Florida Keys' Underwater Music Festival Encourages Reef Protection

Summary

Coral reef protection was the "headliner" at a one-of-a-kind underwater concert staged Saturday in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary

2022 Underwater Music Festival

A costumed diver pretends to play a musical instrument at the Lower Keys Underwater Music Festival Saturday, July 9, 2022, in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary off Big Pine Key, Fla. Several hundred divers and snorkelers gathered at Looe Key Reef to listen to a local radio station's four-hour, commercial-free broadcast piped beneath the sea via special underwater speakers. The broadcast featured public service announcements highlighting coral reef protection and environmentally responsible diving. FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY (Mike Papish/Florida Keys News Bureau/HO)
2022 Underwater Music Festival

Costumed participants pretend to play faux musical instruments at the Lower Keys Underwater Music Festival Saturday, July 9, 2022, in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary off Big Pine Key, Fla. Hundreds of divers and snorkelers gathered at Looe Key Reef to listen to a local radio station's four-hour, commercial-free broadcast piped beneath the sea via special underwater speakers. The broadcast featured public service announcements to promote coral reef conservation. FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY (Mike Papish/Florida Keys News Bureau/HO)
2022 Underwater Music Festival

Costumed participants pretend to play faux musical instruments at the Lower Keys Underwater Music Festival Saturday, July 9, 2022, in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary off Big Pine Key, Fla. Hundreds of divers and snorkelers gathered at Looe Key Reef to listen to a local radio station's four-hour, commercial-free broadcast piped beneath the sea via special underwater speakers. The broadcast featured public service announcements to promote coral reef conservation. FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY (Mike Papish/Florida Keys News Bureau/HO)
2022 Underwater Music Festival

A costumed diver pretends to play a musical instrument at the Lower Keys Underwater Music Festival Saturday, July 9, 2022, in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary off Big Pine Key, Fla. Several hundred divers and snorkelers gathered at Looe Key Reef to listen to a local radio station's four-hour, commercial-free broadcast piped beneath the sea via special underwater speakers. The broadcast featured public service announcements highlighting coral reef protection and environmentally responsible diving. FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY (Mike Papish/Florida Keys News Bureau/HO)
2022 Underwater Music Festival

Costumed participants pretend to play faux musical instruments at the Lower Keys Underwater Music Festival Saturday, July 9, 2022, in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary off Big Pine Key, Fla. Hundreds of divers and snorkelers gathered at Looe Key Reef to listen to a local radio station's four-hour, commercial-free broadcast piped beneath the sea via special underwater speakers. The broadcast featured public service announcements to promote coral reef conservation. FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY (Mike Papish/Florida Keys News Bureau/HO)
2022 Underwater Music Festival

Costumed participants pretend to play faux musical instruments at the Lower Keys Underwater Music Festival Saturday, July 9, 2022, in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary off Big Pine Key, Fla. Hundreds of divers and snorkelers gathered at Looe Key Reef to listen to a local radio station's four-hour, commercial-free broadcast piped beneath the sea via special underwater speakers. The broadcast featured public service announcements to promote coral reef conservation. FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY (Mike Papish/Florida Keys News Bureau/HO)

Story: Florida Keys' Underwater Music Festival Encourages Reef Protection
Locator Super: Big Pine Key, Florida Keys
Video: Footage is available on the Florida Keys News Bureau's FTP server (download details below) or can be download via Google Drive link here. Underwater B-roll of divers and snorkelers, including costumed "mermaids," participating in the Underwater Music Festival with NAT SOUND RECORDED UNDERWATER.
TRT: 01:35
Filename: KeysUnderwaterMusic.mp4
Video Source: Florida Keys News Bureau

BIG PINE KEY, Florida Keys -- Coral reef protection was the "headliner" at a one-of-a-kind underwater concert staged Saturday in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary.

Hundreds of divers and snorkelers took part in the annual Lower Keys Underwater Music Festival held at Looe (pronounced Lou) Key Reef, an area of the sanctuary about 6 miles south of Big Pine Key.

Presented by the Lower Keys Chamber of Commerce and coordinated by US1 Radio 104.1 FM, the festival introduced participants to the Keys' coral reef while encouraging environmentally responsible diving and reef protection.

Music was broadcast by the radio station and piped underwater via speakers suspended beneath boats, providing "sub-sea soundtrack" for participants exploring Looe Key Reef's tropical fish and coral formations. They described the music as ethereal, a bit muted, but emanating from all directions.

The unique listening experience featured diver awareness messages that stressed the importance of not touching corals or leaving litter underwater, using mooring buoys instead of anchoring when boating, respecting dive flags and other ways of minimizing environmental impacts on coral reefs.

The playlist featured ocean-themed songs including the Beatles' "Yellow Submarine" and the theme from "The Little Mermaid."

Some divers even spotted "mermaids" beneath the waves. Joined by other costumed participants dressed as sea creatures, they mimicked playing musical instruments underwater.

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FTP Information
Host: ftp://216.194.165.19
UserID: floridakeys@news.fla-keys.com
Password: islands
Folder: News Video
Filename: KeysUnderwaterMusic.mp4
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