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…
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…
Get to know the Batfish
by Ivana and Janez - 15th April 2022
True batfish belong to the order Platax, coming from the Greek word 'Platys', meaning 'flat', due to their distinct body…
It’s a job to save the Napoleon fish!
by Ivana and Janez - 16th August 2021
The Napoleon fish is a humphead species of wrasse living in the Indo-Pacific and Red Sea coral reefs, also called…
Jackfish
by Ivana and Janez - 17th September 2019
Why so blue, Jack? Jackfish, also known as Bluefin trevally or blue jack, are one of the most common fish…
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…
So which one is it? A stonefish or a scorpionfish?
by Ivana and Janez - 24th July 2018
I often get confused between stonefish and scorpionfish and need to remind myself what the differences between them are. Both…
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Bolt, canister light, DCTV, fish, flexa, marine life, Nikon, poisonfish, scorpionfish, sea, sea life, stonefish, Subal, X-vision
Bolt, canister light, DCTV, fish, flexa, marine life, Nikon, poisonfish, scorpionfish, sea, sea life, stonefish, Subal, X-vision 
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…
The Myth of the Jellyfish
by Mares - 1st September 2017
When I asked my child what jellyfish were, she said they are half fish, half jelly… Well nothing could be…
Haliphron atlanticus: Deep-sea octopus feeds on jellyfish
by Herbert - 30th March 2017
Octopus then uses tentacles of jellyfish to defend itself The open ocean is the largest habitat on Earth. Within this…
Love in the moonlight: The bumphead parrotfish mass aggregation at Palau’s Rock Islands
by Mares - 15th January 2016
The green humphead parrotfish (Bolbometopon muricatum) is one of the diver's favourite fishes. A school of more than 50 of…
Biology: Sunfish
by Herbert - 1st September 2015
Floating "Millstones" In The Ocean? At first glance, these curious-looking fish look like gigantic fish heads without a body. They…
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…
Night diving in the jungle of Colombia
by Mares - 17th February 2023
During the JBL research expedition to Colombia in November 2022 to learn more about the habitats and habits of aquarium…
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…
Groupers – The gentle giants of the oceans
by Ivana and Janez - 26th November 2019
Groupers belong to the Serranidae family, which they share with Sea basses, living in the warmer waters of most oceans.…
The most beautiful dive site
by Semra - 20th August 2019
Hello everybody and welcome to my new blog! In my last blog, I spoke about Frequently Asked Questions . Check…
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…
An interview with Katarina Linczenyiova, freediver
by Mares - 10th June 2016
A rising star Katarina Linczenyiova is a rising star in the world of freediving, although she is relatively unknown in…
Reef sharks prefer bite-sized meals
by Mares - 22nd April 2016
Many of us have the impression that sharks have a large appetite. However, a new study proves otherwise, indicating that…
Seeing Bali From A New Perspective
by Herbert - 6th August 2015
Bali Close Up: A Very Special Underwater Video Many see Bali as the Land of the Gods, dominated by ricefields,…
Yap: A South Pacific Paradise
by Herbert - 3rd August 2015
Getting Up Close And Personal With Residents Of The Reef If Paradise exists on Earth, it must be nestled right…
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…
Exploring Raja Ampat
by Alex - 16th May 2024
I am fortunate to dive and travel widely while running underwater photography workshop trips. Everyone is always excited before these…
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…
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…
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...…
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…
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.…
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…
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…
The 8th Anilao Underwater Shootout
by Franco and Sabrina - 20th June 2023
As divers, we know how difficult it is to describe the beauty and colours of underwater critters to land-based people.…
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…
Get close and then get closer! Underwater photography tips with Dan
by Dan - 9th May 2023
Wide angle photography is difficult to master. Small details make all the difference, it can take years of practise, some…
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.…
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…
Underwater Photographer of the Year 2023
by Alex - 24th February 2023
The winners have been announced for the 2023 edition of the Underwater Photographer of the Year contest, a competition that…
The Scribbled Leatherjacket (Aluterus scriptus)
by Ivana and Janez - 6th February 2023
Scribbled leatherjackets can be found in the lagoons and reefs of subtropical seas all over the world. Even though some…
Arctic Aur-Orca
by Alex - 26th December 2022
It is definitely the best snorkelling experience in Europe, and it is probably the best underwater experience too. Each winter,…
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…
Canada: Time & Tide
by Alex - 7th December 2022
It is good for humans to take a break from their busy lives and have a reminder that there are bigger…
The white-spotted octopus (Callistoctopus macropus)
by Ivana and Janez - 1st December 2022
The white-spotted octopus lives predominantly in the shallow waters of the Mediterranean and Caribbean Seas, but can sometimes be found…
Flying gurnard (Dactylopterus volitans)
by Ivana and Janez - 1st November 2022
Flying gurnards roam the Atlantic and can be found along the coasts of Canada, the US and the Gulf of New…
The Mares Horizon SCR in the underwater museum, Croatia
by Ivan and Predrag - 25th October 2022
Out of this world dive destinations are truly recognizable, and people often plan their trips to them months in advance.…
The elusive Basking Shark
by Alex - 30th September 2022
Last summer I headed to the tiny island of Coll, out in the Atlantic, off the west coast of Scotland.…
Planting Corals
by Ivana and Janez - 1st September 2022
The importance of corals and coral reefs for life on our planet is well-known, that's why it's not surprising that the…
