![Alex](https://blog.mares.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/UK21_am-19240-copy-150x150.jpg)
Underwater Photographer of the Year 2024
by Alex - 24th April 2024
One of the highlights of my year is chairing the judging panel and presenting the winners of the Underwater Photographer…
![Ivana and Janez](https://blog.mares.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/ivana-i-janez-Medium-550x367-1-150x150.jpg)
Lightweight Kit for Video and Photography
by Ivana and Janez - 23rd January 2024
Most lovers of the underwater world like to share what they experience while diving. Even as a professional photographer, I…
![Alex](https://blog.mares.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/UK21_am-19240-copy-150x150.jpg)
Coral Connections – Awarded in the Wildlife Photographer of the Year
by Alex - 20th December 2023
I am enjoying a great run of success in the most prestigious nature photography contest of them all – the…
![Alex](https://blog.mares.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/UK21_am-19240-copy-150x150.jpg)
Photographing History
by Alex - 26th September 2023
Like many people, my highlight of a Red Sea trip is often diving on the wreck of SS Thistlegorm, with…
![Franco and Sabrina](https://blog.mares.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/1216329-Franco-e-Sabrina-150x150.jpg)
The Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation Environmental Photography Award 2023
by Franco and Sabrina - 9th June 2023
Occasionally I enter prestigious international photo contests. The selected pictures have the power to leave a mark, spread knowledge, foster…
![Dan](https://blog.mares.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/107609215_3999721133433839_4862193931765128460_o-1-150x150.jpg)
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…
![Alex](https://blog.mares.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/UK21_am-19240-copy-150x150.jpg)
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…
![Alex](https://blog.mares.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/UK21_am-19240-copy-150x150.jpg)
Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2022: Bootlace Barcode
by Alex - 28th October 2022
It is fantastic to be awarded in the Wildlife Photographer of the Year contest again, the premier contest in nature…
![Alex](https://blog.mares.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/UK21_am-19240-copy-150x150.jpg)
Underwater Photographer of the Year 2022
by Alex - 16th February 2022
These are a few of the stunning winners from the latest edition of the prestigious Underwater Photographer of the Year…
![Ivana and Janez](https://blog.mares.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/ivana-i-janez-Medium-550x367-1-150x150.jpg)
Shark Behaviour on the Alimatha Reef – Capturing the photo
by Ivana and Janez - 10th February 2022
Nature’s behaviour surprises us every day... Alimatha reef, which is famous for the large number of sharks that live in…
![Alex](https://blog.mares.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/UK21_am-19240-copy-150x150.jpg)
Wildlife Photographer of the Year
by Alex - 20th October 2021
The Wildlife Photographer of the Year is regarded universally as the pinnacle of nature photography competitions. It is arguably the…
![Alex](https://blog.mares.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/UK21_am-19240-copy-150x150.jpg)
Scottish Freediving Photography
by Alex - 30th August 2021
The chilly waters of Scotland do not attract many visiting divers but they should. Scotland’s geologically splintered coastline means that…
![Damir](https://blog.mares.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Damir-Zurub-150x150.jpg)
8th Mares Underwater Photo Marathon 2020
by Damir - 3rd June 2020
Another very competitive Mares Underwater Photo Marathon has come to an end. We are proud to say that the 8th…
![Mares](https://blog.mares.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Mares_blog-2-150x150.jpg)
Davide Lombroso wins his 5th Italian Underwater Photography title!
by Mares - 16th October 2019
Incredible performances from the underwater photographers of Team Mares continue! Davide Lombroso of CI CA SUB Seatram in Bogliasco, Italy…
![Marjan Radovic](https://blog.mares.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/marjan-radovic-2-150x150.jpg)
Freediving – Marjan Radovic photographs Tijana Nikolic
by Marjan Radovic - 4th September 2019
Freediving is an activity as old as humanity itself. More than any other sport, freediving is based on subconscious reflexes…
![Mares](https://blog.mares.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Mares_blog-2-150x150.jpg)
Mares Interviews: Underwater Photographers Ivana Orlovic Kranjc and Janez Kranjc!
by Mares - 18th October 2018
Recently we caught up with photographers and Mares ambassadors Ivana Orlovic Kranjc and Janez Kranjc. They have been representing and…
![b_rad](https://blog.mares.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/IMG_2592-150x150.jpg)
“Shark Splits” Photography Workshop in Yap, Micronesia
by b_rad - 13th April 2018
MantaFest photography workshop & image festival is going on it’s 11th year and ever-evolving with new advanced workshops and shooting…
![b_rad](https://blog.mares.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/IMG_2592-150x150.jpg)
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".…
![b_rad](https://blog.mares.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/IMG_2592-150x150.jpg)
Take part in the 11th Annual Manta Fest Photo Festival!
by b_rad - 2nd February 2018
Learn Pictorial Design in UW Photography Balance, harmony, pattern, unity, contrast, proportion, variety and movement in your image, is pictorial…
![b_rad](https://blog.mares.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/IMG_2592-150x150.jpg)
The “Biggest” Little Photo Workshop in the Diving Industry
by b_rad - 6th September 2017
The biggest in prizes that is. This summer some photographers are going to win almost $10,000 in Mares gear along…
![Franco and Sabrina](https://blog.mares.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/1216329-Franco-e-Sabrina-150x150.jpg)
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…
![Mares](https://blog.mares.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Mares_blog-2-150x150.jpg)
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…
![b_rad](https://blog.mares.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/IMG_2592-150x150.jpg)
Unique Mares Photog Party, Micronesia
by b_rad - 8th July 2016
MantaFest is an annual international photography festival held in Yap at Manta Ray Bay Resort & Yap Divers that is known for being…
![Mares](https://blog.mares.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Mares_blog-2-150x150.jpg)
Photo mosaic marks successful end to expedition
by Mares - 22nd September 2015
Scientists return to ploughed seafloor to assess condition of terrain Imagine gigantic unmanned crawler vehicles moving along pre-programmed paths on…
![Ivana and Janez](https://blog.mares.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/ivana-i-janez-Medium-550x367-1-150x150.jpg)
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…
![Andi](https://blog.mares.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Andi-Cross-150x150.jpg)
Blue Whales in the Balance – Mirissa, Sri Lanka
by Andi - 28th May 2024
Off the coast of Mirissa, Sri Lanka, it felt like we had the whole ocean to ourselves. It was barely…
![Ivana and Janez](https://blog.mares.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/ivana-i-janez-Medium-550x367-1-150x150.jpg)
A mysterious fleet at the bottom of Lake Ohrid
by Ivana and Janez - 20th May 2024
In North Macedonia, at the bottom of Lake Ohrid, there is a mysterious sunken fleet. The ships sank during World…
![Alex](https://blog.mares.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/UK21_am-19240-copy-150x150.jpg)
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…
![Kathryn](https://blog.mares.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/SSI-Grey-Logo-150x150.jpg)
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…
![Andi](https://blog.mares.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Andi-Cross-150x150.jpg)
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…
![Ivana and Janez](https://blog.mares.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/ivana-i-janez-Medium-550x367-1-150x150.jpg)
Gobies – Small, cute and sneaky
by Ivana and Janez - 15th April 2024
There are more than 2000 species of gobies in one of the largest bony fish family, Gobiidae. They can be found…
![Andi](https://blog.mares.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Andi-Cross-150x150.jpg)
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…
![Ivana and Janez](https://blog.mares.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/ivana-i-janez-Medium-550x367-1-150x150.jpg)
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".…
![Andi](https://blog.mares.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Andi-Cross-150x150.jpg)
Mares goes to the Edges of Earth to transform online discourse with ocean good news
by Andi - 14th March 2024
Love it or hate it, social media is here to stay. And unfortunately, its general discourse has become harder to…
![Nik](https://blog.mares.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/admin-ajax.php_-150x150.jpg)
Apnea Under Ice – The Ultimate Challenge
by Nik - 29th February 2024
Diving under ice is a huge challenge both for the diver and their equipment. This is the third time I have organized…
![Alex](https://blog.mares.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/UK21_am-19240-copy-150x150.jpg)
Diving with Dragons
by Alex - 15th February 2024
The northern islands of Wolf and Darwin are the most famous dive spots in Galapagos, but the highlight of my…
![Ivana and Janez](https://blog.mares.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/ivana-i-janez-Medium-550x367-1-150x150.jpg)
Deepspot – The deepest pool in Europe
by Ivana and Janez - 8th February 2024
They say Warsaw is the most beautiful in December, when the Christmas and New Year atmosphere engulfs it. We had the…
![Alex](https://blog.mares.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/UK21_am-19240-copy-150x150.jpg)
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…
![Kathryn](https://blog.mares.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/SSI-Grey-Logo-150x150.jpg)
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…
![Franco and Sabrina](https://blog.mares.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/1216329-Franco-e-Sabrina-150x150.jpg)
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…
![Mares](https://blog.mares.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Mares_blog-2-150x150.jpg)
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...…
![Alex](https://blog.mares.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/UK21_am-19240-copy-150x150.jpg)
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…
![Marjan Radovic](https://blog.mares.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/marjan-radovic-2-150x150.jpg)
Finding an underwater archaeological site
by Marjan Radovic - 7th December 2023
Diving is not just a sport, but an adventure that opens up doors to an underwater world full of mysteries…
![Franco and Sabrina](https://blog.mares.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/1216329-Franco-e-Sabrina-150x150.jpg)
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…
![Ivana and Janez](https://blog.mares.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/ivana-i-janez-Medium-550x367-1-150x150.jpg)
The submerged church of Saint Archangel Michael – Lake Rovni, Serbia
by Ivana and Janez - 17th November 2023
Not far from Valjevo, on the river Jablanica, near the villages of Stubo and Rovni, a dam was built for…
![Ivana and Janez](https://blog.mares.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/ivana-i-janez-Medium-550x367-1-150x150.jpg)
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…
![Ivana and Janez](https://blog.mares.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/ivana-i-janez-Medium-550x367-1-150x150.jpg)
Diving the HTMS Sattakut wreck – Thailand
by Ivana and Janez - 17th October 2023
The Gulf of Thailand hides many interesting sites for divers beneath its surface. One of these world-class locations is the…
![Alex](https://blog.mares.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/UK21_am-19240-copy-150x150.jpg)
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…