![Alex](https://blog.mares.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/UK21_am-19240-copy-150x150.jpg)
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.…
![Ivana and Janez](https://blog.mares.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/ivana-i-janez-Medium-550x367-1-150x150.jpg)
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…
![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".…
![Mares](https://blog.mares.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Mares_blog-2-150x150.jpg)
Master of the coral reef – The Giant Moray Eel
by Mares - 12th May 2017
Sometimes ugly, sometimes frightening, and of imposing size, the Giant Moray Eel is the master of the coral reefs of…
![Mares](https://blog.mares.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Mares_blog-2-150x150.jpg)
Sharks and rays under threat from overfishing and poor fisheries management
by Mares - 3rd March 2016
A high demand for shark fins from Asian countries has been considered to be a major cause of the overfishing…
![Mares](https://blog.mares.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Mares_blog-2-150x150.jpg)
Manta ray performs acrobatic display of thanks for divers
by Mares - 3rd September 2015
Animal had fishing lines wrapped around its body In May 2015, dive instructor Paul Slater was on a group dive…
![Herbert](https://blog.mares.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Herbert-150x150.jpg)
Biology: Rays
by Herbert - 6th July 2015
The Art of “Underwater Flight” The dance of mantas in the ocean certainly leaves no diver unmoved. The majesty of…
![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)
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…
![Kathryn](https://blog.mares.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/SSI-Grey-Logo-150x150.jpg)
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…
![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…
![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…
![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…
![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...…
![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…
![Kathryn](https://blog.mares.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/SSI-Grey-Logo-150x150.jpg)
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…
![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…
![Franco and Sabrina](https://blog.mares.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/1216329-Franco-e-Sabrina-150x150.jpg)
Hanifaru Bay: In a flying vortex
by Franco and Sabrina - 10th October 2023
Are you looking to be enveloped in a flying vortex of Mantas? Get ready, it doesn't happen often. Have you ever…
![Ivana and Janez](https://blog.mares.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/ivana-i-janez-Medium-550x367-1-150x150.jpg)
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…
![Alex](https://blog.mares.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/UK21_am-19240-copy-150x150.jpg)
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…
![ivan](https://blog.mares.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/XR-Ambasador-Photo-Ivan-Stankovic-150x150.jpg)
Travel tips with a rEvo rebreather or Horizon SCR
by ivan - 17th July 2023
Traveling with diving equipment has always been a calling for divers. With airlines tightening luggage restrictions, packing for a dive…
![Mares](https://blog.mares.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Mares_blog-2-150x150.jpg)
The Shark Trust Great Shark Snapshot is back!
by Mares - 28th June 2023
For last week of July, the Shark Trust’s citizen science initiative invites divers and snorkellers around the world to record the…
![Ivana and Janez](https://blog.mares.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/ivana-i-janez-Medium-550x367-1-150x150.jpg)
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…
![Ivana and Janez](https://blog.mares.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/ivana-i-janez-Medium-550x367-1-150x150.jpg)
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.…
![Sara Banderby](https://blog.mares.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/sara-2-150x150.jpeg)
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…
![Alex](https://blog.mares.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/UK21_am-19240-copy-150x150.jpg)
Simply the best?
by Alex - 20th March 2023
It would be a great conversation topic over dinner with diving friends: What is the world’s best diving resort? I…
![Damir](https://blog.mares.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Damir-Zurub-150x150.jpg)
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…
![Dan](https://blog.mares.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/107609215_3999721133433839_4862193931765128460_o-1-150x150.jpg)
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…
![Alex](https://blog.mares.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/UK21_am-19240-copy-150x150.jpg)
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…
![Franco and Sabrina](https://blog.mares.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/1216329-Franco-e-Sabrina-150x150.jpg)
Cabo Pulmo and endless vortexes of fish (Chapter Five)
by Franco and Sabrina - 22nd November 2022
If your diving wish list includes finding yourself finning inside vortexes of different species of fish so dense as to darken…
![Ivana and Janez](https://blog.mares.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/ivana-i-janez-Medium-550x367-1-150x150.jpg)
The Mediterranean lobster
by Ivana and Janez - 13th October 2022
The Mediterranean lobster, Palinurus elephas, was named after the Roman seaport of Palinurus, known today as Palinuro, in southwestern Italy,…
![Franco and Sabrina](https://blog.mares.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/1216329-Franco-e-Sabrina-150x150.jpg)
Bahia Magdalena: Where giant travellers rest (Chapter Four)
by Franco and Sabrina - 12th September 2022
The Baja California peninsula is another world, another universe, and inside this bewitching world there is a stretch of Pacific…
![Ivana and Janez](https://blog.mares.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/ivana-i-janez-Medium-550x367-1-150x150.jpg)
Discover Starfish!
by Ivana and Janez - 29th July 2022
Famous not only on the TV thanks to cartoon character Patrick the Star, these animals are actually not fish, but…
![Ivana and Janez](https://blog.mares.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/ivana-i-janez-Medium-550x367-1-150x150.jpg)
Ragged-tooth shark (Carcharias taurus)
by Ivana and Janez - 18th July 2022
The Ragged Tooth Shark lives in oceans and seas around the world, and has different names in different regions. Around…
![Alex](https://blog.mares.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/UK21_am-19240-copy-150x150.jpg)
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…
![Franco and Sabrina](https://blog.mares.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/1216329-Franco-e-Sabrina-150x150.jpg)
Baja California Sur – Pacific Coast, Offshore Adventure (Chapter Three)
by Franco and Sabrina - 28th June 2022
In the southern part of Baja California Sur, on the Pacific Coast, the offshore high sea is a place of…
![Alex](https://blog.mares.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/UK21_am-19240-copy-150x150.jpg)
Shining a light on UK diving
by Alex - 13th June 2022
The recently updated EOS LRZ line of torches sparked the plan. Our idea was to meet up at Capernwray in the…
![Kathryn](https://blog.mares.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/SSI-Grey-Logo-150x150.jpg)
7 easy ways to be an eco-friendly diver
by Kathryn - 6th June 2022
Whether you are diving close to home or venturing overseas, there are many easy ways you can become a more…
![Kathryn](https://blog.mares.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/SSI-Grey-Logo-150x150.jpg)
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…
![Alex](https://blog.mares.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/UK21_am-19240-copy-150x150.jpg)
Classic Thrills In The Maldives
by Alex - 9th May 2022
It is not a secret that the diving around the Maldives’ central atolls, including North and South Male and Ari…
![Alex](https://blog.mares.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/UK21_am-19240-copy-150x150.jpg)
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…
![Franco and Sabrina](https://blog.mares.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/1216329-Franco-e-Sabrina-150x150.jpg)
Baja California Sur – The Sea of Cortez – A fascinating mystery (Chapter Two)
by Franco and Sabrina - 10th March 2022
Imagine swimming above thousands of small Munk’s Pigmy Devil rays (mobula munkiana) gliding slowly in warm water. You cannot see the…
![Alex](https://blog.mares.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/UK21_am-19240-copy-150x150.jpg)
Underwater Scholar
by Alex - 2nd March 2022
The Our World Underwater Scholarship Society is a unique and fascinating organisation in our community. Founded in 1974 and supported by…
![Ivana and Janez](https://blog.mares.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/ivana-i-janez-Medium-550x367-1-150x150.jpg)
Vasa – The ship and museum
by Ivana and Janez - 12th January 2022
History tells us of many grand endeavours that ended ingloriously. The story of the fate of the royal ship 'Vasa' is well-known,…
![Mares](https://blog.mares.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Mares_blog-2-150x150.jpg)
Dive Munda Youth Training Program
by Mares - 18th October 2021
We would like to congratulate Dive Munda, an SSI/Mares dive center in the Solomon Islands, for their incredible dedication to…
![Mares](https://blog.mares.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Mares_blog-2-150x150.jpg)
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…
![Ivana and Janez](https://blog.mares.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/ivana-i-janez-Medium-550x367-1-150x150.jpg)
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…