
Get to know the Batfish
by Ivana and Janez - 15th April 2022
True batfish belong to the order Platax, coming from the Greek word 'Platys', meaning 'flat', due to their distinct body…

Phoresis in the Mediterranean
by Mares - 19th January 2022
This fascinating video, captured by Mares Ambassador Pasquale Vassallo in the Mediterranean Sea, shows a Sand Crab hitching a ride on…

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…

The bearded fireworm
by Ivana and Janez - 25th October 2021
Bearded fireworm, Hermodice carunculata (Pallas, 1766) The bearded fireworm is a marine bristle worm that lives throughout the tropical coastal waters of…

Hammerhead Sharks
by Ivana and Janez - 13th September 2021
Sharks have a bad reputation and are the most feared marine species, even though attacks on humans are rare, with…

It’s a job to save the Napoleon fish!
by Ivana and Janez - 16th August 2021
The Napoleon fish is a humphead species of wrasse living in the Indo-Pacific and Red Sea coral reefs, also called…

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…

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.…

Diving in Belgium
by Thomas Van Puymbroeck - 12th January 2021
2020 has been an exceptional year with lockdowns, travel bans and corona. Most Belgians like to travel to tropical destinations…

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…

Who am I? Saint Pierre
by Ivana and Janez - 3rd August 2020
When I was asked to write about the Saint Pierre fish I had no idea what it was. Then I saw…

Marine Guide to Long-term Relationships
by Ivana and Janez - 8th June 2020
Do you remember the term 'symbiosis' from your biology classes? To refresh your memory, these are interactions between organisms that…

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…

Sea Anemones
by Ivana and Janez - 4th May 2020
Sea anemones are a group of marine animals that are predatory in nature and are closely related to jellyfish and…

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.…

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…

Clowning around in Tahiti
by Dan - 13th December 2019
Tahiti is an incredible place famous for its sharks, whales and great diving. One of my goals for this trip…

Striped Marlins (Kajikia audax)
by Franco and Sabrina - 6th December 2019
I’ve always been fascinated by Striped Marlins and wanted to take on the challenge of documenting some of their unbelievable…

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.…

Love to swim with orcas? 12 reasons to go Arctic liveaboard diving now!
by LiveAboard - 5th November 2019
The Arctic has long been known for its outstanding wildlife watching and dramatic landscapes. It offers numerous diving opportunities, but…

Jackfish
by Ivana and Janez - 17th September 2019
Why so blue, Jack? Jackfish, also known as Bluefin trevally or blue jack, are one of the most common fish…

Introduction to Mike Bolton
by Michael - 4th September 2019
Hi all, I am so stoked and honored to be a new Mares Ambassador! To be part of such a…

The Islands Of Tahiti: A Whale’s Paradise
by Dan - 6th May 2019
When someone mentions Tahiti, incredible sunsets and sipping cocktails whilst relaxing on over water bungalows comes to mind. Located in…

The Azores – In the realm of the whales
by Robert - 25th March 2019
The unique location of the Azores, in a transition zone between the cold, nutrient-rich currents from the north and the…

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…

Picasso’s muse?
by Ivana and Janez - 25th January 2019
We learn something new every day. Recently I discovered that the beautiful triggerfish is also known as the Picassofish, the…

Freshwater vs marine diving
by Ivana and Janez - 13th November 2018
For more information on Marine Ecology, check out our friends at SSI! Most of us dive in a marine environment…

Breathtaking Moments – The Great White Sharks of Guadalupe, August 2018
by Robert - 29th August 2018
MARES - WIRODIVE - NAUTILUS LIVEABOARDS See photos from the experience here. At DEMA 2017 I met up with Mike…

Blowfish, balloonfish, pufferfish, puffers, blowies, toadfish…so which one is it?
by Ivana and Janez - 15th August 2018
The name of a fish order - Tetraodontiformes - does not sound familiar to many, but when we look into…

Octopuses – They have it all!
by Ivana and Janez - 22nd June 2018
Who doesn’t like octopuses? They have it all: beautiful, smart and unique. These molluscs are part of the order ‘Octopoda’…

Diving at the Lighthouse, Portofino, Italy
by Underwater Tales by Stefano Sibona - 16th May 2018
"The lighthouse point in Portofino is one of the most suggestive sites of the promontory. A unique, spectacular environment and…

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…

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…

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…

Video footage sheds light on deep-sea food webs
by Herbert - 19th December 2017
Jellyfish and related organisms are among the most important predators The animals of the deep sea have been systematically studied…

Scientists discover flexible self-healing ability in ctenophora
by Herbert - 6th December 2017
Wound healing or regeneration – the environment decides Losing a body part is almost always an irreversible situation for humans…

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…

Bluefin tuna return to North Sea
by Herbert - 2nd October 2017
Researchers tag fish with satellite trackers After an absence of more than 50 years, the endangered bluefin tuna has returned…

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.…

Where None Have Gone Before!
by David - 8th September 2017
It's not every day that you get to dive a new site which is not only new for you, but…

The Myth of the Jellyfish
by Mares - 1st September 2017
When I asked my child what jellyfish were, she said they are half fish, half jelly… Well nothing could be…

Bahama Mamas – the Tiger Sharks of the Bahamas
by Gerald - 11th August 2017
Shark diving is probably one of the things almost every diver wants to do at least once in his life.…

Copepods rise and shine to internal genetic clocks
by Herbert - 7th August 2017
The Calanus finmarchicus is a copepod that packs a big punch. Although just two to four millimetres, this zooplankton’s genetic…

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…

‘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…