Nearly 500 divers and snorkelers
submerged in the Florida Keys National
Marine Sanctuary on Saturday for a
“concert” beneath the sea broadcast by
a local radio station.
The 30th annual Lower Keys Underwater
Music Festival, held at Looe Key Reef
along the continental United States’
only living coral barrier reef, featured
four hours of commercial-free music
piped below the surface via a series of
underwater speakers.
“We started this as an arts and cultural
event 30 years ago (and) thought it
would be a one-time thing,” said event
co-founder and coordinator Bill Becker.
“It’s the only place we know of where
music is put underwater for divers,
snorkelers and the marine life.”
The water-themed playlist included such
tunes as the Beatles’ “Octopus’s Garden”
and the themes from Disney’s “The Little
Mermaid” and television’s classic
“Flipper.” Participants described the
music as clear and ethereal, with
underwater visibility of about 50 feet.
Snorkeler Uli Clef from Munich,
Germany, said he was particularly
impressed with the vivid colors and
tropical fish he saw underwater.
“I’ve seen colors from red to blue to
white, and even the shades of the sun
coming from the water line,” Clef said
when he surfaced. “All these colorful
fishes — that’s perfect.”
Some divers were costumed and
pretended to play quirky metal
instruments sculpted by Florida Keys
artist August Powers. As well as offering
an unusual experience for dive and
snorkel enthusiasts, the broadcast
included diver awareness
announcements promoting coral reef
protection.
“We try to get divers to be aware of their
impact on the coral reef so that they
lessen that impact and this reef can be
here for generations to come,” said
Becker.
The event was staged by radio station
WWUS in partnership with the Lower Keys
Chamber of Commerce.
submerged in the Florida Keys National
Marine Sanctuary on Saturday for a
“concert” beneath the sea broadcast by
a local radio station.
The 30th annual Lower Keys Underwater
Music Festival, held at Looe Key Reef
along the continental United States’
only living coral barrier reef, featured
four hours of commercial-free music
piped below the surface via a series of
underwater speakers.
“We started this as an arts and cultural
event 30 years ago (and) thought it
would be a one-time thing,” said event
co-founder and coordinator Bill Becker.
“It’s the only place we know of where
music is put underwater for divers,
snorkelers and the marine life.”
The water-themed playlist included such
tunes as the Beatles’ “Octopus’s Garden”
and the themes from Disney’s “The Little
Mermaid” and television’s classic
“Flipper.” Participants described the
music as clear and ethereal, with
underwater visibility of about 50 feet.
Snorkeler Uli Clef from Munich,
Germany, said he was particularly
impressed with the vivid colors and
tropical fish he saw underwater.
“I’ve seen colors from red to blue to
white, and even the shades of the sun
coming from the water line,” Clef said
when he surfaced. “All these colorful
fishes — that’s perfect.”
Some divers were costumed and
pretended to play quirky metal
instruments sculpted by Florida Keys
artist August Powers. As well as offering
an unusual experience for dive and
snorkel enthusiasts, the broadcast
included diver awareness
announcements promoting coral reef
protection.
“We try to get divers to be aware of their
impact on the coral reef so that they
lessen that impact and this reef can be
here for generations to come,” said
Becker.
The event was staged by radio station
WWUS in partnership with the Lower Keys
Chamber of Commerce.
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