The colors are what surprised me the most.
Whenever I have gazed into the ocean-- even when the water was clear, or only tinted with a wisp of turquoise-- the creatures and terrain that my eyes could pick out under the waves looked muddied. I would have told you the fish and rocks and coral were a fuzzy brown, grey or muted green. I had no idea that looking into the ocean from the vantage point of an ordinary human is like looking at it wearing sludge-colored glasses.
That is, I had no idea until I tried scuba diving.
Underwater, the fish that had looked ordinary before were transformed into breathtaking works-of-art, striped with vivid yellows and blues and blacks. Mainly, they were unafraid of me. It seemed like I was just another one of the gang, a big, slow, clumsy fish that had to wear a lot of gear and was a pathetic swimmer.
I’ll always remember my first dive. I listened to the sound of my breathing as I floated in an utterly alien universe, filled with wonder at the sharks that silently glided past me, at the ray winging its way across the ocean floor, at the coral, all of it alive and strange and dancing with the rhythm of the sea.
The first Pirate Coast Dive Festival is a celebration of this most incredible sport on the Gulf Coast of Florida. Whether you’re an accomplished diver, a non-diver, or a wanna-be, you’re invited to Siesta Key Public Beach on Saturday and Sunday, June 14-15, to join in the party.
Besides being fun, the festival will help visitors learn about one of the most biologically productive ecosystems in the country, and some of the Gulf’s unique dive sites. Southwest Florida boasts a phenomenal number of shipwrecks and natural and artificial reef systems that host some truly intriguing aquatic creatures.
The event features:
- More than 50 dive sports-related exhibits under a giant tent at the edge of the Gulf.
- More than 30 ecology and science-based seminars (free with admission to the festival). The discussions should prove to be exciting, since they’ll cover topics like whale sharks in the Gulf of Mexico, Gulf shipwrecks, archeological expeditions, and scientific investigations into the deep-water springs and sinkholes found off Florida's west coast.
- Thousands of dollars in prizes and raffles.
- Scuba Quest Dive Shops will feature a Scuba Discovery Pool where non-divers can try scuba for free.
It’s cheap, too! Admission is $10 through June 13. Tickets (and more information) are available online here. Tickets at the gate are $15.
Sponsors for the Festival include Budweiser, Red Tide Wear, Sarasota Bay Parrothead Club, The Beach Club and Waterside Realty. Sponsorships and booth spaces are still available. Call Brett Blackburn at 941-388-4441, ext. 420, for more information. |
