The new Mares X-Wing C-S and X-Wing C-Evo carbon fins – A review
by Nik - 1st September 2023
I was very curious about the new X-Wing Carbon fins and chose the longer X-Wing C-Evo fins because of my…
Elevated carbon dioxide levels impairs cone snails’ hunting skills
by Mares - 7th February 2017
Cone Snails become hyperactive and “meandered around” Cone snails are expected to find it hard to catch their prey if…
Life on the Cambodian edge – Koh Ach Seh, Cambodia
by Andi - 30th April 2024
Following a grueling four-hour drive from Phnom Penh, we arrived in Kep, Cambodia. Though exhausted after our journey from Hanoi,…
Shifting Baselines – Hong Kong, Sar
by Andi - 18th April 2024
The research team had warned us upfront about the perilous diving experience ahead. One not marked by surreal encounters with…
Leatherback sea turtles
by Franco and Sabrina - 18th January 2024
A leatherback turtle swimming gracefully through the open ocean is arguably one of the most majestic sights in the natural…
Baja California Sur Safari – 2023 season
by Franco and Sabrina - 28th November 2023
It’s easy to understand why we return to Mexico's Baja California Sur almost every year. The five destinations we visit…
Colourful Forests of the Seas
by Ivana and Janez - 28th July 2023
Gorgonias are my favourite soft corals. In my opinion, they are magical; they look like mini trees or bonsais under…
Are you looking for a mermaid?
by Franco and Sabrina - 26th May 2023
Okay then, get ready and hurry up before it's too late. Mermaids? Are you sure? All right, well, let's look…
The Triton Snail
by Ivana and Janez - 7th October 2022
In Greek mythology, Triton, son of Poseidon and god of the sea, is often depicted blowing a horn/shell that looks…
Planting Corals
by Ivana and Janez - 1st September 2022
The importance of corals and coral reefs for life on our planet is well-known, that's why it's not surprising that the…
Discover Starfish!
by Ivana and Janez - 29th July 2022
Famous not only on the TV thanks to cartoon character Patrick the Star, these animals are actually not fish, but…
7 easy ways to be an eco-friendly diver
by Kathryn - 6th June 2022
Whether you are diving close to home or venturing overseas, there are many easy ways you can become a more…
Freediving Under Ice
by Nik - 31st March 2022
Freediving under ice can be very demanding, but at the same time it is the perfect challenge in order to…
Baja California Sur – The Sea of Cortez – A fascinating mystery (Chapter Two)
by Franco and Sabrina - 10th March 2022
Imagine swimming above thousands of small Munk’s Pigmy Devil rays (mobula munkiana) gliding slowly in warm water. You cannot see the…
How Cara Lost Her Color
by Ivana and Janez - 10th December 2020
Ivana OK: What are you by profession? I’m a marine naturalist. In a complete leap of faith, I moved to…
School’s Out
by Imran - 3rd February 2020
“Safety in numbers is the hypothesis that, by being part of a large physical group or mass, an individual is…
Wonderland
by Imran - 23rd January 2020
Some of the most magical time spent photographing underwater is when you capture images which people least expect to look…
Spicy as always
by Imran - 8th January 2020
Banda Neira is one of ten volcanic islands in the Banda Archipelago, in the Maluku province, eastern Indonesia. On our…
Freshwater in salty water – Underwater springs
by Ivana and Janez - 15th October 2019
You have certainly, at some point, experienced an area where cold water rises up from the deep. It might be…
Orca Freediving Academy
by Nik - 1st March 2019
ORCA Freediving Academy - Das Mares Test Center DIE KOOPERATION DER ORCA-DIVECLUBS, MARES UND NIK LINDER Die ORCA Diveclubs sind…
Corals are the perfect models
by Ivana and Janez - 4th October 2018
Looking at wonderful, colourful, tropical coral reefs, many people believe that the organisms responsible for these structures are plant based.…
The Prettiest of Worms
by Ivana and Janez - 4th April 2018
When we think of worms, these colourful, feathery, flower-like creatures are not the first things that come to mind. Their…
Increasing nutrient input has implications for food webs in the Arctic Ocean
by Herbert - 13th February 2018
Scientists find surprising evidence of rapid changes in the Arctic Scientists have found surprising evidence of rapid Arctic climate change:…
Ocean acidification affects mussels in early life stages
by Herbert - 11th January 2018
Marine scientists show impact of acidification on mussel larvae Shells have a hard, calcareous shell to protect themselves against environmental…
Cuttlefish: underestimated players in the ocean
by Herbert - 9th January 2018
Squids play an important role in the food web and in the carbon cycle Squid are marine creatures with fascinating…
EU project Nunataryuk investigates effects of permafrost thaw
by Herbert - 27th November 2017
Fragile Arctic environment threatened by retreating permafrost Permafrost makes up a quarter of the land mass in the Northern Hemisphere.…
Nutrient Mix enables phytoplankton to flourish
by Herbert - 6th November 2017
Combination of nutrients is necessary to promote plankton growth For the food webs in the ocean and processes such as…
Scientists present research results on ocean acidification
by Herbert - 31st October 2017
Ocean acidification and warming affect life in the sea In November 2017, the final phase of the German research association…
Marine Snowfall at Equator
by Herbert - 13th October 2017
Detailed picture of biological particle flow to deep sea along the equator Animal excrement and parts of dead organisms constantly…
9th Rebreather Reunion Hemmoor Germany
by Herbert - 4th September 2017
Meeting took place on 25 to 27 August 2017 On August 25th to 27th, the ninth "Rebreather Reunion Hemmoor Germany"…
Virus reprograms ocean plankton
by Herbert - 24th August 2017
Infected plankton cells absorb more nutrients A virus that infects plankton can reprogram cells and thus alter the way the…
Underwater robot “TRAMPER” to surface after a year in the Arctic deep sea
by Herbert - 22nd August 2017
Helmholtz Alliance ROBEX tested innovative technologies on expedition On Tuesday, August 22nd, the research vessel Polarstern will set off on…
Mangroves: “Forests on stilts” in dire straits
by Herbert - 26th July 2017
Half of the world's mangroves already destroyed, says WWF on World Mangrove Day Today, on World Mangrove Day (26 July…
‘Weedy’ fish species to dominate future oceans due to ocean acidification
by Herbert - 24th July 2017
Such fish are “marine equivalent to rats” For the first time, researchers at University of Adelaide have demonstrated that the…
Changes in atmospheric CO2 concentration can cause temperature fluctuations
by Mares - 22nd June 2017
Scientists use climate models to investigate fluctuations During the last Ice Age, the influence of atmospheric carbon dioxide on the…
Iron deficiency inhibits marine microbes
by Herbert - 26th May 2017
Scientists discover important process in nutrient cycle in tropical North Atlantic Iron has been identified as an important nutrient for…
Kiel Fjord as training ground for mussels
by Mares - 4th May 2017
Genetic adaptation likely to have occurred over many generations Mussels from the Kiel Fjord were discovered to be able to…
Ocean acidification causes coralline algae to adjust internal chemistry
by Herbert - 25th April 2017
Some species show higher tolerance than others For the first time, a new study has revealed that coralline algae, which…
Biorock project Curacao
by Herbert - 27th February 2017
Artifical reefs help to preserve valuable ecosystemsCuracao's intact coral reefs belong to the most popular attraction for divers and snorkelers.…
New ocean measuring station at Boknis Eck
by Mares - 1st February 2017
GEOMAR and Helmholtz Center Geesthacht install new sensor node in Baltic Sea Boknis Eck (Boknis Corner) – a name familiar…
Studying the effects of coastal erosion in the Arctic
by Mares - 18th January 2017
The thawing and erosion of the arctic permafrost coasts has increased so drastically in the past that more than 20…
Clam shells used to compile 1,000 yr record of ocean climate
by Herbert - 19th December 2016
As a postdoctoral researcher at Bangor University in Wales from 2007 to 2009, Alan Wanamaker started the compilation of a…
New underwater observatory to monitor zooplankton
by Herbert - 10th December 2016
Scientists from the Thünen Institute of Sea Fisheries, Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI) and Helmholtz-Zentrum Geesthacht (HZG) have placed an optical-acoustic…
Tracing how the relationship between corals and algae began
by Mares - 26th November 2016
How corals met algae: Tracing how their symbiotic relationship startedThe symbiotic relationship between algae and modern corals began more than…
The greatest ocean safari on the planet!
by Morne Hardenberg - 19th October 2016
Every year, over the months of June/July, we spend 40 days on South Africa's "Wild Coast" waiting for the mass…
Environmental factors, not just climate change, can also affect isotopic composition of corals
by Mares - 28th September 2016
Important details found in calcium carbonate skeletons of corals The calcium carbonate skeletons of corals retain important details about their…
Photo exhibition on ocean acidification opens at GEOMAR
by Mares - 27th September 2016
A new photo exhibition by two nature photographers centres on the organisms on which climate change research is currently focused…
Two-thirds of zooplankton at tropical coral reefs lost to ocean acidification
by Herbert - 24th September 2016
Ocean acidification can fundamentally change the structure of the reef Tropical coral reefs can lose up to two-thirds of their…