MARE MUNDI FIELD STATION

Education. Research. Protection.

Founded in 2016 in co-operation with the marine non-profit organisation Mare Mundi, Dive2gether's marine biology field station strives to restore and protect the unique habitats of the Mediterranean Sea.

With a hands-on approach, we teach recreational divers, students at all academic levels, and work together with scientists from all over the world.

A marine biologist demonstrating how to plant and assess the health of a posidonia oceanica seagrass fragment to two participating citizen science scuba divers.

Two marine biology interns in red shirts looking through microscopes at small crustaceans living in sand samples, with a marine biologist next to them in a green shirt. Taken in the olive grove of Dive2gether Crete.

EDUCATION

As instructors and scientists, our in-house team of marine biologists are natural educators, and aim to make all of our divers champions for the underwater world. Every day we are busy teaching guests about the fauna and flora of the Mediterranean Sea, its importance, and the challenges it faces in a world profoundly influenced by humans. This includes PADI certified fish ID and underwater naturalist courses, as well as our very own unique marine biology activities.

Twice a week on Tuesdays and Fridays, join us on the terrace outside the diving school for a completely free presentation on one of the key ecosystems of the Mediterranean. Pour yourself a drink as the sun sets behind the Plakias mountain, sit back, and learn about the life beneath the waves only a few metres away.

In spring, we also make an annual visit to the local primary school to talk about pollution, and its detrimental effects on our environment. It is crucial for us to collaborate with the local community; informing the younger generation is particularly effective when aiming to spark change. After our workshop, the children and their teachers participate in a beach clean, finishing up at the diving school to separate and count the trash collected with our marine biologists. This information all feeds into our database. For a special finale, the kids also look through our microscopes and experience the microscopic world that surrounds us.

RESEARCH

Did you know the Mediterranean Sea is the most heavily invaded marine ecosystem in the world? On every dive, we collect valuable abundance data on a range of non-native, and vulnerable native species. Our biologists train all future guides to recognise these 'focus' species, so over the years we have built up a wealth of long-term monitoring data that supports research on the presence and distribution of invasive species in the Mediterranean.

Alongside our alien species project, we assess and monitor the health of the special Posidonia oceanica - an endemic seagrass species - meadows along the coastline of Plakias as part of our dedicated seagrass restoration project.

The field station also supports independent researchers who need a fully equipped base to collect data, and hosts undergraduate and graduate students carrying out field work for their theses. Find out more about joining us for your research, and visit our library to read some prior publications resulting from research with us.

You can join us on citizen science dives to learn about the different species using key Mediterranean habitats, and their ecosystem interactions. Take your own samples to bring back to the dive school, and dive in even deeper by examining them under our microscopes.

A trio of marine biologists setting up their equipment while scuba diving to take scientific samples.

A yellow spotted pufferfish swims in the foreground over a planting geomat of posidonia oceanica seagrass while a group of marine biologists wait to plant fragments in the background.

PROTECTION

We were honoured to receive the Hans and Lotte Hass Preis from the Haus des Meeres, Vienna, in 2022. This gave us the means to kickstart a vital restoration project for our threatened Posidonia oceanica Neptune grass meadows. Following the method developed by Piazzi et al., we strategically place geo-mats in degraded seagrass areas, replanting naturally uprooted fragments and taking important measurements and health data. In the first year alone we planted 235 fragments across 2 mats, and since then the project has been growing in scale with more mats added and regular monitoring. The project has been a great success, with constant or improving health status and good growth across our fragments.

You can now also get involved in this project and help us protect this vital habitat by joining in on our marine biology activities; use a quadrat to assess shoot density, and even plant your own fragments!

To protect our local shores, we also organise regular spring and autumn beach clean ups, involving the local community and our field trip students. Naturally, we also make sure the running of our dive school is as eco-friendly and sustainable as possible, and are proud to have been awarded PADI's Green Star Award, as well as Eco Centre status in 2025.

Protection

PUBLICATIONS

Peer-reviewed journals:

Slater, A. et al. (2025) 'First record of the alien Elysia furvacauda Burns 1958, (Sacoglossa: Elysiidae) for the Mediterranean Sea, and some other heterobranchia for Greece,' Xenophora Taxonomy, 48(8). Available online at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/395795599_First_record_of_the_alien_Elysia_furvacauda_8.

Zirler, R. et al. (2023) ‘Gaining A (tube) foothold – trends and status following two decades of the long-spined echinoid diadema setosum (Leske, 1778) invasion to the Mediterranean Sea’, Frontiers in Marine Science, 10. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2023.1152584.

Holzknecht, M. and Albano, P.G. (2022) 'The molluscan assemblage of a pristine Posidonia oceanica meadow in the eastern Mediterranean,' Marine Biodiversity, 52(59). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12526-022-01292-2.

Albano, P.G. et al. (2021) 'Numerous new records of tropical non-indigenous species in the Eastern Mediterranean highlight the challenges of their recognition and identification,' ZooKeys 10(10). https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1010.58759

Albano, P.G. and Stockinger, M. (2019) 'The rhizome layer of Posidonia oceanica: an important habitat for Mediterranean brachiopods,' Marine Biodiversity, 49. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12526-019-00968-6

Steger, J. et al. (2018) 'New records of non-indigenous molluscs from the eastern Mediterranean Sea,' BioInvasions Records. https://doi.org/10.3391/bir.2018.7.3.05.

Bachelor’s and Master’s theses:

For further information or to request access to any of the theses below, reach out to us via email at crete@dive2gether.com. We welcome your inquiries and interest.

Zagon, Pauline: Untersuchungen zur Mikroplastikkontamination beim Indischen Feuerfisch (Pterois miles) südlich von Kreta (2023).

Haugwitz, Antonia: Untersuchungen zur Mikroplastikkontamination bei Drachenköpfen (Scorpaena spp.) südlich von Kreta (2023).

Seitz, Lilli: Fotoidentifikation des invasiven Rotfeuerfisches (Pterois miles) an der Südküste Kretas (Dragons Nose, Black Rock und Souda Rock) - Evaluation von Fotoidentifikation mit Hinblick auf Management Strategien (2022).

Halt, Simon: Fotoidentifikation des invasiven Rotfeuerfisches (Pterois miles) an der Südküste Kretas (Paligemnos Wall & Grand Gate) - Eine Methodenevaluation von mit Bezug auf Management Strategien (2021).

Liese, Nadine: Untersuchung von Umweltproben auf Mikroplastikkontamination an der Südküste Kretas (2021).

Niermann, Joshua: Videogestützte Erfassung von Flora und Fauna mit einem ROV (Remotely Operated Vehicle) im Mittelmeer - Eine Methodenevaluation (2020)

Von der Eye, Maruschka: Untersuchungen zur Mikroplastikkontamination in Sedimenten und Meerbarben (Mullus sp.) an der Südküste Kretas (2019).

Other publications:

Holzknecht, M. (2016) Der Schermesserfisch (Xyrichtys novacula). Heraklion, Crete: Kreta Umweltforum. http://www.kreta-umweltforum.de/Merkblaetter/604-16.pdf.