One of the highlights of my year is chairing the judging panel and presenting the winners of the Underwater Photographer of the Year competition. Known as UPY to its friends, the contest is the most important underwater photography contest on the calendar, attracts the very best photographers and is always packed with astounding underwater images that haven’t been seen before. This year, two of the biggest winners were well known Mares Ambassadors. Before anyone makes any jokes about favouritism, I’ll point out that I am the only Mares Ambassador on the judging panel and, of course, we cannot ..read more

The research team had warned us upfront about the perilous diving experience ahead. One not marked by surreal encounters with majestic marine life or picturesque oceanscapes, but one of a mere 1-3 meters of visibility that would require adept maneuvering through boat traffic amidst unpredictable water surges. Eager yet patient, we awaited the call to meet at the Central docks. But first, the extreme rainstorms needed to pass.  During our time in Hong Kong, we had the misfortune of experiencing what they call “black rain,” marking the city’s heaviest rainfall in 140 years. Our plans to di ..read more

There are more than 2000 species of gobies in one of the largest bony fish family, Gobiidae.  They can be found worldwide in tropical and temperate shallow marine, brackish and fresh waters.  These fish can usually be located near the bottom, where they attach to the substrate, vegetation, rocks or coral. Most gobies are small, up to 10cm, including some tiny ones which are less than 1cm long. Very few can grow up to 30cm.  It is easy to distinguish a goby from another fish as they have a disc-shaped sucker, the remains of pelvic fins that have fused together. That’s ..read more

Diving in the Pacific Islands is a bucket list vacation for many scuba divers and unsurprisingly so. Idyllic islands surrounded by vibrant corals and marine life of all sizes await, with more than enough sunshine and clear, blue waters to keep any diver happy. Imagine the thrill of island hopping as you dive, discovering new worlds beneath the surface every day. The allure of diving in the Pacific is hard to beat. In this article, we’ll guide you through some of the Pacific’s most captivating islands, including some classics and lesser-known gems. Whether you’re a seasoned diver or a novice ..read more

As we descended into the dark and murky waters off the Fijian coast, the weight of anticipation settled in. Immediately surrounded by what must have been 30 bull sharks, their formidable presence instilled an element of respect and intrigue. Little did we know that we were going to have a new encounter— one with a creature that wore the stripes of its namesake, and carried a reputation as daunting as its mammalian counterpart. It was winter in Fiji and the rain was relentless. The non-stop torrential downpours were not making it easy to dive the typically crystal-clear ocean that cements Fiji ..read more

When we saw the pictures that our photographer Janez Kranjc had taken, we joked that he had found a “hairy fish”. In the diving center they told us that it was a rare one which people don’t often get to see, so we looked at a book to try to identify it! We found out that it is called the ‘prickly leather-jacket fish’, belonging to the Chaetodermis genus (gr. chaite– hairs, derma-skin) of the Monacanthidae family (Filefish). The name of the species, ‘Penicilligerus’, originates from the Latin ‘penicillus’, which means ‘brush’. It sounds like the scientists gave it a name&nb ..read more

Love it or hate it, social media is here to stay. And unfortunately, its general discourse has become harder to stomach in recent years. I witnessed the birth of Facebook’s popularity when I was just in high school (after reluctantly migrating from the once great MySpace). It was the perfect way for us incoming college Freshman to connect with newfound friends—even before setting foot on campus. The experience was pure, wholesome, and honestly quite fun. To this day, I’ve made some of my best friends on those social platforms almost 20 years ago.  But those are bygone days at this point ..read more

Diving under ice is a huge challenge both for the diver and their equipment. This is the third time I have organized the ‘Under Ice – Freediving Challenge’ at Lake Weissensee in Austria. After several years of breaking world records under ice, I longed to return to the fantastic Carinthia region, mostly to do photoshoots for my sponsors, especially Mares and Davosa watches, because pictures of a freediver under ice are rare and always spectacular. Sunlight penetrating through holes in the ice or even just breaking through the layer of ice crea ..read more

The northern islands of Wolf and Darwin are the most famous dive spots in Galapagos, but the highlight of my recent trip was in the colder waters of the west, diving with marine iguanas. When divers talk Galapagos, they typically discuss hammerheads and whale sharks, but these mini dragons, found nowhere else on Earth, offer up the most memorable diving experience in the archipelago, and one you can have nowhere else on the planet. Descended from land iguanas that were carried to the island on driftwood, these creatures provide a classic example of how the unusual Galapagos conditions for lif ..read more

They say Warsaw is the most beautiful in December, when the Christmas and New Year atmosphere engulfs it. We had the opportunity to witness that ourselves, however, the main goal of our trip was to visit the renowned Deepspot, the deepest pool in Europe. Located only 45 minutes by car from the Polish capital, it was built in a part of the city which is rich in thermal waters which are used to fill and heat the pool. It is located in a modern building with glass walls where you can relax and enjoy dive activities. It is very warm inside and the pool is ideal for scuba diver ..read more