
Two-thirds of zooplankton at tropical coral reefs lost to ocean acidification
by Herbert - 24th September 2016
Ocean acidification can fundamentally change the structure of the reef Tropical coral reefs can lose up to two-thirds of their…

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…

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…

Coral and Reef on coral reefs
by Ivana and Janez - 20th November 2020
Coral Man's model - Women's model Different water temperatures require different wetsuits. Of course, most of us feel comfortable when diving in…

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…

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…

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…

9 Great Liveaboard Destinations for New Divers
by LiveAboard - 27th January 2020
You’ve got your dive certification and the underwater world awaits you, but where do you dive first? Whether you want…

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.…

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…

A Paradise in Paradise
by Gerald - 29th November 2019
When tropical storm "Winston" swept over Fiji on February 20, 2016, Taveuni and Paradise Taveuni Resort were particularly hardly hit.…

Destination New Zealand: Goat Island, Auckland
by Dan - 8th November 2019
New Zealand is a destination full of exciting diving; from the deep fiords of the south island to the subtropical…

How to choose the right suit for your dive needs!
by Semra - 27th May 2019
Hello everybody and welcome to my new blog! In my last blog, I talked about why you should go on…

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 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…

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…

Trumpetfish – The forgotten cousins of seahorses
by Ivana and Janez - 6th December 2018
There are only three species of trumpetfish in the world (discovered so far anyway): the Chinese trumpetfish (Aulostomus chinensis), the…

Corals are the perfect models
by Ivana and Janez - 4th October 2018
Looking at wonderful, colourful, tropical coral reefs, many people believe that the organisms responsible for these structures are plant based.…

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…

“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…

My Mares equipment – Introducing Noam Kortler
by Noam - 27th April 2018
As a beginner diver who had just finished his Open Water course (back in 1995) my first set of equipment…

Open Ocean Research
by Submaris - 10th April 2018
The Big Blue! Finally! After three days of travelling via plane, a short delay of one day due to carnival,…

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…

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:…

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…

Storm waves from the past hold lessons for future
by Herbert - 13th November 2017
Huge boulders on coast retain clues about prehistoric storms In the Bahamas, tons of boulders have been washed onto the…

Coral Bleaching: Reefs suffer equally from El Niño and La Niña
by Herbert - 8th November 2017
Researchers study effects of coral bleaching on Western Australia's reefs Researchers from the University of Western Australia (UWA), the ARC…

Scientists present research results on ocean acidification
by Herbert - 31st October 2017
Ocean acidification and warming affect life in the sea In November 2017, the final phase of the German research association…

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…

Mangroves: “Forests on stilts” in dire straits
by Herbert - 26th July 2017
Half of the world's mangroves already destroyed, says WWF on World Mangrove Day Today, on World Mangrove Day (26 July…

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…

Freshwater sources in the sea
by Herbert - 20th July 2017
The invisible water resource In the scientific journal Earth Science Reviews, geologists Nils Moosdorf and Till Oehler from the Leibniz…

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…

Distant fish relatives share looks
by Herbert - 21st June 2017
Distant fish relatives evolve to look like one another Scientists from James Cook University (JCU) have found evidence that distantly…

Future opportunities for coral reefs
by Herbert - 8th June 2017
In spite of global warming, reefs could change but remain the same Although the world’s coral reefs are under threat,…

Iron deficiency inhibits marine microbes
by Herbert - 26th May 2017
Scientists discover important process in nutrient cycle in tropical North Atlantic Iron has been identified as an important nutrient for…

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…

Humpback whale calves whisper to keep safe
by Herbert - 27th April 2017
Vocalisations may be used to help mother and calf stay togetherTo avoid detection by killer whales, newborn humpback whales whisper…

Ocean acidification causes coralline algae to adjust internal chemistry
by Herbert - 25th April 2017
Some species show higher tolerance than others For the first time, a new study has revealed that coralline algae, which…

The massive and solitary Sphyrna Mokarran
by Franco and Sabrina - 4th April 2017
A few weeks ago I was leading a micro-group of passionate divers and UW photographers to Bimini Island, a lovely sandy…

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…

Moments of a lifetime caught on camera : Snorkelling side by side with the sperm whales of the eastern Caribbean Sea
by Franco and Sabrina - 29th November 2016
This post starts our contribution to the Mares blog, to which we are absolutely grateful, and our first post is about the…

Tracing how the relationship between corals and algae began
by Mares - 26th November 2016
How corals met algae: Tracing how their symbiotic relationship startedThe symbiotic relationship between algae and modern corals began more than…