East Coast

LIDA Annual Film Festival

LIDA Annual Film Festival
The Long Island Divers Association (LIDA) is a not-for-profit regional organization dedicated to the promotion of local diving

We are very excited to return to an in-person event this year and will be hosting the film festival at Hofstra University. After three years of Covid restrictions, it’s time for divers to once again enjoy the pleasures of meeting in person.

You are invited to submit proposals for possible inclusion in this event. The Film Festival is an annual fundraising event for LIDA and traditionally features an exciting slate of world-renowned speakers, filmmakers and photographers.

An octopus, sea star, bivalves and dozens of cup coral all share the same overhang in an area adjacent to the Hudson Canyon off the coast of New York and New Jersey.

Underwater Canyon Could Become America’s Newest Marine Sanctuary

Hudson Canyon is the largest underwater canyon along the U.S. Atlantic Coast, and is about 100 miles off the coast of New York and New Jersey. The canyon ⁠— about 2 to 2.5 miles deep and up to 7.5 miles wide ⁠— provides habitat for a range of protected and sensitive species, including sperm whales, sea turtles and deep sea corals.

The canyon’s rich biodiversity is integral to the region’s economy, underpinning commercial and recreational fisheries, recreational diving, whale-watching and birding. 

Long Island Divers Association Film Festival Presentation Lineup

This year’s unique LIDA Film Festival will be a great way to relax and enjoy some of the best underwater images while dreaming of your next underwater adventure. Here is a sneak peek at the lineup of world-class underwater photographers and videographers we will feature this year:

Michel Labrecque & Julie Ouimet
"Freaks...of nature"

Rick Morris
"Heroes to Heroes Restoring the Reefs"

Nancy McGee
"Uncomfortable"

42nd Annual Underwater Treasure Hunt

This event is a true ‘treasure hunt’ where divers get to scuba dive off the rock jetty at Radio Island in Beaufort, NC. They seek treasure in the form of numbered oyster shells.

After numbered oyster shells have been found and collected, we then return to the dive shop for a pig pickin’ feast and the drawing for prizes. It’s all very exciting and makes for a really fun day! This event is one of the largest single-day gatherings of divers and like-minded people in North Carolina.

Diver Olga Torrey explores the Challenger 600 airplane at Dutch Springs

Popular Dive Spot in Pennsylvania faces closure

Dutch Springs has been the location for sport, technical, and public safety divers to gather for the last 41 years. Divers travel to Dutch from all over the Northeast for training, socializing, or underwater fun. 

Dutch Springs is crowded with open water students, technical divers trying new gear, and photographers practicing their art every summer weekend. Owner Stu Schooley and his staff have done a remarkable job filling the lake with attractions, including various boats, trucks, airplanes, a school bus, and helicopters.

Previous studies of shipwrecks in the United Kingdom and the Red Sea have shown that such artificial reefs often create new and different types of habitat than natural reefs.

Fish thrive on WWII shipwrecks

In 2016, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) undertook a closer examination of the wrecks of the German U-boat U-576 and the Nicaraguan freighter SS Bluefields, using glass-domed submersibles. The two historically significant and deep (200m) shipwrecks sank near one another on the continental shelf of North Carolina, USA, during World War II.

North Carolina: Wrecks & Sharks

Sand tiger shark on wreck of the Atlas. Image by Olga Torrey

The waters off the coast of the US state of North Carolina are treacherous. Bad weather, rough seas, heavy current and inlets that are difficult to navigate are common. So why do underwater explorers consider this area to be a world-class dive destination? Because when you do get offshore, it is extraordinary.

Drew Richardson, Richard Lutz, BTS, Beneath the Sea Awards, diving awards, Rosemary E Lunn, X-Ray Mag, Boot Dusseldorf, Bill Ziefle, Wendy Benchley, Wayne Hasson, Aggressor Fleet, Peter Hughes, Dancer Fleet, DAN, Divers Alert Network
Dr Drew Richardson (r) pictured with Fourth Element's Paul Strike (l) at the Boot Dusseldorf Dive Show

BTS Announces 2016 'Divers of the Year' Awards

This year the annual New Jersey scuba diving show celebrates a major milestone. It was founded in 1976, making this the 40th year BTS has recognised divers in the fields of the arts, education, environment, service and science.

2016 DIVER OF THE YEAR

Environment - Wendy Benchley

Diving Pioneer - Captain Wayne Hasson

Science - Dr Richard A. Lutz

Service - Dr Drew Richardson

Education - Bill Ziefle