“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…
The Wobbegong Shark
by Ivana and Janez - 16th March 2018
When I first heard the name 'Carpet shark', I thought it was a joke. The name does not sound very…
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…
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…
Video footage sheds light on deep-sea food webs
by Herbert - 19th December 2017
Jellyfish and related organisms are among the most important predators The animals of the deep sea have been systematically studied…
Storm waves from the past hold lessons for future
by Herbert - 13th November 2017
Huge boulders on coast retain clues about prehistoric storms In the Bahamas, tons of boulders have been washed onto the…
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…
Bluefin tuna return to North Sea
by Herbert - 2nd October 2017
Researchers tag fish with satellite trackers After an absence of more than 50 years, the endangered bluefin tuna has returned…
9th Rebreather Reunion Hemmoor Germany
by Herbert - 4th September 2017
Meeting took place on 25 to 27 August 2017 On August 25th to 27th, the ninth "Rebreather Reunion Hemmoor Germany"…
253 people creates world’s largest 3D bodypainting image
by Herbert - 21st August 2017
Last Saturday, a world record was set at Messe Wien (Viennese exhibition center). On 187 square meters, 253 people created…
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…
Mangroves: “Forests on stilts” in dire straits
by Herbert - 26th July 2017
Half of the world's mangroves already destroyed, says WWF on World Mangrove Day Today, on World Mangrove Day (26 July…
Discovery Channel’s Shark Week finally features females
by Hannah - 21st July 2017
No doubt about it, Discovery Channel’s Shark Week gets a lot of attention with more than 2.5 million viewers in…
Temperatures in Arctic archipelago may soon rise beyond freezing point
by Mares - 10th July 2017
Scientist predict that the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard may experience above-freezing temperatures for the first time on record, as a…
Underwater landslides may be caused by distant earthquakes
by Herbert - 5th July 2017
Researchers have discovered that large earthquakes can trigger underwater landslides thousands of miles away weeks or months after the occurrence…
Canyoning – An extreme sport which raises adrenaline levels
by Predrag - 27th June 2017
Canyoning is one of those adventures in which you have a full sense of enjoyment while dealing with nature and…
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…
Waiting with Ba(i)ted Breath
by Hannah - 2nd June 2017
We have all been waiting with ba(i)ted breath to see our first silky shark of the year here off the…
Vamonos à bucear
by Franco and Sabrina - 15th May 2017
The look of the Baja California Sur can appear tedious: cactus, desert, rocks, beaches and vice versa, but the underwater…
Teaching freediving: a passion for fun
by Carlo - 11th May 2017
Since I started teaching freediving courses in 2004 things have changed a lot on both the national and international freediving…
Freediving – a tool for marine biology
by Fred Buyle - 5th May 2017
For my first Mares blog I have decided to write about one of the most exiting projects I’m involved in:…
Project REEFCALENDAR 2017
by Herbert - 30th April 2017
World record attempt for our reefs and oceans Nothing in the universe is as versatile and beautiful, complex and sensitive…
Santorini: How explosive was the Aegean?
by Mares - 18th April 2017
German-Greek research team investigate Santorini's volcanic pastThe Santorini archipelago in the southern Aegean Sea is one of the best spots…
YO-44 aka Kodiak Queen: Richard Branson to sink WWII ship that survived Pearl Harbor attack
by Herbert - 12th April 2017
Ship targetted to become artificial reef These days, weather permitting, a ship is scheduled to sink. Nothing special? In the…
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…
Researchers gather at Great Barrier Reef to study latest coral bleaching
by Mares - 21st March 2017
Aerial and underwater surveys to be conducted As coral bleaching strikes the Great Barrier Reef for the second year in…
Programming drones to map oil spills
by Herbert - 7th March 2017
Team drew inspiration from mathematical principlesA team from the University of Buffalo is looking into how drones can be programmed…
Yap: Manta Mania in its third year
by Herbert - 2nd March 2017
Science and fascination within one's reachEvery year, during the mating season of the manta rays in Yap, scientists and interested…
Day 8 – The last walk under the ice
by MARES / SSI / rEvo Dive Expedition Team - 21st February 2017
This morning we woke up with a smile in our faces since we knew it would be a fantastic day,…
Sounds of the ocean
by Herbert - 2nd February 2017
Findings on background sounds in Southern Ocean published For nearly three years, using underwater recording devices, scientists have been listening…
Rare ghost shark filmed for the first time
by Herbert - 3rd January 2017
The ghost shark is a unique species In 2009, a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) exploring the seabed at the Gulf…
Map of seafloor shows new details about 2015 eruption at Axial Seamount
by Mares - 29th December 2016
The Axial Seamount, an underwater volcano about 470 kilometres off the Oregon coast, is one of the world's most active…
Octopus Casper: Deep-sea octopuses require manganese nodules to lay their eggs
by Herbert - 22nd December 2016
Casper the octopus (and counterparts) threatened by deep-sea miningFor deep-sea octopuses, manganese nodules on the seabed are an important breeding…
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…
West Antarctica experiences accelerated glacier melting
by Mares - 13th December 2016
Research will lead to better predictions about rising sea levelsThe fastest ongoing rates of glacier retreat ever recorded have been…
New underwater observatory to monitor zooplankton
by Herbert - 10th December 2016
Scientists from the Thünen Institute of Sea Fisheries, Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI) and Helmholtz-Zentrum Geesthacht (HZG) have placed an optical-acoustic…
New insights into the changes of the Nordic Seas during interglacials
by Mares - 5th December 2016
The characteristics of the water masses in the Nordic Seas are expected to change due to the Earth's higher temperatures…
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…
Tracing how the relationship between corals and algae began
by Mares - 26th November 2016
How corals met algae: Tracing how their symbiotic relationship startedThe symbiotic relationship between algae and modern corals began more than…
A goodbye to Enzo Maiorca from Gianluca Genoni
by Gianluca - 21st November 2016
Dear Enzo, As you well know, under certain circumstances I don’t particularly like to say anything, it’s too easy to…
Researchers search for Earth’s oldest ice
by Mares - 21st November 2016
Ice cores show glimpse of composition of atmosphere in the pastIn Antarctic, ice and climate scientists from 14 institutions in…
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,…
Artificial Blue Holes
by Gianluca - 28th October 2016
Until recently, deep freedive training during colder seasons in a swimming pool was impossible, but this is no longer the…
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…
Environmental factors, not just climate change, can also affect isotopic composition of corals
by Mares - 28th September 2016
Important details found in calcium carbonate skeletons of corals The calcium carbonate skeletons of corals retain important details about their…
Larger-sized animals at higher risk of extinction
by Mares - 22nd September 2016
Serious consequences for the marine ecosystems Uncontrolled fishing practices have given rise to a new trend that places larger animals…
Arctic sea ice at its second-lowest ever this September
by Mares - 16th September 2016
In September 2016, the surface of the Arctic sea ice shrank to nearly 4.1 million square kilometres – the second…
New butterflyfish species discovered in Hawaii
by Mares - 13th September 2016
Butterflyfish found in deep coral reefs Scientists have announced the discovery of a new species of butterflyfish in the deep…