Press Release
Received from: Long Island Divers Association

LIDA Film Festival 2025

LIDA

We will once again be holding this event on the campus of Hofstra University. And in keeping with the spirit of the season, there may even be a few Halloween-themed surprises!

This year’s event will feature a slate of great speakers and accomplished photographers and videographers who will present their incredible work highlighting adventures under the sea.

Press Release
Received from: Maria Hults

Beneath the Sea Update

Beneath The Sea

Together with the Beneath the Sea’s team of Directors and volunteers, they create a weekend of excitement, education, special events, and parties to celebrate the underwater arts, education, and science. Throughout this dynamic weekend, Beneath the Sea presents to the interested and involved public information illustrating the sea changes of our times, an update for all members of our ocean community.

High Seas Treaty: Historic agreement to protect international waters reached at UN after 20 years of negotiations

After nearly two decades of talks, UN member states finally agreed in March 2023 on a legal framework to protect the high seas beyond national boundaries.

Humpbacks in the South Pacific
Dive Industry News and Matters
Ecology & Science

The legal framework provides a crucial mechanism in setting up vast marine protected areas (MPAs) in the high seas. The historic treaty plays a critical role in the enforcement of the 30x30 pledge that countries had made in December 2022 at the United Nations Biodiversity Conference (COP15) in Montreal, Canada. The 30x30 target aims to protect a third of the sea (and land) by 2030.

The announcement by conference president, Rena Lee of Singapore, was met by a standing ovation from delegates, who had worked long days and nights to finalize the deal.

Press Release
Received from: Long Island Divers Association (LIDA)

Explore the Underwater Jungle! LIDA Film Festival

LIDA

There’s a jungle off the California coast. It is lush, and green, and filled with a marvelous diversity of life. It is every bit a wilderness, with a complex eco-system that is both resilient and fragile. And if you were to look at the islands poking their heads above the water about an hour outside of Ventura, you’d be surprised to be using those words. The islands look barren and dry. Hardly the place for thick jungles of plants and trees.

X-RAY MAGAZINE FEATURE

Shipwrecks of War Off New York and New Jersey Coasts

The waters running north to south from the Long Island coast to northern New Jersey are nicknamed “Wreck Valley” by local divers. Larry Cohen and Olga Torrey share the stories of some of the war shipwrecks found in these waters, located off the US northeastern coast.

Words:
Larry Cohen
Olga Torrey
Images:
Larry Cohen
Olga Torrey
Diver Olga Torrey exploring the USS San Diego
➥ Download the full article as pdf ⬅︎
Wrecks & Archaeology

Due to navigation errors, lousy weather and war, there are hundreds of shipwrecks in the waters of New York and New Jersey. These are unfortunate marine disasters, but they do provide habitat for marine life. As a matter of fact, both New York and New Jersey have an artificial reef program, where they sink ships on purpose. Many of these wrecks are at depths of 24 to 45m (80 to 150ft).

Is New York Bight now a supplementary feeding site for baleen whales?

Baleen whales have been spotted more frequently in the waters off New York and New Jersey.

Photo of humpback whale breaching.
Ecology & Science

An increased presence of baleen whale species has been observed in the waters off New York and New Jersey, suggesting that they may be using the area as a supplementary feeding ground.

In boat surveys conducted from 2017 to 2019, scientists from the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and Columbia University observed humpback, fin and minke whales foraging in the New York Bight. A paper on their findings was published in the Marine Biology Research journal.

Two more dive shows postponed

Beneath the Sea and Swedish Dive Expo, both scheduled to be held in March, have been postponed to 2022 due to the still ongoing pandemic.

Dive Industry News and Matters
Beneath The Sea
Dykmässan

On Friday 29 Jan and only a few hours apart, we received similar updates from the organisers of the New Jersey-based Beneath the Seas dive show and the Swedish Dive Show, Dykmässen, which in recent years have been taken place in Gothenburg in the Swedish West coast. Both announced that they will be postponing their respective events until next year due to the restrictions being imposed because of the pandemic.

Beneath the Seas writes:

Press Release

BTS Announces 2016 'Divers of the Year' Awards

Overnight 'Beneath The Sea' has announced their class of 2016.

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
Dive Industry News and Matters
Beneath The Sea

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

X-RAY MAGAZINE FEATURE

Thousand Islands Wrecks of St. Lawrence River

Within a day’s drive from New York City is a wreck junkie heaven, with numerous shipwrecks to explore along the St. Lawrence River on the US-Canadian border, in the area called the Thousand Islands. Larry Cohen and Olga Torrey give a sampling of the wrecks in the region popular with both the American and Canadian diving communities.

Words:
Larry Cohen and Olga Torrey
Images:
Larry Cohen and Olga Torrey
Download the full article as pdf ⬇︎
Wrecks & Archaeology
Travel & Trips

New York, New York—the city so nice they named it twice. There are so many activities in New York City, but scuba diving? No dive boats leave from Manhattan, but with three dive clubs and many dive stores, New York has a large diving community.

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