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…
Hermit crabs against plastic!
by Ivana and Janez - 31st July 2018
Hermit crabs are decapod crustaceans which, like other members of this order, have segmented bodies and very well developed eyes,…
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 ‘Octopoda’ (eight…
Mikovica Cave
by Ivana and Janez - 19th June 2018
There have been a lot of articles written about cave diving since it is arguably the most extreme type of…
Loop 15X Review
by Ivana and Janez - 28th May 2018
I have been scuba diving for 35 years and for the last 15 years I have been a dive instructor,…
A ship’s fate: The demise of Dague
by Ivana and Janez - 23rd May 2018
On the cold night of February 24th 1915, French destroyer Dague was anchored outside the port of Bar, assigned to…
“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…
The Prettiest of Worms
by Ivana and Janez - 4th April 2018
When we think of worms, these colourful, feathery, flower-like creatures are not the first things that come to mind. Their…
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…
Mares XR – Review
by Ivana and Janez - 20th March 2018
The Mares XR1 Kevlar Dry Suit, Active Heat Vest and Extreme Undergarment have been used in a year-long ultimate endurance…
Icy Adventures
by Ivana and Janez - 9th March 2018
When you think of diving under the ice in Europe, what first comes to mind is Lake Weissensee, located in…
XR from the Diver’s Point of View
by Ivana and Janez - 2nd March 2018
When you look back in your logbook and see thousands of recorded dives, you may think to yourself ‘What more…
Celebes Divers, Siladen Island – Onong Resort & Kuda Laut Boutique Dive Resort
by Mares - 23rd February 2018
We're back with Celebes Divers Manado once again to find out what their other dive centers have to offer. At…
Raja Ampat, Indonesia
by Ivana and Janez - 20th February 2018
As a Mares Ambassador, I had the honour of being a part of an extraordinary expedition, organised by the Ocean…
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".…
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…
Blackwater Night Dive
by Ivana and Janez - 24th January 2018
To most divers, a night dive is their favourite kind of dive. Everything becomes pacified at night. The lamps we…
Dive into the underwater world of Milford Sound
by Gerald - 22nd January 2018
We are now far at the south end of New Zealand. More specifically in the southwest, in the world of…
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…
Freediving Patagonia
by Alejandro Andrés - 27th November 2017
Have you ever thought about what freediving in Patagonia is like? I'm a competitive Freediver and run Freediving Patagonia, my…
Let there be light!
by Ivana and Janez - 15th November 2017
A review of the new DCT Canister underwater light from Mares' XR range! "I’m delighted with my new Mares DCT…
Freediving: How water conditions influence our performance
by Gianluca - 14th November 2017
As all freedivers with a minimum of experience know, water conditions greatly influence our performance, and a depth easily reached…
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…
What’s your approach to freediving?
by Gianluca - 27th October 2017
When we talk about freediving we often mention positive feelings, well-being and technique - but is this always true? When…
Marine Snowfall at Equator
by Herbert - 13th October 2017
Detailed picture of biological particle flow to deep sea along the equator Animal excrement and parts of dead organisms constantly…
Diving in the Drina River
by Ivana and Janez - 12th October 2017
The Drina River, formed by the confluence of the Tara and Piva rivers near the village of Scepan Polje, represents…
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…
‘Expect the unexpected’ – Underwater archaeological research around the island of Mozia, Sicily
by BGfU - 22nd August 2017
In July 2017, scientific divers of the Bavarian Society for Underwaterarchaeology (BGfU) and the Philipps University Marburg were invited by…
Plane sunk in Lake Hemmoor
by Herbert - 15th August 2017
Piper Aerostar is new attraction At 15:45 last Friday, a brand new twin-motor Piper PA-60 Aerostar plane plunged into the…
Freediving: safety and fun
by Gianluca - 14th August 2017
Over the past few years, freedivers have been growing in number, and this makes me very happy. When I started…
Macro World
by Mares - 9th August 2017
When we become divers we go through different stages in our diving adventure. We start off scared/excited (nervous-cited) of what…
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…
Freediving: Seas vs Lakes
by Gianluca - 31st July 2017
Often those who live near the sea don’t even think about the fact that they can go freediving in other…
Freediving in the Mediterranean islands
by Gianluca - 24th July 2017
In Italy there are many small islands where practicing freediving is particularly pleasant. The islands near Sicily, the Aeolian Islands,…
The secret beauty of Nudibranchs
by Mares - 13th July 2017
Nudibranchs come in many different colours, shapes and sizes. According to various sources, there are between 2000 - 3000 different…
Freediving in Swiss lakes with Gianluca Genoni
by Gianluca - 12th July 2017
Freediving often means exploring crystalline waters to see and discover the wonders of the ocean, but this is not always…
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…
Diving the B-24 Liberator in Vis, Croatia
by Mares - 17th June 2017
This B-24 Liberator is the last one of the series. The undersea world around the island of Vis is without…
French Connection – A freediving course with the Mares France team
by Gianluca - 15th June 2017
A super freediving course with the Mares France team. A week spent learning more about freediving but also sharing our…
La Goergette-René, a wreck in a cave !
by Emir - 7th June 2017
In Algeria you can find unusual things, like this boat from the 19th century discovered in the lake of Bir…
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…
Soča – River Diving in Slovenia
by Gerald - 21st April 2017
As a child I went to Slovenia many times. My father was a passionate fly fisherman and Slovenia in the socialist period…
Kelp along Southern California coastline resisted warmer temperatures
by Mares - 16th December 2016
In early 2014, when a large-scale heat wave in the Pacific Ocean produced temperature anomalies greater than anything seen since…
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,…
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…
Underwater robot begins one-year mission
by Mares - 28th July 2016
Autonomous deep-sea robot at work Deep on the Arctic seabed, an autonomous deep-sea robot has been hard at work, having…
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…