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…
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…
‘Baitball’ watching in the open sea
by Gerald - 12th July 2021
"May the god of the sea spoil you with happiness and let a mighty school of fish slide over your…
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…
Sea Vu Dry + masks converted for CPAP ventilator use during Covid-19
by Mares - 2nd April 2020
The Covid-19 pandemic means we are currently living in challenging times, including the challenges faced daily by our medical services. With this in…
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…
“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…
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…
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…
Increase in melting sea ice may lead to higher food supply in Arctic
by Herbert - 26th September 2017
In the Arctic, melt ponds are formed every year when snow and sea ice melt at the end of winter.…
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…
Deep sea mining threatens unique marine habitats
by Herbert - 3rd July 2017
Open letter: Marine researchers warn of the consequences of deep sea mining In an open letter published in the Nature…
The Scuba Diver Girls meet some curious seals!
by Scuba Diver Girls - 14th April 2017
“What is that?!” I gasped as I felt something tug my fin. I glanced over at Stephanie who was on…
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…
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.…
Black Sea mapping expedition uncovers more than 40 shipwrecks
by Herbert - 18th October 2016
Largest expedition of this kind in Black SeaAn international expedition mapping the submerged ancient landscapes at the Bulgarian coast of…
Invasive seaweed develops stronger defences
by Mares - 4th January 2016
A higher level of defence has been found within an invasive strain of seaweed from Asia that has translocated to…
Can a deep-sea ecosystem recover from human intervention?
by Mares - 26th November 2015
What would the ecological consequences be if the quantity of polymetallic (e.g. manganese) nodules in the deep sea was reduced? Would…
Mesmerising creatures of the sea, yet so vicious – Misadventures with comb jellies
by Mares - 18th November 2015
Looking through the mask, it appears as if an alien lifeform is trying to communicate with the divers, flashing its…
Billions of juvenile polar cod under Arctic sea ice
by Mares - 14th October 2015
With a newly developed netting gear, marine scientists at the Alfred Wegener Institute managed to catch a large number of…
Porcelain Crabs: The Elegant Eccentrics of the Marine World
by Ivana and Janez - 25th September 2024
Ever heard of a crab that’s more about high fashion than high sea drama? Meet the porcelain crab, the ocean’s…
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,…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
Pinnipeds – Marine Acrobats
by Ivana and Janez - 13th July 2022
Pinnipeds, commonly known as seals, are a group of semi-aquatic carnivorous mammals of 34 species living across the world’s oceans.…
Marvellous Mexican Mantas
by Alex - 4th July 2022
There isn’t a more wonderful ocean creature to spend time with than the manta. Despite their huge size, these graceful…
The Crocodilefish (Papilloculiceps longiceps)
by Ivana and Janez - 16th June 2022
In Egypt, you can take wonderful boat rides on the Nile and admire the mighty crocodiles, but did you know…
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…
The orange colours of Ribnicko Lake
by Ivana and Janez - 8th April 2022
At the start of this year, Mares Ambassadors Ivana OK and Janez Kranjc embarked on an icy adventure on Zlatibor mountain in central Serbia... It has been about…
Glow in the Dark
by Alex - 20th December 2021
Trying to search for any positive in the travel restrictions of the last few years is tough, but at the…
Spanish Dancer
by Ivana and Janez - 29th November 2021
Hexabranchus sanguineus, commonly known as the Spanish dancer, is a colorful marine mollusc belonging to the Gastropoda (Snails and Slugs) class…
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…
Crinoids – Flowers of the reef
by Franco and Sabrina - 14th June 2021
One of the things that struck me most during the first dives I made in Papua New Guinea, and especially the…
Most loved marine mammals
by Ivana and Janez - 15th January 2021
Everyone loves dolphins, and it is probably the dream of most divers to dive with dolphins, the most loved cetaceans.…
Totonno – the jewel of the southern Adriatic
by Ivana and Janez - 24th December 2020
The Italian steamer 'Totonno' was built in 1899 in the shipyard Rijekee & Co. in Rotterdam. During its working life,…
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…
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.…
An Interview with Freediver Nik Linder
by Ivana and Janez - 15th November 2019
Nik Linder: My name is Nikolay ‘Nik’ Linder. I live in the very south of Germany, close to France and…
Freshwater in salty water – Underwater springs
by Ivana and Janez - 15th October 2019
You have certainly, at some point, experienced an area where cold water rises up from the deep. It might be…
Frequently Asked Questions
by Semra - 24th July 2019
Hello everybody and welcome to my new blog! In my last blog, I told you about my dive preparation routine.…
Professionals in Paradise
by Ivana and Janez - 17th July 2019
What diver doesn’t dream of diving in the Maldives? And what scuba instructor doesn’t dream of working there? This one…
Greenland on the Rocks
by Franco and Sabrina - 6th June 2019
I had dived under ice platforms in the chilly, cold waters of the Arctic and Antarctic several times before diving…
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…