Life on the Cambodian edge – Koh Ach Seh, Cambodia
by Andi - 30th April 2024
Following a grueling four-hour drive from Phnom Penh, we arrived in Kep, Cambodia. Though exhausted after our journey from Hanoi,…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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".…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
Travel to a Different World
by Alex - 11th January 2024
November 2023 saw me heading off on a real adventure, destined for one of the most amazing countries to visit…
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...…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
Dive fitness: Easy ways to get fit for your next dive vacation
by Kathryn - 31st October 2023
Scuba diving is a captivating sport and there’s nothing better than going on a dive vacation and exploring new destinations…
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…
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…
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…
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conservation, diving, fish, freediving, Hanifaru Bay, manta, Mares, ocean, photography, research, SSI, underwater
conservation, diving, fish, freediving, Hanifaru Bay, manta, Mares, ocean, photography, research, SSI, underwater 
Summer Holidays
by Alex - 6th October 2023
In August, I travelled to Grand Cayman. I was down to head there to run a photography workshop at Ocean…
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…
Discover the advantages of logging your dives with the Mares app!
by Mares - 14th September 2023
Discover the benefits of logging your dives with the Mares app! Available now on Google Play and App Store. Convenience…
Liveaboard diving 101: Everything you need to know before you go
by Kathryn - 11th September 2023
Imagine waking up to the gentle rocking of a boat, the sun rising over crystal-clear waters, and the promise of…
The new Mares X-Wing C-S and X-Wing C-Evo carbon fins – A review
by Nik - 1st September 2023
I was very curious about the new X-Wing Carbon fins and chose the longer X-Wing C-Evo fins because of my…
Red Sea Heat
by Alex - 30th August 2023
We tend to think of coral seas as being close to the equator and therefore changing little through the year.…
The Mares Sirius computer – Providing enhanced readability!
by Mares - 24th August 2023
The readability of a dive computer is crucial for several reasons, as it directly impacts the safety and overall dive…
Mares Dive Torch Maintenance
by Mares - 17th August 2023
Keep your Mares torch in great shape with our torch maintenance tips! · Rinse with freshwater: After each dive, rinse…
Barracuda
by Ivana and Janez - 17th August 2023
Barracuda are extremely attractive, impressive fish. They are carnivores with long lifespans and can live longer than 14 years. The…
Dive mask dos and don’ts
by Mares - 16th August 2023
Discover our top tips for dive mask maintenance! DO: Be patient and use dedicated antifog gels - it will be…
The Crown of Thorns Starfish – To admire from a safe distance
by Ivana and Janez - 12th August 2023
Crown of Thorns Starfish, COTS for short, Acanthaster planci in Latin, are coral-eating starfish. One of the largest in the world, they can reach up…
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…
Colourful Forests of the Seas
by Ivana and Janez - 28th July 2023
Gorgonias are my favourite soft corals. In my opinion, they are magical; they look like mini trees or bonsais under…
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…
Land of Ice and Fire
by Alex - 6th July 2023
I've been to Iceland 5 times before, but it was almost 15 years since my last visit, and in a…
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…
Lembeh Blackwater
by Alex - 13th June 2023
The Lembeh Strait is famous for its critter-filled muck diving, but in recent years it has become increasing well known…
Choosing the right equipment for a diving instructor
by Ivana and Janez - 6th June 2023
Hi, I’m Yaiza Sanchez, a Spanish diving instructor based in Koh Tao, Thailand, working for Koh Tao divers, an SSI diving…
Magic Muck
by Alex - 30th May 2023
Lembeh, in Indonesia, is one of the world’s most celebrated dive destinations. This 10 mile long sliver of sea is…
Are you looking for a mermaid?
by Franco and Sabrina - 26th May 2023
Okay then, get ready and hurry up before it's too late. Mermaids? Are you sure? All right, well, let's look…
Freediving: Exploring Schieferbergwerk Nuttlar (Germany)
by Mares - 17th May 2023
Freediver Doris Hovermann recently took a trip to the Nuttlar mine in Germany for a special photoshoot. It was the…
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…
The Leopards of the Seas
by Ivana and Janez - 24th April 2023
Leopard sharks are one of the most common sharks in the Eastern North Pacific. Their scientific name, Triakis semifasciata, means “half…
