The freediving family continues to grow
by Gianluca - 1st June 2017
Another SSI Freediving Instructor course has concluded in Lerici and the freediving family continues to grow. That which was once…
Corals create structures to promote reef recovery
by Herbert - 31st May 2017
Complex underwater structures catch coral larvae Scientists have discovered that coral larvae are dependent on their parents. By creating nooks…
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…
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…
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…
Freediving – a tool for marine biology
by Fred Buyle - 5th May 2017
For my first Mares blog I have decided to write about one of the most exiting projects I’m involved in:…
Post-trip review 3 – BCDs and Torches
by MARES / SSI / rEvo Dive Expedition Team - 13th April 2017
Given the extreme nature of our dive expedition, our first choice of buoyancy device was the Donut Bladder Twin Tank…
YO-44 aka Kodiak Queen: Richard Branson to sink WWII ship that survived Pearl Harbor attack
by Herbert - 12th April 2017
Ship targetted to become artificial reef These days, weather permitting, a ship is scheduled to sink. Nothing special? In the…
Gulf of Thailand: The Burma Maru Expedition
by Herbert - 6th April 2017
Wreck Discovery in the Gulf of Thailand There was little to forewarn the fate that would strike the lone cargo…
Japan kills 333 whales in annual hunt
by Herbert - 1st April 2017
Whales supposedly killed for "research" purposes After four months at sea, the Japanese whaling fleet has returned from its controversial…
Researchers gather at Great Barrier Reef to study latest coral bleaching
by Mares - 21st March 2017
Aerial and underwater surveys to be conducted As coral bleaching strikes the Great Barrier Reef for the second year in…
Why the cockeyed squid has mismatched eyes
by Herbert - 23rd February 2017
Researchers solve mystery after examining 25 years of video footageThe animals in the deep seas comprise some of the most…
Day 8 – The last walk under the ice
by MARES / SSI / rEvo Dive Expedition Team - 21st February 2017
This morning we woke up with a smile in our faces since we knew it would be a fantastic day,…
Day 7 – rEvo Rebreather and recreational dive equipment under the Ice
by MARES / SSI / rEvo Dive Expedition Team - 20th February 2017
All team members are getting used to the schedule: 7:30am meeting and packing up the equipment – 8:00am breakfast – 8:30am loading the…
The crab with the candy cane legs
by Herbert - 13th February 2017
While on a night dive in the Caribbean, underwater photographer Ellen Muller took a photo of a “flaming reef lobster”.…
Master of lighting in the pool: Konstantin Killer
by Mares - 16th January 2017
Meet him at boot 2017Konstantin started out specialising in landscape photography in the 1980s. At that time – during those…
Map of seafloor shows new details about 2015 eruption at Axial Seamount
by Mares - 29th December 2016
The Axial Seamount, an underwater volcano about 470 kilometres off the Oregon coast, is one of the world's most active…
West Antarctica experiences accelerated glacier melting
by Mares - 13th December 2016
Research will lead to better predictions about rising sea levelsThe fastest ongoing rates of glacier retreat ever recorded have been…
What happened on the 12th of September 1944 between the Italian and Balkan battlefronts?
by Franco and Sabrina - 2nd December 2016
A few weeks ago I reached a special expedition of professional divers and technicians with the aim of photographing and…
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…
Whales: The killing continues…
by Herbert - 28th November 2016
Japanese whaling ships set off on lethal missionDespite having adopted a new method to control their scientific whaling activities at…
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…
A goodbye to Enzo Maiorca from Gianluca Genoni
by Gianluca - 21st November 2016
Dear Enzo, As you well know, under certain circumstances I don’t particularly like to say anything, it’s too easy to…
Best Guadalupe Season Since 2012!
by Morne Hardenberg - 18th November 2016
We have just completed two EPIC expeditions to Isla Guadalupe off the west coast of Baja Peninsula! The volcanic island…
Free-diving legend Enzo Maiorca dies at age of 85
by Herbert - 15th November 2016
A great fighter, a fine spirit On 21 June 1931, he was brought into this world in Syracuse, Sicily. Today,…
Greenpeace gathers 24,000 signatures against oil drilling in national park
by Mares - 12th November 2016
High price for just a little oil Last week, Greenpeace activists handed over 24,000 signed postcards to Dr Robert Habeck,…
Sport diver finds possible Fat Boy bomb in waters off British Columbia
by Herbert - 8th November 2016
Broken Arrow near British Columbia coast? A ship of the Royal Canadian Navy will leave on a special mission. The…
World’s largest marine protected area established in Antarctica
by Herbert - 28th October 2016
Just off the southern coast of Antarctica is the Ross Sea, where the largest marine protected area (MPA) will be…
Seismic gun testing threatens world’s second largest barrier reef
by Mares - 25th October 2016
Belize begins seismic surveys at the World Natural Heritage Site of the Belize Barrier Reef In late October 2016, Belize…
Germany proposes protection for Weddell Sea
by Mares - 20th October 2016
The European Union has submitted a request for a marine protected area (MPA) to be established in the Weddell Sea.…
Announcement: Check out Mares’ brand new website!
by Mares - 14th October 2016
Following the creation of our blog, we are excited to announce the creation of Mares’ new website! Take a look…
Luggage for Paradise
by Peter - 7th October 2016
The funny thing about paradise is, it is always somewhere far, but not where you are at the moment and…
Shark nets along South African coast threaten rare dolphins
by Mares - 7th October 2016
Negative effect on biodiversity Along the coast of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa, many dolphins die in gillnets set up to…
Mysterious diving accident – Interview
by Herbert - 7th October 2016
Mysterious diving accident - Interview The case: A 74-year-old diver suffered cardiac arrest at about eight metres' depth when diving…
Greenpeace reports on research on microplastics in seafood
by Mares - 6th October 2016
Microplastics can accumulate in the food chain “In the environment, microplastics act like a foreign body with toxins. It contains…
Good News from CITES
by Franco and Sabrina - 5th October 2016
CITES voted yesterday (4th October) on proposals to list silky sharks, all three species of thresher sharks and all nine…
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…
NABU Cruise Rankings 2016 : Cruise ships fall short in environmental protection
by Mares - 1st September 2016
People living in the Mediterranean will suffer as a result Based on the NABU Cruise Rankings 2016, all European cruise…
First DAN Academy of Dive Medicine in Columbia
by Mares - 28th August 2016
The first DAN Academy of Dive Medicine in Columbia was recently held at the Navy Base A.R.C. Bolivia in Cartagena…
Ocean acidification puts cod larvae in Atlantic under threat
by Mares - 27th August 2016
Population of cod has come into increasing pressure The increased acidification of the ocean may lead to twice as many…
The Privilege of Diving
by Peter - 17th August 2016
The Privilege of Diving What was your first window to the ocean like? Through mine everything was black and white, it could…
To rEvo or not to rEvo, that is the question…..
by Cat - 12th August 2016
…..and in all honesty a question I really did not know the answer to! If the scuba diving grapevine…
Essential seaweed species in Baltic Sea under threat
by Mares - 11th August 2016
The Baltic Sea’s biomass of bladder wrack (Fucus vesiculosus) may soon decline due to rising sea temperatures and the presence…
Earth Overshoot Day : After 8 August 2016, humanity is in debt
by Mares - 9th August 2016
Demands on natural resources have exceeded available resources since yesterday This year, Earth Overshoot Day fell on 8 August 2016.…
Free, self-contained or extended…what’s for you?
by Peter - 29th July 2016
Mares – 'just add water' and your 'pure instinct' will come to life, so you can explore the 'extended range' ahead of you!…
5 essential rules for freediving this summer!
by Gianluca - 28th July 2016
During the summer season in the Mediterranean there are always more and more freedivers who go out into the sea…
UK Inland Diving Locations Case Study – Stoney Cove
by Cat - 27th July 2016
The fact that the United Kingdom is an island, should mean that costal diving locations are plentiful and varied enough…
Exploring hydrothermal vents at Azores archipelago
by Mares - 23rd July 2016
Researchers investigate hydrothermal vents on research vessel's 30th anniversary cruise Welcome to the world of the hydrothermal vents, where organisms…