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WITHOUT DROPPING ANCHOR, THE DIVE BOAT DRIFTS SLOWLY TO A STOP IN SOME OF THE CLEAREST WATER IN THE MEDITERRANEAN. THE SECRET OF THIS PERFECT TURQUOISE SEA, OFF THE BALEARIC ISLAND OF FORMENTERA, LIVES JUST BELOW ITS SURFACE. I ROLL OVER THE SIDE WITH A SPLASH AND THERE IT IS ALL AROUND ME: UNIFORM pale green mops swaying in the gentle current. It is Posidonia oceanica; a seagrass found only here in the Mediterranean.
Named after the Greek sea deity, Posidonia (or Neptune grass in honour of its Roman counterpart) is a subaquatic super-plant. It cleans water, fights climate change and generates oxygen. The 15km or so sea floor separating Formentera from its noisy, party-island neighbour Ibiza is carpeted with the stuff. This entire submarine savannah is one huge, self-cloning organism that, at about 100,000 years old, is more ancient than both Poseidon and Neptune. But it is vanishing at an alarming rate.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Freelance journalist and film-maker Richard Fleury has travelled the world reporting on everything from marine life to motor racing. His writing has appeared in numerous publications, including , the and .
