Get close and then get closer! Underwater photography tips with Dan
by Dan - 9th May 2023
Wide angle photography is difficult to master. Small details make all the difference, it can take years of practise, some…
Dances with Stingrays
by Alex - 7th April 2023
Crystal clear turquoise water crammed with circling stingrays - there can be few more iconic images of the Cayman Islands.…
Dan’s Dive Destinations – Sydney
by Dan - 1st March 2023
Sydney, Australia, is better known for its fantastic food, nightlife and surfy vibe, but not many people know that it…
Spanish Dancer
by Ivana and Janez - 29th November 2021
Hexabranchus sanguineus, commonly known as the Spanish dancer, is a colorful marine mollusc belonging to the Gastropoda (Snails and Slugs) class…
Dan’s Guide To The Perfect Underwater Selfie
by Dan - 15th February 2021
Social media has taken over many people's lives and, as a result, selfies or self portraits are part of our…
Dan’s Dive Destinations: Shark Diving
by Dan - 31st December 2020
Diving with sharks in Fiji In my opinion, every single person should experience a shark dive just once. It can…
Dan’s Dive Destinations: Beqa Lagoon (Fiji)
by Dan - 12th October 2020
With a population of around 900,000, the stunning tropical islands of Fiji (all 332 of them) are home to the most…
Dan’s Dive Destinations: Niue
by Dan - 14th August 2020
2400km northeast of New Zealand lies a large coral atoll, only 65 kilometres in circumference and with its highest point…
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diving, fish, freediving, Mares, NewZealand, Niue, ocean, photography, SSI, travel, underwater, XR
diving, fish, freediving, Mares, NewZealand, Niue, ocean, photography, SSI, travel, underwater, XR 
Dan’s Dive Destinations: Marlborough Sounds (NZ)
by Dan - 4th August 2020
Located at the north eastern point of the South Island and making up 150km or ⅕ of New Zealand's coastline,…
Freediving Sudan
by Nik - 17th March 2020
Recently I visited Sudan for the first time to go freediving. Although I have been to the Red Sea countless…
Jellyfish Dance
by Marjan Radovic - 12th November 2019
Nowadays, jellyfish can be found all over the Adriatic. Though they may have an attractive appearance, jellyfish should be treated…
Nurse Sharks: Docile or Dangerous?
by Ivana and Janez - 29th October 2019
There are various theories as to why the nurse shark is called so; one being that the sound they make…
Scuba diving attractions in Jordan – the Lockheed TriStar L-1011 and the Underwater Military Museum
by Ivana and Janez - 2nd October 2019
The intentional scuttling of diverse sailing objects has become a well-known practice in order to create artificial underwater reefs. Usually…
Introducing Dan
by Dan - 16th May 2019
Kia ora! (Hello) My name is Dan and I am an underwater photographer and proud Mares Ambassador from Auckland, New…
The best known wrecks of Jordan
by Ivana and Janez - 16th July 2018
It is in the northernmost part of the Red Sea, at the very tip of the Gulf of Aqaba, that…
Photographer engulfed in manta ray mating dance in Yap, Micronesia
by b_rad - 12th February 2018
One of the greatest shows underwater is seeing Yap's resident manta ray population fully engaged in courtship - "dancing mantas".…
South Africa: Death of endangered humpback dolphin provokes controversy about shark nets
by Herbert - 30th August 2017
Shark nets are deadly traps for dolphins, sharks and other marine inhabitants The death of an endangered humpback dolphin (Sousa…
First DAN Academy of Dive Medicine in Columbia
by Mares - 28th August 2016
The first DAN Academy of Dive Medicine in Columbia was recently held at the Navy Base A.R.C. Bolivia in Cartagena…
Galloping Through The Sea: The Fascinating Abalone
by Ivana and Janez - 24th October 2024
When you think of oceanic wonders, majestic dolphins or playful sea otters might come to mind. But let’s not overlook…
A Flock of Marine Birds
by Franco and Sabrina - 14th October 2024
Have you ever had a flock of marine birds as dive buddies? It's definitely an unusual situation. They pierce the water's…
The spiny devilfish
by Ivana and Janez - 14th August 2024
The spiny devilfish (Inimicus didactylus) is a venomous marine fish of the Synanceiidae family. This family also includes stonefish, which are considered some…
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…
The Ripple Effect – Negros Oriental, Philippines
by Andi - 2nd April 2024
Another day, another mission. Waking to the sound of a gong made from old kitchenware, a diverse community of dedicated…
Diving in the Pacific: 7 Idyllic Islands for Scuba Divers
by Kathryn - 27th March 2024
Diving in the Pacific Islands is a bucket list vacation for many scuba divers and unsurprisingly so. Idyllic islands surrounded…
Our Encounter with the Ocean Tigers – Fiji
by Andi - 21st March 2024
As we descended into the dark and murky waters off the Fijian coast, the weight of anticipation settled in. Immediately…
6 of the best shark diving experiences for new divers
by Kathryn - 1st February 2024
For many scuba divers, going diving with sharks is a bucket-list experience and it can easily turn into a lifelong…
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…
The 10 most-read Mares blogs of 2023
by Mares - 28th December 2023
It's almost the end of 2023, and Mares would like to re-propose some of the most-read articles of the year from our blog...…
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…
Wreck Freediving
by Ivana and Janez - 9th November 2023
Freediving is exciting in itself, even more so on the wrecks of sunken ships. We recently had the opportunity to interview Nik…
Little Cayman – A special diving adventure!
by Alex - 13th October 2023
As I’ve written before, Grand Cayman is one of my favourite places to teach underwater photography. The conditions are inviting…
Komba Island – Diving under an active volcano
by Ivana and Janez - 3rd October 2023
Due to a storm and strong winds that hit the Banda Sea, we missed out on some really attractive locations…
Barracuda
by Ivana and Janez - 17th August 2023
Barracuda are extremely attractive, impressive fish. They are carnivores with long lifespans and can live longer than 14 years. The…
Magic Muck
by Alex - 30th May 2023
Lembeh, in Indonesia, is one of the world’s most celebrated dive destinations. This 10 mile long sliver of sea is…
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…
Goldfish of the Red Sea
by Ivana and Janez - 2nd May 2023
Every diver who's been to the Red Sea must have a picture with the Pseudanthias squamipinnis – Sea goldies. A very common…
Sun Boat – An artificial reef in its full glory
by Ivana and Janez - 18th April 2023
It is a well-known fact that deliberately sunk vessels become an integral part of the seabed over time. When we…
Eilat, Jerusalem, the Dead Sea – A winter adventure in Israel
by Ivana and Janez - 11th April 2023
This year's first diving expedition took us to the Israeli resort of Eilat, on the coast of the Red Sea.…
Swedish mine diving – What’s the deal?
by Sara Banderby - 3rd April 2023
What comes to mind when you think of Sweden? Alexander Skarsgård? Zlatan Ibrahimovic? Or Ingmar Bergman and Alfred Nobel? But did…
Pro’s like a Pro Therm
by Ivana and Janez - 28th March 2023
Since scuba diving is my profession, the right choice of equipment while being in my underwater office is very important.…
Crystal River: a warm, sleepy refuge for manatees
by Franco and Sabrina - 13th March 2023
Manatees (Trichecus manatus latirostris) are large, gentle mammals that would be the bugbear of any dietitian. Lazy and sedentary, during the…
A forest dive at Ponikve – “the peek-a-boo lake”
by Damir - 8th March 2023
A few of the members of RK Roniti se mora dived recently at an interesting, temporary location: Ponikve. The small…
Underwater Photographer of the Year 2023
by Alex - 24th February 2023
The winners have been announced for the 2023 edition of the Underwater Photographer of the Year contest, a competition that…
The Scribbled Leatherjacket (Aluterus scriptus)
by Ivana and Janez - 6th February 2023
Scribbled leatherjackets can be found in the lagoons and reefs of subtropical seas all over the world. Even though some…
Discover the Triggerfish!
by Ivana and Janez - 12th January 2023
Triggerfish or balistoids (from the family Balistidae) are mostly rhomboid shaped fish, almost circular, with eyes that can rotate independently…
Trust your gut – My rebreather journey to rEvo
by Sara Banderby - 3rd January 2023
My rebreather journey started like most others, with rigorous research. I read all the tutorials I could find about what…
Canada: Time & Tide
by Alex - 7th December 2022
It is good for humans to take a break from their busy lives and have a reminder that there are bigger…
