Melissa Hobson
Marine science and conservation writer
Melissa Hobson, doing business as The Ocean Writer Ltd., is a marine science and conservation writer based in Hastings. She has written about the ocean for outlets including BBC Wildlife, BBC Countryfile, National Geographic, New Scientist and the Guardian. Visit Melissa’s website at melissahobson.co.uk or follow her on LinkedIn.
Recent articles by Melissa Hobson
This underwater robot just ran into something bizarre at the junction of three vast tectonic plates in the Pacific Ocean
What it found was literally dazzling...
Earth's biggest coral colony discovered in the Pacific Ocean– and it's so huge it can be seen from space
Experts estimate that the massive mega coral – found near the Solomon Islands in the south-west Pacific Ocean – is about 300 years old.
Deep-sea scientists just filmed something enormous swimming over the seafloor in Chile
The rare footage shows the animal carry something – something it won't let go of for months...
This manatee was just tagged in Brazil – what happened next stunned everyone
Tico the manatee was released back into the wild after eight years of rehabilitation. But it didn’t go to plan...
Scientists stuck cameras on 10 whales in Australia – and they were amazed at what they saw
Researchers tagged the humpback whales to find out more about their annual migration along the east coast.
When researchers dropped a camera into a murky river in the Amazon Rainforest, something rare and peculiar appeared
A pod of enigmatic animals emerged from the darkness and began playing in front of the camera.
Ghostly 'moon' whale filmed in Tonga
The baby humpback whale was filmed with her mother and an escort whale. Experts fear there may be challenges ahead...
This deep-sea robot just bumped into something amazing – a strange "little unicorn" with a very special trick
The autonomous underwater vehicle was exploring the slopes of a never-before-seen seamount in the waters around American Samoa in the Pacific Ocean when it stumbled upon the strange creature.
Divers set up a camera in a lobster den. What happened next shocked them all...
Scientists in Australia were surprised to see Port Jackson and crested horn sharks appear out of the darkness.
Crocodile fish ARE real – and they can create a deadly vortex that sucks prey into their gaping mouths
The scary-sounding crocodile fish is actually shy and “will likely bolt upon seeing a human,” researchers say
“She appeared suddenly out of the blue murkiness – a massive white shark!” Close encounter stuns divers in California
Amazingly, most of the scuba divers were totally unaware the predator was just a few metres away.
What is Fat Bear Week and why is everyone talking about it?
The USA’s plumpest bears are facing off in the most anticipated weigh in of the year...
Discover the weird 'doomsday' fish, the eerie sea serpent-like monster that, according to legend, can 'foresee' deadly tsunamis
Meet the mysterious oarfish, the deep swelling sea serpent that's known as harbingers of doom”.
World's grumpiest fish discovered in the Red Sea. And scientists have given it the perfect name
At less than 2cm long, this grouchy goby is a tiny but fierce predator
There's a rare fish in the Red Sea that looks like a guitar – and it may soon be lost forever
The critically endangered halavi guitarfish could be extinct in a few years’ time if nothing is done to save it, say scientists
"Twisting, turning, bottling and darting around" – these three adorable seal pups can't wait to get back into the wild
The rescued common seal pups – Pop-Up-Pirate, Kerplunk and Frustration – are building their fat reserves before being released back into UK seas.
The 'flying spaghetti monster' does exist. Scientists bump into it on a deep-sea voyage to underwater mountains
Researchers stumbled upon the otherworldly colony of organisms on their way to an explored seamount off the coast of Chile.
Watch incredible, heart-warming, footage of a seal pup being born and its first few moments - fortunately mum is on hand for comfort
"The team had to sit precariously on a cliff edge". Seal volunteers video a new pup being born
Watch incredible footage of a tiny flamboyant cuttlefish hatching from its egg. Is this the cutest baby fish in the ocean? It's certainly the prettiest
See the moment this ‘walking’ cephalopod takes its very first steps
"A wild orca came over and made us a rainbow!" Magical encounter stuns whale watchers off San Diego coast
The orcas were spotted close to border between the USA and Mexico.
"This is not a plot line from Jurassic Park." Scientists are growing babies in a lab to save animals from extinction
Researchers in Florida are collecting and freezing coral eggs and sperm to protect vulnerable species from going extinct.
This enormous shark was swallowed by an even bigger shark – and a lost tracking device reveals exactly what happened
In a scientific first, researchers have discovered that a pregnant porbeagle was eaten by another shark.
Underwater robot stumbles across thousands of sharks asleep on the seabed. Experts are trying to figure what’s happening
Scientists have been left scratching their heads, wondering why so many female sharks are gathered on the seafloor in southern Australia.
"I got to dive through the magic." Freediver films dreamlike swim through "fairy light" salp bloom in Cornwall
The gelatinous sea creatures make long chains that look like twinkling lights in the water.