News
Take part in the Celebrate the Sea Festival in Manado in 2018
Ocean Geographic has announced the 13th Celebrate the Sea Festival in Manado, North Sulawesi from 31 March to 4 April 2018. Previously staged in association with the World Festival of Underwater Pictures, (Le Festival Mondial de l’Image Sous-Marine – Marseille) from 2002 to 2013, Celebrate the Sea was known as one of the most significant underwater photographic events in the world outside Europe. The 2018 festival in Manado will take place in conjunction with the 5th annual ‘Ocean Geographic Pictures of the Year’ competition.
The festival will open on 31 March 2018 with a full-day keynote conference by a panel of international speakers, together with an opening ceremony hosted by the provincial government of North Sulawesi. Past presenters at Celebrate the Sea include some of the world’s most prominent luminaries in underwater imaging and science, including: Stan Waterman, David Doubilet, Jennifer Hayes, Ron & Valerie Taylor, Dr Sylvia Earle, Dr Phil Nyutten, Howard and Michele Hall, Peter Scoones, Dr Gerry Allen, Emory Kristof, Michael AW, Dr Carden Wallace, Dr Lindsay Porter, Howard Shaw, Neville Coleman, Leandro Blanco and Dr Mark Erdmann to name just a few. Without doubt, the luminaries for 2018 will be equally impressive.
The principal highlight of the 2018 festival is the international underwater shoot-out competition. With cash and holiday prize monies value at around USD 35,000 spread over five categories, it may be the most lucrative shoot-out competition in the world. The overall winner will be named ‘Master of the Competition’ with a cash bounty of IDR 66 million (about USD 5,000). Prizes are funded by the provincial government of Manado and supporting resorts of the North Sulawesi Watersports Association.
Competition participants can submit entries into the five categories taken on a maximum of 10 qualifying dives in their chosen supporting resort from 1-3 April. Cameras must be set to the correct Manado time and date before diving commences. Only material from up to 10 dives can be submitted to the competition. Participants can arrive earlier, or undertake more than 10 dives between 1-3 April, to be arranged directly with their chosen resort.
The mission of the 13th Celebrate the Sea Festival uses the power of pictures to inspire conservation and protection of the ocean environment. The 2018 festival will be used as a platform to call for the ban of shark fins in restaurants and to work towards eliminating single-use plastic in North Sulawesi. The provincial government supports these initiatives. The festival in Manado will celebrate the splendour and richness of the marine bio-diversity of Bunaken National Marine Park, Bangka Island and the Lembeh Strait, with the underlying objective being to spotlight threats from climate change and pollution.
Highlights of the festival weekend will also include the screening of finalists of the 5th ‘OG Pictures of the Year’ competition and a children’s art competition. The awards ceremony for Celebrate the Sea 2018 will be on 7 April in Singapore.
Find out more about the Celebrate the Sea Festival at www.celebratethesea.oneocean.com.
News
Dive Worldwide Announces Bite-Back as its Charity of the Year
Over the next 12 months, specialist scuba holiday company Dive Worldwide will be supporting Bite-Back Shark & Marine Conservation with donations collected from client bookings to any one of its stunning dive destinations around the world. The independently-owned operator expects to raise £3000 for the UK charity.
Manager at Dive Worldwide, Phil North, said: “We’re especially excited to work with Bite-Back and support its intelligent, creative and results-driven campaigns to end the UK trade in shark products and prompt a change in attitudes to the ocean’s most maligned inhabitant.”
Bite-Back is running campaigns to hold the media to account on the way it reports shark news along with a brand new nationwide education programme. Last year the charity was credited for spearheading a UK ban on the import and export of shark fins.
Campaign director at Bite-Back, Graham Buckingham, said: “We’re enormously grateful to Dive Worldwide for choosing to support Bite-Back. The company’s commitment to conservation helps set it apart from other tour operators and we’re certain its clients admire and respect that policy. For us, the affiliation is huge and helps us look to the future with confidence we can deliver against key conservation programmes.”
To launch the fundraising initiative, Phil North presented Graham Buckingham with a cheque for £1,000.
Visit Dive Worldwide to discover its diverse range of international scuba adventures and visit Bite-Back to learn more about the charity’s campaigns.
MORE INFORMATION
Call Graham Buckingham on 07810 454 266 or email graham@bite-back.com
Gear News
Scubapro Free Octopus Promotion 2024
Free Octopus with every purchase of a SCUBAPRO regulator system
Just in time for the spring season, divers can save money with the FREE OCTOPUS SPRING PROMOTION! Until July 31st SCUBAPRO offers an Octopus for free
with every purchase of a regulator system!
Get a free S270 OCTOPUS with purchase of these combinations:
MK25 EVO or MK19 EVO with A700
MK25 EVO or MK19 EVO with S620Ti
MK25 EVO or MK19 EVO with D420
MK25 EVO Din mit S620Ti-X
Get a free R105 OCTOPUS with purchase of the following combinations:
MK25 EVO or MK19 EVO with G260
MK25 EVO or MK17 EVO with S600
SCUBAPRO offers a 30-year first owner warranty on all regulators, with a revision period of two years or 100 dives. All SCUBAPRO regulators are of course certified according to the new European test standard EN250-2014.
Available at participating SCUBAPRO dealers. Promotion may not be available in all regions. Find an authorized SCUBAPRO Dealer at scubapro.com.
More information available on www.scubapro.com.
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