Whether you're curious about the mysteries of the deep sea, are captivated by great whites or have always dreamed of exploring the planet's many splendid coral reefs, the New England Aquarium's free lecture series could be the answer to all your sea-faring prayers.

This spring, the aquarium continues its free programming with weekly lectures held at the Harborside Learning Lab. Unless otherwise noted, lectures start at 7 p.m. and cover a range of topics - from deep sea life and dazzling reef cities to marine conservation - hosted by ecologists, marine biologists and aquarium staff.

"There's always something new and exciting going on in the world of oceans,'' said Vickie Cataldo, lecture series coordinator. "And there's always new research coming out, whether it's on climate issues or deep sea exploration.''

Upcoming lectures include: an in-depth look at coral reef marine life titled "Waters of Wonder'' hosted by filmmaker, Joel Biddle, former educational director for reef relief; a screening of the film "Island of the Great White Shark'' about one of the world's last remaining shark sanctuaries off the coast of Baja, Mexico; a lecture on the tragic capture of sharks in high seas fisheries, hosted by John Mandelman, research scientist at the New England Aquarium; and an exclusive look at the Celebes Sea in Southeast Asia, hosted by Greg Stone, vice president of global marine programs at the aquarium and leading deep-sea explorer.

Cataldo said she hopes exposing people to new research and discoveries will get the general public interested in protecting and celebrating the vastly diverse marine world.

"We all believe that if you know something well then you'll love it, and if you love it you'll protect it,'' said Cataldo. "It's hard with the ocean, because most people don't get to see what's under the ocean, so hopefully these lectures will show people what's out there.''

The lectures continue through the spring and pick up again in the fall. Check out www.neaq.org for lecture topics, dates and to pre-register. All lectures are free and open to the public.

• South Shore Science Center
• New England Aquarium
• Deer Island
• EcoTarium