
Mesmerising creatures of the sea, yet so vicious – Misadventures with comb jellies
by Mares - 18th November 2015
Looking through the mask, it appears as if an alien lifeform is trying to communicate with the divers, flashing its…

The gentle giants
by Ivana and Janez - 2nd April 2021
Whale sharks are on many diver's bucket lists. I envy any diver that has been lucky enough to see one while diving.…

Most loved marine mammals
by Ivana and Janez - 15th January 2021
Everyone loves dolphins, and it is probably the dream of most divers to dive with dolphins, the most loved cetaceans.…

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…

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…

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: 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,…

A Windy Day in Paradise
by Dan - 22nd May 2020
Here's the worst case scenario. You've planned a brilliant dive holiday to the dive destination of your dreams. You have…

Night Time On The Reef
by Dan - 12th May 2020
Lagoon comes from the Italian word 'laguna' meaning pond or lake. Like the name suggests, a lagoon is generally a…

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…

Greenland on the Rocks
by Franco and Sabrina - 6th June 2019
I had dived under ice platforms in the chilly, cold waters of the Arctic and Antarctic several times before diving…

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 Story of Satil
by Ivana and Janez - 4th April 2019
It is often said that ships, just like people, have their destinies. The story of the sunken ship Satil (also…

Appearances can be very deceiving! The Mantis shrimp…
by Ivana and Janez - 18th March 2019
I have always thought that Mantis shrimp are one of the most beautiful creatures you can find and photograph in…

Swimming with Crocodiles
by Boaz - 4th March 2019
I can still remember the first time I went in the water with a crocodile. Feelings were intense as I…

A closer look at Aqaba Bay – Interview with Abdullah Momany
by Ivana and Janez - 7th January 2019
Abdullah Momany is the owner and manager of the Red Sea Dive Center. He is also a marine biologist who…

Mermaids? Are they real?
by Thomas Van Puymbroeck - 27th September 2018
Are mermaids real? In the olden days, sailors believed in magical, magnificent creatures which they called 'mermaids'. Now we suspect…

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…

“Caution, sea urchins!”
by Ivana and Janez - 9th May 2018
"Caution, sea urchins!" Does this sound familiar? The name ‘sea urchin’ resounds on almost every dive boat. We are always…

Clownfish
by Ivana and Janez - 3rd May 2018
What’s the world’s most famous fish? Well, I think Clark’s anemonefish is. What’s that you say? Remember Nemo? Well, Nemo…

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…

Primitive? Maybe. Ugly? Definitely not!
by Ivana and Janez - 26th March 2018
Featherstars are more scientifically known as crinoids – coming from a Greek word meaning ‘lily-like’- so it comes as no…

The Wobbegong Shark
by Ivana and Janez - 16th March 2018
When I first heard the name 'Carpet shark', I thought it was a joke. The name does not sound very…

Raja Ampat, Indonesia
by Ivana and Janez - 20th February 2018
As a Mares Ambassador, I had the honour of being a part of an extraordinary expedition, organised by the Ocean…

Mantas – the gentle giants of the seas
by Ivana and Janez - 7th February 2018
Manta rays – the diver's dream. Belonging to the family Mobulidae, there are two species of Manta Ray often seen…

Wild Papua – Looking for history
by Damir - 29th January 2018
Raja Ampat, best known for its diversity of marine life, can best be described as a coral reef on steroids:…

Blackwater Night Dive
by Ivana and Janez - 24th January 2018
To most divers, a night dive is their favourite kind of dive. Everything becomes pacified at night. The lamps we…

Cold spell in the US: frozen sharks on the beach
by Herbert - 10th January 2018
Frozen sharks wash up on the shores of the US West Coast Icy temperatures in the north and northeast of…

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…

The Lions of the Ocean
by Ivana and Janez - 1st December 2017
Lionfish (Pterois spp) are represented by 12 very closely related species. These majestic and amazing looking fish are among underwater…

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…

Increase in melting sea ice may lead to higher food supply in Arctic
by Herbert - 26th September 2017
In the Arctic, melt ponds are formed every year when snow and sea ice melt at the end of winter.…

Sea Turtle Recovery Center – Croatia
by Marjan Radovic - 7th August 2017
At the Verudela Lighthouse in Pula - Croatia, the release of sea turtles back into the wild was organized by…

The living dinosaurs of the sea
by Mares - 4th August 2017
Out of the seven species of sea turtles, six have made it onto the International Union for Conservation of Nature's…

Fun, tech diving, photo pro, friends … what else?
by Franco and Sabrina - 25th July 2017
All over Croatia the sea is crystal clear with millions of shades, promising and seductive. It embraces a strip of…

Tasmania – Seadragon World
by Gerald - 28th June 2017
Kelp forests Not many divers from Europe know this part of the world. The flight from Europe passes over a…

Adriatic Cuttlefish
by Mares - 16th June 2017
Cuttlefish or cuttles are marine animals of the order Sepiida. They belong to the class Cephalopoda, which also includes squid,…

Compass jellyfish in Boka Bay, Montenegro
by Mares - 13th May 2017
Jellyfish...so graceful and elegant, yet at the same time found in so many different colors and shapes. Their movements remind…

Marvels of the Arctic
by Herbert - 9th May 2017
Undertaking a cool journey of discovery Water temperatures of minus 3°C. It is so cold here that using salt to…

The Scuba Diver Girls meet some curious seals!
by Scuba Diver Girls - 14th April 2017
“What is that?!” I gasped as I felt something tug my fin. I glanced over at Stephanie who was on…

Haliphron atlanticus: Deep-sea octopus feeds on jellyfish
by Herbert - 30th March 2017
Octopus then uses tentacles of jellyfish to defend itself The open ocean is the largest habitat on Earth. Within this…

Yap: Manta Mania in its third year
by Herbert - 2nd March 2017
Science and fascination within one's reachEvery year, during the mating season of the manta rays in Yap, scientists and interested…

MT Haven (ex Amoco Milford Haven) – Ligurian Wrecks (Part II)
by Florent M. Locatelli - 12th January 2017
MT Haven, formerly Amoco Milford Haven, is a VLCC-class oil-tanker (Very Large Crude Carrier), in other words a super-tanker, built…

Taking the plunge at Christmas Island
by Herbert - 30th December 2016
Meeting whale sharks instead of Santa ClausOnce upon a time, there was an island, remote and distant from the rest…

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…

Life beneath the ice
by Mares - 17th October 2016
Welcome to the world beneath the ice. We're all familiar with the animals that live above the ice at the…

Exploring hydrothermal vents at Azores archipelago
by Mares - 23rd July 2016
Researchers investigate hydrothermal vents on research vessel's 30th anniversary cruise Welcome to the world of the hydrothermal vents, where organisms…

Diving into the jaws of history
by Herbert - 13th July 2016
On the trail of the giant prehistoric sharks. A chat with fossil hunter William “Bill” Eberlein William “Bill” Eberlein has…