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…
My First Encounter with a Dugong
by Semra - 15th January 2019
Hello everybody and Happy New Year! Welcome to my latest blog! In my last blog I wrote about the 10…
Madeirense Shipwreck – Porto Santo, Portugal
by Ivana and Janez - 19th July 2024
For me, volcanic islands have always seemed to hold special secrets, and nothing is different with Porto Santo, Portugal. It…
Exploring Raja Ampat
by Alex - 16th May 2024
I am fortunate to dive and travel widely while running underwater photography workshop trips. Everyone is always excited before these…
5 great reasons to go diving in Japan
by Kathryn - 9th May 2024
With its rich culture, stunning landscapes, and diverse underwater ecosystems, Japan offers an unparalleled diving experience that beckons adventurers from…
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…
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…
The master of camouflage – The prickly leather-jacket fish
by Ivana and Janez - 18th March 2024
When we saw the pictures that our photographer Janez Kranjc had taken, we joked that he had found a "hairy fish".…
Galapagos – Diving Turned Up To 11
by Alex - 5th February 2024
Ecuador’s Galapagos Islands are an archipelago consisting of 13 main islands (five of which are inhabited), seven minor islands and…
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…
Blackwater in Anilao
by Alex - 26th December 2023
Anilao is a great muck diving destination, particularly famed for nudibranchs, frogfish, octopus and many more A-list critters. It is also…
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…
Love manatees and dugongs? Here’s where you can swim with them
by Kathryn - 21st November 2023
The gentle giants of the sea, manatees and dugongs have captured the hearts of many with their endearing presence and…
Liveaboard diving 101: Everything you need to know before you go
by Kathryn - 11th September 2023
Imagine waking up to the gentle rocking of a boat, the sun rising over crystal-clear waters, and the promise of…
The Mares Sirius computer – Providing enhanced readability!
by Mares - 24th August 2023
The readability of a dive computer is crucial for several reasons, as it directly impacts the safety and overall dive…
Tubbataha Dreams
by Alex - 4th August 2023
When I think of diving in the Philippines, I tend to think of amazing reef critters: frogfish, nudibranchs, ghost pipefish…
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.…
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…
Arctic Aur-Orca
by Alex - 26th December 2022
It is definitely the best snorkelling experience in Europe, and it is probably the best underwater experience too. Each winter,…
Canada: Bursting with Life
by Alex - 16th December 2022
For my final blog post on my visit to Canada, I want to turn my attention fully to the attraction…
Eagle Rays (Myliobatidae)
by Ivana and Janez - 17th August 2022
Eagle rays are a group of cartilaginous fish (fish that have skeletons made out of cartilage instead of bones), closely…
Presenting the Mares App!
by Mares - 15th July 2022
Mares is excited to announce the Mares App - Everything you need to dive, in the palm of your hand! Download…
Marvellous Mexican Mantas
by Alex - 4th July 2022
There isn’t a more wonderful ocean creature to spend time with than the manta. Despite their huge size, these graceful…
Run…Sardine Run
by Ivana and Janez - 20th June 2022
I am well aware of how privileged we are to be doing this job. This time, our passion for scuba…
12 Great Places to go Diving in New Zealand
by Kathryn - 23rd May 2022
With more than 1,500 km of coastline and around 600 islands, hosting everything from subtropical islands to dramatic fiords, New…
The orange colours of Ribnicko Lake
by Ivana and Janez - 8th April 2022
At the start of this year, Mares Ambassadors Ivana OK and Janez Kranjc embarked on an icy adventure on Zlatibor mountain in central Serbia... It has been about…
X-Wing Pro and Spyder mask – Now available in brown
by Mares - 29th March 2022
By popular demand, our X-Wing Pro fins and Spyder mask are now available in brown! Discover more on Mares.com! The…
Cayman Reunion
by Alex - 17th March 2022
After two years away, it was fabulous to return to the Cayman Islands this January. I have been running underwater…
The Last of the Summer in the Red Sea
by Alex - 25th January 2022
The Red Sea is always sunny, but by the time I visited, as November gave way to December, the endless…
Dolphins and a Dog!
by Alex - 5th January 2022
One of the big lures of the underwater world is that it is ripe for exploration and discovery. It is…
Tiger Sharks
by Ivana and Janez - 15th December 2021
Tiger Sharks are one of the largest predatory sharks, shadowed only by the Great White. Female Tiger Sharks are larger…
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…
Coral Spawning and Hope in the Maldives
by Alex - 22nd November 2021
I normally plan my travel meticulously, paying special attention to the season and the lunar tidal cycle. I find this…
Maldives Underwater Initiative
by Mares - 4th October 2021
The Maldives is world famous for its picturesque turquoise waters, white sandy beaches, and rainbow reefs. A vast underwater mountain…
Whale Memories
by Dan - 19th August 2021
About this time every year, humpback whales travel from Antarctica to the warm waters of the Pacific to calve. Sadly,…
‘Baitball’ watching in the open sea
by Gerald - 12th July 2021
"May the god of the sea spoil you with happiness and let a mighty school of fish slide over your…
Crinoids – Flowers of the reef
by Franco and Sabrina - 14th June 2021
One of the things that struck me most during the first dives I made in Papua New Guinea, and especially the…
The largest animals ever to have lived on Earth!
by Franco and Sabrina - 17th December 2020
The southern coast of Sri Lanka may turn out to be one of the best international hotspots for seeing blue…
The Islands of Socorro
by Damir - 28th September 2020
I believe that most divers have a list of destinations they would like to visit and dive at. Socorro is…
Motivation For Winter Diving
by Dan - 24th August 2020
Winter. Is. Here. Any diver dreads these 3 words, especially if you live in a colder climate. New Zealand, although…
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 Beautiful Beast
by Franco and Sabrina - 10th April 2020
Being based in Switzerland, when I’m not travelling abroad, I like to discover what lives in the freshwaters of Europe.…
Zenobia – An Enchanting Giant
by Ivana and Janez - 13th March 2020
There are a huge number of sunken ships in the seas and oceans. Each one of them has its own…
Revisiting a Classic: Thailand’s 8 Best Dives
by LiveAboard - 20th December 2019
For budget-friendly tropical liveaboard diving and encounters with everything from ocean giants to tiny macro treasures, you can’t beat Thailand.…
Nestled in the seventh continent – Iceberg diving in the Antarctic
by Gerald - 17th December 2019
Being in the Antarctic has always been my dream. In an unforeseen way, it has now come true. As a…
Groupers – The gentle giants of the oceans
by Ivana and Janez - 26th November 2019
Groupers belong to the Serranidae family, which they share with Sea basses, living in the warmer waters of most oceans.…
14 Marine Protected Areas to Dive in 2020
by LiveAboard - 22nd November 2019
Looking for a new dive destination for 2020? We’ve got you covered with 14 of the best marine protected areas…