New Book: 52 Assignments Underwater Photography
by Alex - 6th September 2024
I am very excited to announce that I have a new book out on underwater photography. The book is called…
Underwater Photographer of the Year 2024
by Alex - 24th April 2024
One of the highlights of my year is chairing the judging panel and presenting the winners of the Underwater Photographer…
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…
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…
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…
The Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation Environmental Photography Award 2023
by Franco and Sabrina - 9th June 2023
Occasionally I enter prestigious international photo contests. The selected pictures have the power to leave a mark, spread knowledge, foster…
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…
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…
Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2022: Bootlace Barcode
by Alex - 28th October 2022
It is fantastic to be awarded in the Wildlife Photographer of the Year contest again, the premier contest in nature…
Underwater Photographer of the Year 2022
by Alex - 16th February 2022
These are a few of the stunning winners from the latest edition of the prestigious Underwater Photographer of the Year…
Shark Behaviour on the Alimatha Reef – Capturing the photo
by Ivana and Janez - 10th February 2022
Nature’s behaviour surprises us every day... Alimatha reef, which is famous for the large number of sharks that live in…
Wildlife Photographer of the Year
by Alex - 20th October 2021
The Wildlife Photographer of the Year is regarded universally as the pinnacle of nature photography competitions. It is arguably the…
Scottish Freediving Photography
by Alex - 30th August 2021
The chilly waters of Scotland do not attract many visiting divers but they should. Scotland’s geologically splintered coastline means that…
8th Mares Underwater Photo Marathon 2020
by Damir - 3rd June 2020
Another very competitive Mares Underwater Photo Marathon has come to an end. We are proud to say that the 8th…
Davide Lombroso wins his 5th Italian Underwater Photography title!
by Mares - 16th October 2019
Incredible performances from the underwater photographers of Team Mares continue! Davide Lombroso of CI CA SUB Seatram in Bogliasco, Italy…
Freediving – Marjan Radovic photographs Tijana Nikolic
by Marjan Radovic - 4th September 2019
Freediving is an activity as old as humanity itself. More than any other sport, freediving is based on subconscious reflexes…
Mares Interviews: Underwater Photographers Ivana Orlovic Kranjc and Janez Kranjc!
by Mares - 18th October 2018
Recently we caught up with photographers and Mares ambassadors Ivana Orlovic Kranjc and Janez Kranjc. They have been representing and…
“Shark Splits” Photography Workshop in Yap, Micronesia
by b_rad - 13th April 2018
MantaFest photography workshop & image festival is going on it’s 11th year and ever-evolving with new advanced workshops and shooting…
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".…
Take part in the 11th Annual Manta Fest Photo Festival!
by b_rad - 2nd February 2018
Learn Pictorial Design in UW Photography Balance, harmony, pattern, unity, contrast, proportion, variety and movement in your image, is pictorial…
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…
Fun, tech diving, photo pro, friends … what else?
by Franco and Sabrina - 25th July 2017
All over Croatia the sea is crystal clear with millions of shades, promising and seductive. It embraces a strip of…
Photo exhibition on ocean acidification opens at GEOMAR
by Mares - 27th September 2016
A new photo exhibition by two nature photographers centres on the organisms on which climate change research is currently focused…
Unique Mares Photog Party, Micronesia
by b_rad - 8th July 2016
MantaFest is an annual international photography festival held in Yap at Manta Ray Bay Resort & Yap Divers that is known for being…
Photo mosaic marks successful end to expedition
by Mares - 22nd September 2015
Scientists return to ploughed seafloor to assess condition of terrain Imagine gigantic unmanned crawler vehicles moving along pre-programmed paths on…
Harpa Snails: More Than Just a Pretty Shell
by Ivana and Janez - 20th December 2024
Harpa snails, ranging from 3 to 10 cm in size, are found in tropical and subtropical waters around the world.…
Meet the Marvelous Brittle Stars: The Underwater Gymnasts of the Echinoderm Family!
by Ivana and Janez - 20th November 2024
Brittle stars belong to the class Ophiuroidea within the phylum Echinodermata, which also includes sea stars, sea urchins and sea…
Galloping Through The Sea: The Fascinating Abalone
by Ivana and Janez - 24th October 2024
When you think of oceanic wonders, majestic dolphins or playful sea otters might come to mind. But let’s not overlook…
A Flock of Marine Birds
by Franco and Sabrina - 14th October 2024
Have you ever had a flock of marine birds as dive buddies? It's definitely an unusual situation. They pierce the water's…
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…
Pretty birds from the Red Sea
by Ivana and Janez - 12th September 2024
I love all the different species of wrasse, and I thought I knew them well, but this one was a…
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…
A mysterious fleet at the bottom of Lake Ohrid
by Ivana and Janez - 20th May 2024
In North Macedonia, at the bottom of Lake Ohrid, there is a mysterious sunken fleet. The ships sank during World…
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…
5 great reasons to go diving in Japan
by Kathryn - 9th May 2024
With its rich culture, stunning landscapes, and diverse underwater ecosystems, Japan offers an unparalleled diving experience that beckons adventurers from…
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…
Our Encounter with the Ocean Tigers – Fiji
by Andi - 21st March 2024
As we descended into the dark and murky waters off the Fijian coast, the weight of anticipation settled in. Immediately…
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…
Apnea Under Ice – The Ultimate Challenge
by Nik - 29th February 2024
Diving under ice is a huge challenge both for the diver and their equipment. This is the third time I have organized…
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…
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…
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…
