[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":301},["ShallowReactive",2],{"footerItems":3,"$f_gZrDTpEFFDnKai1m3cQimpAweuDLR43H6rHFM7gXO4":158},{"footerCta":4,"footerSocialNetwork":9,"footerNavigation":13,"footerAboutZublu":146,"footerLeadingText":147,"footerBottomLinks":148},{"primaryText":5,"primaryCtaText":6,"secondaryText":7,"secondaryCtaText":8},"Contact a dive travel expert:","Chat with us","Find your perfect dive destination:","Find a destination",{"facebookLink":10,"instagramLink":11,"twitterLink":12},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.facebook.com\u002FZuBluDiving\u002F","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.instagram.com\u002Fzublu_diving\u002F","https:\u002F\u002Ftwitter.com\u002Fzubludiving",[14,64,90,107,138],{"setMenuTitle":15,"setMenuList":16},"Top Destinations",[17,28,34,40,46,52,58],{"menuItemLocation":18,"menuItemType":21,"menuItemOpenNewTab":25,"menuItemName":26,"menuItemUrl":27},{"title":19,"url":20},"Maldives","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.zubludiving.com\u002Fdestination\u002Fmaldives",{"label":22,"value":23,"selected":24},"Entries","entries",true,false,"Diving in the Maldives","",{"menuItemLocation":29,"menuItemType":32,"menuItemOpenNewTab":25,"menuItemName":33,"menuItemUrl":27},{"title":30,"url":31},"Indonesia","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.zubludiving.com\u002Fdestination\u002Findonesia",{"label":22,"value":23,"selected":24},"Diving in Indonesia",{"menuItemLocation":35,"menuItemType":38,"menuItemOpenNewTab":25,"menuItemName":39,"menuItemUrl":27},{"title":36,"url":37},"Philippines","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.zubludiving.com\u002Fdestination\u002Fphilippines",{"label":22,"value":23,"selected":24},"Diving in the Philippines",{"menuItemLocation":41,"menuItemType":44,"menuItemOpenNewTab":25,"menuItemName":45,"menuItemUrl":27},{"title":42,"url":43},"Red Sea","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.zubludiving.com\u002Fdestination\u002Fred-sea",{"label":22,"value":23,"selected":24},"Diving in the Red Sea",{"menuItemLocation":47,"menuItemType":50,"menuItemOpenNewTab":25,"menuItemName":51,"menuItemUrl":27},{"title":48,"url":49},"Galapagos Islands","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.zubludiving.com\u002Fdestination\u002Fecuador\u002Fgalapagos\u002Fgalapagos-islands",{"label":22,"value":23,"selected":24},"Diving in Galapagos",{"menuItemLocation":53,"menuItemType":56,"menuItemOpenNewTab":25,"menuItemName":57,"menuItemUrl":27},{"title":54,"url":55},"Mexico","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.zubludiving.com\u002Fdestination\u002Fmexico",{"label":22,"value":23,"selected":24},"Diving in Mexico",{"menuItemLocation":59,"menuItemType":62,"menuItemOpenNewTab":25,"menuItemName":63,"menuItemUrl":27},{"title":60,"url":61},"Thailand","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.zubludiving.com\u002Fdestination\u002Fthailand",{"label":22,"value":23,"selected":24},"Diving in Thailand",{"setMenuTitle":65,"setMenuList":66},"Guides & Insights",[67,74,78,82,86],{"menuItemLocation":68,"menuItemType":69,"menuItemOpenNewTab":25,"menuItemName":72,"menuItemUrl":73},null,{"label":70,"value":71,"selected":24},"Static URL","staticUrl","Travel guides","\u002Farticles\u002Fzublu-insights?opt=category&value=zublu-digital-portal",{"menuItemLocation":68,"menuItemType":75,"menuItemOpenNewTab":25,"menuItemName":76,"menuItemUrl":77},{"label":70,"value":71,"selected":24},"Liveaboard guide","\u002Farticles\u002Fzublu-insights\u002Fliveaboard-diving",{"menuItemLocation":68,"menuItemType":79,"menuItemOpenNewTab":25,"menuItemName":80,"menuItemUrl":81},{"label":70,"value":71,"selected":24},"Destination inspiration","\u002Farticles\u002Fzublu-insights?opt=category&value=destination-inspiration",{"menuItemLocation":68,"menuItemType":83,"menuItemOpenNewTab":25,"menuItemName":84,"menuItemUrl":85},{"label":70,"value":71,"selected":24},"Marine life","\u002Farticles\u002Fzublu-insights?opt=category&value=marine-wonders",{"menuItemLocation":68,"menuItemType":87,"menuItemOpenNewTab":25,"menuItemName":88,"menuItemUrl":89},{"label":70,"value":71,"selected":24},"News","\u002Farticles\u002Fzublu-insights?opt=category&value=news-opinion",{"setMenuTitle":91,"setMenuList":92},"Sustainability",[93,97,102],{"menuItemLocation":68,"menuItemType":94,"menuItemOpenNewTab":25,"menuItemName":95,"menuItemUrl":96},{"label":70,"value":71,"selected":24},"Ecoventures","\u002Farticles\u002Fzublu-insights\u002Fexplore-and-restore-with-ecoventures",{"menuItemLocation":98,"menuItemType":101,"menuItemOpenNewTab":25,"menuItemName":99,"menuItemUrl":27},{"title":99,"url":100},"Conservation","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.zubludiving.com\u002Fconservation",{"label":22,"value":23,"selected":24},{"menuItemLocation":103,"menuItemType":106,"menuItemOpenNewTab":25,"menuItemName":104,"menuItemUrl":27},{"title":104,"url":105},"Green Fins","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.zubludiving.com\u002Fconservation\u002Fgreen-fins",{"label":22,"value":23,"selected":24},{"setMenuTitle":108,"setMenuList":109},"ZuBlu",[110,116,120,126,133],{"menuItemLocation":111,"menuItemType":114,"menuItemOpenNewTab":25,"menuItemName":115,"menuItemUrl":27},{"title":112,"url":113},"ZuBlu Concierge","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.zubludiving.com\u002Fenquiry",{"label":22,"value":23,"selected":24},"Plan your trip",{"menuItemLocation":68,"menuItemType":117,"menuItemOpenNewTab":25,"menuItemName":118,"menuItemUrl":119},{"label":70,"value":71,"selected":24},"Join us","\u002Fenquiry\u002Fcareer",{"menuItemLocation":121,"menuItemType":124,"menuItemOpenNewTab":25,"menuItemName":125,"menuItemUrl":27},{"title":122,"url":123},"About ZuBlu","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.zubludiving.com\u002Fabout-us",{"label":22,"value":23,"selected":24},"About us",{"menuItemLocation":127,"menuItemType":130,"menuItemOpenNewTab":25,"menuItemName":131,"menuItemUrl":132},{"title":128,"url":129},"Guest Reviews","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.zubludiving.com\u002Fguest-reviews",{"label":70,"value":71,"selected":24},"Guest reviews","\u002Fguest-reviews",{"menuItemLocation":134,"menuItemType":137,"menuItemOpenNewTab":25,"menuItemName":135,"menuItemUrl":27},{"title":135,"url":136},"Partners","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.zubludiving.com\u002Fpartners",{"label":22,"value":23,"selected":24},{"setMenuTitle":139,"setMenuList":140},"Support",[141],{"menuItemLocation":142,"menuItemType":145,"menuItemOpenNewTab":25,"menuItemName":143,"menuItemUrl":27},{"title":143,"url":144},"FAQ","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.zubludiving.com\u002Ffaq",{"label":22,"value":23,"selected":24},"ZuBlu is the leading dive travel agency to search, compare and book scuba diving and underwater adventure travel worldwide. With 800+ exceptional resorts and liveaboards to choose from, you can travel green while exploring the big blue.","Book your next scuba diving holiday",[149,152,155],{"linkUrl":150,"linkText":151},"\u002Fterms-conditions","Terms & Conditions",{"linkUrl":153,"linkText":154},"\u002Fterms-of-website-use","Terms of use",{"linkUrl":156,"linkText":157},"\u002Fprivacy-policy","Privacy Policy",{"title":159,"slug":160,"url":161,"entryType":162,"date":163,"lastUpdated":163,"banner":164,"coverImage":165,"category":166,"author":68,"introduction":169,"tags":170,"articleContent":173,"featuredArticles":198,"flipsnackCode":68,"typeformCode":68,"seomatic":236},"Seagrass sieves plastic particles from water with ‘Neptune Balls’","seagrass-sieves-plastic-particles-from-water-with-neptune-balls","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.zubludiving.com\u002Farticles\u002Fzublu-insights\u002Fseagrass-sieves-plastic-particles-from-water-with-neptune-balls","newArticle","15 Feb 2021","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.zubludiving.com\u002Fimages\u002FArticles\u002FSeagrass-Neptune-Balls\u002Fseagrass-neptune-balls_banner.jpg","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.zubludiving.com\u002Fimages\u002FArticles\u002FSeagrass-Neptune-Balls\u002FSeagrass-neptune-balls-thumb.jpg",{"title":167,"slug":168},"News & opinion","news-opinion","As reported in The Guardian, researchers have discovered that seagrass beds along the Spanish coast seem to trap ocean plastic in natural fibre-bundles known as ‘Neptune Balls’.",[171,172],"news","conservation",[174,177,182,184,189,191,194,196],{"type":175,"text":176},"paragraph","\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>As reported in \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.theguardian.com\u002Fenvironment\u002F2021\u002Fjan\u002F15\u002Fseagrass-neptune-balls-sieve-millions-of-plastic-particles-from-water-study-finds\">The Guardian\u003C\u002Fa>, researchers have discovered that seagrass beds along the Spanish coast seem to trap ocean plastic in natural fibre-bundles known as ‘Neptune Balls’.\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The oval-shaped orbs form out of old and shredded seagrass leaves that are still attached to their stems. As they are buried, the stems become stiff and matted together, collecting plastic fibres in the process.\u003C\u002Fp>",{"type":178,"image":179,"description":180,"size":181,"text":27},"image","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.zubludiving.com\u002Fimages\u002FArticles\u002FSeagrass-Neptune-Balls\u002FNeptune-Balls.jpg","The 'Neptune Balls'. Photo by: Marta Veny, University of Barcelona","medium",{"type":175,"text":183},"\u003Cp>Published in the journal Scientific Reports, the study suggests that the shallow seagrass beds might collect around 900 million plastic items in the Mediteranean every year.\u003C\u002Fp>",{"type":185,"text":186,"quotee":187,"year":188},"quote","“We show that plastic debris in the seafloor can be trapped in seagrass remains, eventually leaving the marine environment through beaching,”","Anna Sanchez-Vidal, marine biologist at the University of Barcelona","0",{"type":175,"text":190},"\u003Cp>Seagrass beds play a vital role in coastal ecosystems, providing protection against erosion and storm surges, as well as absorbing CO2 and expelling oxygen, and acting as a nursery for hundreds of species. This latest study also suggests they provide a “continuous purge of plastic debris out of the sea,” Sanchez-Vidal added.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Originating on land, these flowering plants colonised the ocean up to 100 million years ago, and now boast 70 distinct species. Found anywhere from the Arctic to the tropics, most species feature long blade-like leaves that form grass-like meadows beneath the sea. \u003C\u002Fp>",{"type":178,"image":192,"description":193,"size":181,"text":27},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.zubludiving.com\u002Fimages\u002FArticles\u002FSeagrass-Neptune-Balls\u002FPosidonia-Oceanica-seagrass.jpg","Posidonia oceanica seagrass meadow in the Mediterranean sea. Photo by: Jordi Regas, University of Barcelona",{"type":175,"text":195},"\u003Cp>Between 2018 and 2019, Sanchez-Vidal and her team counted the number of plastic particles in seagrass bundles that had washed up on beaches in Mallorca. The researchers found plastic debris in 50% of the loosely-packed bundles - around 600 bits of plastic per kilogram of leaves. Only 17% of tightly-packed seagrass bundles contained plastic particles. But those that did, collected it at a much higher density - nearly 1,500 pieces per kilogram of seagrass.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Using this data, along with estimates of seagrass fibre production in the Mediterranean the researchers were able to estimate how much plastic might be filtered throughout the entire basin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Sanchez-Vidal suggested more research might be needed to track the movements of seagrass bundles. “We don’t know where they travel,” said Sanchez-Vidal. “We only know that some of them are beached during storms.”\u003C\u002Fp>",{"type":197,"text":27},"subscribe",[199,207,217,226],{"title":200,"slug":201,"url":202,"entryType":162,"date":203,"lastUpdated":203,"banner":204,"coverImage":205,"category":167,"introduction":206},"Newborn megalodons were larger than humans","newborn-megalodons-were-larger-than-humans","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.zubludiving.com\u002Farticles\u002Fzublu-insights\u002Fnewborn-megalodons-were-larger-than-humans","03 Feb 2021","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.zubludiving.com\u002Fimages\u002FArticles\u002FBaby-megalodon-larger-than-humans\u002FNewborn-megalodon_banner.jpg","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.zubludiving.com\u002Fimages\u002FArticles\u002FBaby-megalodon-larger-than-humans\u002FNewborn-megalodon_thumb.jpg","According to an article in The Guardian, scientists believe that newborn megalodon sharks were likely taller than most adult humans.",{"title":208,"slug":209,"url":210,"entryType":162,"date":211,"lastUpdated":212,"banner":213,"coverImage":214,"category":215,"introduction":216},"5000th manta rays identified by Manta Trust","5000th-manta-rays-identified-by-manta-trust","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.zubludiving.com\u002Farticles\u002Fzublu-insights\u002F5000th-manta-rays-identified-by-manta-trust","28 Jan 2021","13 Sep 2024","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.zubludiving.com\u002Fimages\u002FArticles\u002F5000th-Manta-rays-identified-by-manta-trust\u002F5000th-Mnata-by-Manta-Trust-banner.jpg","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.zubludiving.com\u002Fimages\u002FArticles\u002F5000th-Manta-rays-identified-by-manta-trust\u002F50005h-Manta-by-Mata-trust-thumb.jpg","Ocean conservation","In December, Manta Trust reported a significant milestone reached by its pioneering Maldivian Manta Ray Project - the discovery of its 5000th reef manta ray. And to celebrate, they’re offering a lucky supporter the chance to name it.",{"title":218,"slug":219,"url":220,"entryType":162,"date":221,"lastUpdated":222,"banner":223,"coverImage":224,"category":167,"introduction":225},"Ancient whale skeleton in Thailand could hold clues to climate change","ancient-whale-skeleton-in-thailand-could-hold-clues-to-climate-change","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.zubludiving.com\u002Farticles\u002Fzublu-insights\u002Fancient-whale-skeleton-in-thailand-could-hold-clues-to-climate-change","18 Jan 2021","13 Sep 2021","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.zubludiving.com\u002Fimages\u002FArticles\u002FAncient-whale-skeleton\u002Fancient-whale-skeleton-banner.jpg","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.zubludiving.com\u002Fimages\u002FArticles\u002FAncient-whale-skeleton\u002Fancient-whale-skeleton-thumb.jpg","The Guardian has reported that a whale skeleton, thought to be up to 5,000 years old, may hold vital information about rising sea levels.",{"title":227,"slug":228,"url":229,"entryType":162,"date":230,"lastUpdated":231,"banner":232,"coverImage":233,"category":234,"introduction":235},"What to see and when -  a free guide to the best diving experiences","what-to-see-and-when","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.zubludiving.com\u002Farticles\u002Fzublu-insights\u002Fwhat-to-see-and-when","23 Sep 2020","26 Sep 2024","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.zubludiving.com\u002Fimages\u002Fbanner-what-to-see.jpg","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.zubludiving.com\u002Fimages\u002FArticles\u002FDigital-portal\u002FDigital-portal-thumb_what-to-see-guide.jpg","ZuBlu digital portal","Planning a dive holiday but not sure when and where to go? Why not start with what you’d like to see?",{"seomaticMeta":237,"seomaticHelper":256,"seomaticSiteMeta":260,"seomaticSocial":266,"seomaticIdentity":270,"seomaticCreator":276,"seomaticMainEntityOfPage":278,"seomaticTemplatePath":27},{"seoTitle":159,"seoDescription":238,"seoKeywords":239,"seoImage":165,"robots":27,"canonicalUrl":161,"twitter":240,"og":244,"breadcrumbs":254},"As reported in The Guardian, researchers have discovered that seagrass beds along the Spanish coast seem to trap ocean plastic in natural fibre-bundles known as","scuba, diving, asia, destinations, travel",{"card":241,"site":242,"creator":27,"title":159,"description":238,"image":243,"url":161},"summary","@zubludiving","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.zubludiving.com\u002Fimages\u002FPhilippines\u002FVisayas\u002FMoalboal\u002FMoalboal_Sampaguita-turtle.jpg",{"type":245,"locale":246,"url":161,"title":159,"description":238,"image":243,"image:type":247,"image:width":248,"image:height":249,"site_name":108,"see_also":250},"website","en_us","image\u002Fjpeg","2000","1331",[12,251,252,253],"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.facebook.com\u002Fzubludiving","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.instagram.com\u002Fzublu_diving","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.pinterest.com\u002Fzubludiving",{"Book your next scuba diving holiday":255},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.zubludiving.com",{"twitterUrl":12,"facebookUrl":251,"googlePlusUrl":27,"linkedInUrl":27,"youtubeUrl":27,"youtubeChannelUrl":27,"instagramUrl":252,"pinterestUrl":253,"githubUrl":27,"vimeoUrl":27,"wikipediaUrl":27,"ownerGoogleSiteVerification":27,"ownerBingSiteVerification":27,"ownerGoogleAnalyticsUID":27,"ownerGoogleTagManagerID":27,"googleAnalyticsSendPageview":257,"googleAnalyticsAdvertising":188,"googleAnalyticsEcommerce":188,"googleAnalyticsEEcommerce":188,"googleAnalyticsLinkAttribution":188,"googleAnalyticsLinker":188,"googleAnalyticsAnonymizeIp":188,"ownerCopyrightNotice":258,"ownerAddressString":27,"ownerAddressHtml":27,"ownerMapUrl":27,"creatorCopyrightNotice":259,"creatorAddressString":27,"creatorAddressHtml":27,"creatorMapUrl":27},"1","Copyright ©2026 ZuBlu.","Copyright ©2026 .",{"locale":246,"siteSeoName":108,"siteSeoTitle":147,"siteSeoTitleSeparator":261,"siteSeoTitlePlacement":262,"siteDevModeTitle":263,"siteSeoDescription":264,"siteSeoKeywords":239,"siteRobots":27,"siteLinksSearchTargets":265,"siteLinksQueryInput":27,"siteSeoImage":243},"|","after","[devMode]","ZuBlu is the leading dive travel company to search, compare and book scuba diving travel worldwide. 600+ resorts and liveaboards to choose from.",[],{"locale":246,"twitterHandle":267,"facebookHandle":267,"facebookProfileId":268,"facebookAppId":27,"linkedInHandle":27,"googlePlusHandle":27,"youtubeHandle":27,"youtubeChannelHandle":27,"instagramHandle":269,"pinterestHandle":267,"githubHandle":27,"vimeoHandle":27,"wikipediaUrl":27},"zubludiving","1843817699193883","zublu_diving",{"type":271,"name":108,"url":255,"sameAs":272,"location":273},"Corporation",[12,251,252,253],{"type":274,"name":108,"url":255,"sameAs":275},"Place",[12,251,252,253],{"type":277},"Organization",{"type":279,"name":147,"description":264,"image":280,"url":161,"mainEntityOfPage":161,"inLanguage":246,"headline":147,"keywords":239,"author":282,"copyrightHolder":286,"publisher":290,"breadcrumb":294},"WebPage",{"type":281,"url":243,"width":248,"height":249},"ImageObject",{"type":271,"name":108,"url":255,"sameAs":283,"location":284},[12,251,252,253],{"type":274,"name":108,"url":255,"sameAs":285},[12,251,252,253],{"type":271,"name":108,"url":255,"sameAs":287,"location":288},[12,251,252,253],{"type":274,"name":108,"url":255,"sameAs":289},[12,251,252,253],{"type":277,"name":108,"url":255,"sameAs":291,"location":292},[12,251,252,253],{"type":274,"name":108,"url":255,"sameAs":293},[12,251,252,253],{"type":295,"itemListElement":296},"BreadcrumbList",[297],{"type":298,"position":299,"item":300},"ListItem",1,{"@id":255,"name":147},1781508885881]