Big Hermit crab
Swimming, Snorkeling and Diving to See and Watch the Big Hermit crab
The Big Hermit crab is ten centimeters long, including the legs and claws, and red-colored. It dwells on rocky environments, cavities, walls at a depth of 100 m.
It lives with a sea anemone in close collaboration, as the latter is fixed to the shell. Its shell can be entirely covered with anemones. It has to carry all this weight in spite of its small size. Not all empty shells are covered with anemones.
The Big hermit crab then seizes a sea anemone with its claw and sets it on its shell. The anemone does not resist. The hermit crab can also change anemones as it changes shells for lack of space. It can also abandon the anemone with the shell.
When it moves too quickly, the anemone secretes white and mauve itching filaments.
CHECK SEASONALITY
Dardanus calidus
Macro
Bernard-l’ermite, Grand Pagure, Big Hermit crab
Food
Big Hermit crab hunts at night, catching prey that swim within range of attack, mainly sea slugs. It also eats the rest of the sea anemones' meal.
Breeding
Like most crustaceans called decapods, eggs are incubated on the female's abdomen and will give birth to larvae.
Dive centers
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European Diving School Hyères
France
- La Capte/Hyères
  
The European Diving School is located in the Kon Tiki campsite, at the edge of the sandy beach of Pampelonne, near St-Tropez. European Diving School is open from the beginning of May until the end of September. However, groups are also welcome after this period. Alex, the owner of European Diving School is a diving instructor. He will welcome you in your own language in German, English, French, and Spanish as the atmosphere here is very cosmopolitan with divers from all over Europe. European Diving School is the reference center for Germans on the Mediterranean coast.
The European Diving School offers a wide range of PADI and CMAS courses, both recreational and tek, for all levels of divers, from beginners with first dives, to the most experienced, with specialties such as Wreck Diving, Wreck Diving. The European Diving School environment is adapted to Tek divers, associations, and families. Trimix is available upon reservation and Nitrox 32 is free. The cylinder valves have a double-DIN or INT outlet.
Discover with European Diving School, the best dive sites of St-Tropez like the Grande queyrolle, the Sardinaux, the Arche, the Rabiou. as well as very popular wreck diving spots, dating from the first and second world war, such as the submarine Rubis, the destroyer Poursuivante, Espingnole as well as cargo ships such as the Togo, the Prophète and the Tell Take part with European Diving School in day trips with lunch in the Port-Cros harbor, organized in the Port-Cros National Park. Dive at La Gabinière among barracudas and big groupers. [+]
- Accomodations and diving
- Free Nitrox
- Protected Marine Park
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H2O Sainte Maxime
France
- Sainte Maxime
  
The H20 Saint Maxime diving center is located at the beginning of the Léon Condroyer quay, at the entrance of a mini shopping mall, 60 m from the harbor master's office, on the Môle, in the port of Sainte Maxime. Divers meet at the center at 9 am and 2.30 pm every day from 1 April to 30 November. The rest of the year, groups are welcome from December 1st to March 30th by appointment. Individual divers are welcome on Saturdays and Sundays.
Franck welcomes you in his shop with the biggest diving brands and equipment to buy or rent.
Less than 50 m from the premises, you can board one of the two diving and snorkeling boats, La Piguette and Le Cyclone, with a shower on board, for a trip of about 2h30. The H20 Sainte Maxime diving school offers training courses with FFESSM, ANPM, PADI, and SSI certifications, which are given by qualified instructors. You have access to the best diving sites of Saint-Tropez and Cavalaire on one side, and to the diving spots of Issambres on the other. You have a beautiful playground with the most beautiful wrecks in the Mediterranean, including the Aritay at 30 m, the Relax at 35 m, and the Rubis at 45 m.
About forty very varied diving sites, adapted to all levels, are spread out in this area. Ask for photos and videos of your dives, as a souvenir of those good times. Don't forget your USB stick! Non-divers can walk around the center of Sainte Maxime. A special rate is granted to them if they go by boat with fins, masks, and snorkels. The H2O Sainte Maxime club is also ideal for stays without a vehicle, by staying at the Hotel des Palmiers, located 100 m away, or the Univac holiday center, which is very suitable for groups. [+]
- Near Downtown area
- Different diving area
- Carry Less Equipment
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Port Fréjus Plongée
France
- Fréjus

The diving school Port Fréjus Plongée is located in Fréjus, Saint Raphaël, on the French Riviera, in the Var. Port Fréjus Plongée operates all year round. In advance, make an appointment in winter for individuals and groups. Port Fréjus Plongée is an FFESSM commercial structure but also a PADI dive center, so don't hesitate to train there from Beginner to Divemaster levels. Do you want to dive with Nitrox ? Then let us know 24 hours in advance! Good deal: equipment is included in all courses.
Karin and her team of passionate instructors are waiting for you to discover the Mediterranean underwater world, to share unforgettable diving memories with them, through a first dive, a training, an exploration, or snorkeling. The Port Fréjus Plongée premises are located 4 meters from the boats. You don't have to make any effort to load and unload your equipment! You can embark on the boat La Palanquée, with a capacity of 20 divers, or on Le Kapor, a semi-rigid boat for 14 divers.
The diving sites are varied and accessible to all levels of divers. They range from the Cap Roux nature reserve, Cap Anthéor, Cap Dramont, the Lion de Mer et de Terre, the Sardinaux in the Gulf of Saint-Tropez and the Rubis wreck. Karin regularly offers for sale equipment initially intended for rental. You can buy masks, fins, booties, gloves, and small equipment on the spot. Diving comics and PADI books are also for sale in the shop. Accommodation at all price points is within a 5-minute walk. [+]
- Stay without a car
- fast boat
- Friendly atmosphere
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Unisub
Spain
- l’Estartit (Girona)
   
The Unisub diving centre is located in l'Estartit, on the Costa Brava, Spain, 30 kilometres from the town of Girona. Unisub's premises are also adapted to accommodate groups with full equipment hire, a repair workshop, a conference and projection room, and transport of equipment to the boats. Your personal equipment can be stored on the premises. Embark on 2 to 4 sea trips per day, depending on the season.
The instructors of the Unisub training centre generally welcome you in your own language to follow the PADI and FFESSM courses, from baptism to Rescue Diver. They make it a point of honour to satisfy their clients. The best spots in L'Estartit are located in the nature reserve of the Medes Islands, popular with divers from all over Europe. This small archipelago is a beautiful natural site in Catalonia, located one mile from L'Estartit. Composed of seven islets, several reefs offer very interesting underwater routes.
The coastline extends underwater in steep drop-offs with underwater caves. At Unisub you will enjoy a programme with a mix of the best dive sites in l'Estartit, either on the coast with Les Salines, Negre del Falaguer, El Rossinyol, Puig de la Sardina, La Pedrosa, El Reggio, La Ferriola, or around the Medes Islands with El Salpatxot, Pedra de Déu, El Medallot, Pota de Llop, La Vaca. Take advantage of Unisub's great prices with the hotel or flat stays including 10 dives. A good little restaurant serves as a canteen for divers and offers a daily menu. Unisub is a very well known centre for former divers as it exists since 1960. [+]
- Welcome groups
- Protected Marine Park
- Near beach
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Lavandou Plongée
France
- Le Lavandou

The diving center Lavandou Plongée is located at the Labbé quay, in the new Port of Lavandou. The sea outings take place from 8 am to 11:30 am and from 2 pm to 5:30 pm. The Lavandou Plongée diving school offers FFESSM and CMAS training courses from the first dive to Level 3. Adults and teenagers from 14 years old can take part in group or private diving lessons. Children can dive from the age of 8. They can do first dives, take advantage of a discovery pack, and benefit from Bronze Diver, Silver Diver, or Gold Diver training.
You benefit from comfortable facilities with showers and toilets in the port near Lavandou Plongée. Wifi is free for divers. Divers can take advantage of a spacious classroom, the on-site air inflation station, and free parking on the club's roof! Ask for the inflation of your Nitrox block for an optimized deco in case of deep immersion or long duration. Lavandou Plongée provides you with up to 100% oxygen. Bring your rebreathers, as bails-out and lime are available on reservation. The rental equipment is changed regularly and you have 6l, 12l, 15l, 18l tanks, and 6l deco blocks.
The best dives of Port-Cros and Porquerolles are accessible by half-day from Lavandou Plongée for all divers with a diving certificate, whatever the organization, in order to satisfy all levels of divers. Day trips to the Port-Cros and Porquerolles National Parks include 2 dives with a stopover in Port-Cros. The most beautiful dives in Le Lavandou are accessible to self-guided groups of at least 10 divers: the 11th diver gets free diving and accommodation! [+]
- Showers
- Free Parking
- Classrooms
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Where to see, swim, and dive with Big Hermit crab ?
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