News
Cozumel Scubafest 2016 Dates Announced
Underwater Photography Contest to be included at this year’s Cozumel Scubafest
The dates for the 2016 Cozumel Scubafest have been announced. This year the event will run from November 30th to December 4th.
This is the one of the biggest diving events in the region and attracts divers from all around the world. Visitors can attend evening lectures, visit the dive show stands, socialize every night with other attendees at special events and best of all get in some great diving on the wonderful reefs.
Each year, speakers from around the world come to talk about all aspects of diving. There are talks on technical diving, marine life, conservation, equipment and destinations. One special guest is honoured in the Underwater Museum with a statue dedicated to them. In 2015, this was Dr Sylvia Earle, who dived down with a group of enthusiastic divers, along with Jean-Michel Cousteau, to be photographed alongside her statue.
This year the team have added an underwater photography contest to the activities. The organisers are looking for the best images taken in Cozumel, so if you have dived here in the past, dig out your images and start looking for your best shots to enter:
www.cozumelfest.com/eng/photo-contest
Last year, dive operators offered fantastic packages during the event, with low costs for all divers that dived the Scubafest Diving Route during the festival. This included great reef dives that showed off the amazing corals and marine life, as well as some exciting wall dives. Cozumel is well known for it’s drift diving, and on some dives you can gently traverse the reef and walls without ever having to fin!
It is an event designed for divers, so the guest speakers are not on stage until after the diving day is done. The organisers also make sure that all those with a ticket are well looked after, and offer cocktails, food and entertainment to finish off each evening.
For more information on Cozumel Scubafest 2016, keep an eye on the website: www.cozumelfest.com/eng
Last Thursday, Oyster Diving transformed Mercers Lake into a hauntingly unforgettable underwater realm for their inaugural Halloween Scuba Party. Approximately 20 intrepid divers plunged into the darkness, weaving through a mesmerising scene of spectral decorations, glow sticks, and eerie underwater pumpkins.
After the thrilling night dive, participants gathered to feast on a ghoulish spread of pumpkin soup, chilli con carne, and decadent fudge brownies, perfect fuel for the frightful festivities.
With a resounding success, Oyster Diving is excited to announce plans for this event to become an annual tradition. Next year, look forward to a fully licensed bar and live music, promising an even spookier celebration under the moonlit waters.
Join us next Halloween for an experience that promises to be a haunting delight!
Find out more about Oyster Diving at oysterdiving.com.
After a two-year tour of UK art galleries, community spaces and aquariums, the Shark Trust’s acclaimed Oceanic31 exhibition takes its final bow at the Royal Geographical Society later this month. And the unique collection of artwork, depicting 31 species of oceanic sharks and rays, donated by 31 artists, is now open for bids from art lovers and shark enthusiasts. The online auction, launched today, will close on the 7th December at 8pm (BST). The money raised will support the Shark Trust Oceanics Programme.
People can now bid on 27 of the artworks by visiting this website:
https://superstars-auctions.com/sharktrustauction
It is a chance to own a beautiful piece of original art and to support the Shark Trust. The timing of the auction also means that these would make a very special Christmas gift for any shark-lover.
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- Bigeye Thresher Shark by Janina Rossiter
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- Carcharodon carcharias by Jimmy Higgs
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- Croc VR 2030 by Tom Mead
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- Oceanic Whitetip by ATM
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- Silky Street by ScapaJoe
The diversity of pieces mirrors that of the sharks and rays they represent. You can bid on paintings, digital creations, sculptures, mixed media and more. You can pick your favourite artist or species of shark. Or you can select the perfect artwork to make a statement in your home or office. Whichever you choose, you will be supporting the work to protect these amazing animals.
One of the pieces of art has been selected to be auctioned live by Steve Backshall at the For the Love of Sharks event at the Royal Geographical Society in London on the 29th November. In addition to this, two further pieces will be raffled at this event, giving people a chance to win an incredible piece of shark art. For the Love of Sharks is the Shark Trust’s flagship evening. A night to celebrate sharks. Steve Backshall is the headline speaker at this event that will see other prominent shark advocates join him on stage.
Tickets for the event can be snapped up here:
https://thesharktrust.org.uk/Event/flos24
Those that would like to see the Oceanic 31 exhibition have one final chance. It is being displayed at the Pavilion at the Royal Geographic Society from 26th November until the 7th December. Entry is free.
Find out more here:
https://www.rgs.org/events/upcoming-events/oceanic-31
Paul Cox, Shark Trust CEO, Said “This exhibition has given us the opportunity to reach out to a new audience. And inspire more people with the wonderful sharks and rays on which our Big Shark Pledge campaign is based. We are immensely grateful to the 31 artists who have worked so hard to create these works.”
Bid for your favourite Oceanic 31 artwork here:
https://superstars-auctions.com/sharktrustauction
Banner Image: Smooth Hammerhead by Alicia Hayden
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