at the AUB dive site

Lion Fish

A Lion Fish, spotted at the Dahr El Burj dive site.

Due to their protective spines, these fish rarely feel threatened by the presence of divers and usually don't move or hide away, making them a joy to watch, as long as divers don't get too close to them and touch their venomous spines.

Spanish Dancer

The Spanish Dancer is a sea slug, is a large dorid nudibranch which can grow up to a maximum length of 90 cm. Usually Spanish Dancer hides away from the light and only comes out late at night. The one in the video was seen at the AUB dive site during an afternoon dive.

Octopus

A small Octopus spotted during a night dive at the shallow end of the AUB dive site. It is regular to see Octopuses from all sizes at this dive site. Some could have a tentacles span of more than 1 meter

Sting Ray

The video shows a bull ray, which is a species of large stingrays. It can reach 222 cm in length and up to 112 Kg. Bull rays are considered the giants of shallow water and are frequently seen at various dive sites in Lebanon. The one in the video was spotted at a depth of 12 to 15 meter at the AUB dive site.