***MEDIA ADVISORY***
***PHOTO OPPORTUNITY***
Media Invited to Dive Underwater in Human Occupied Submersible;
Learn about Impending Reef Damage near Port Everglades Prior to Dredging
Port Everglades, Fla. (March 12, 2016) – Special guests, including renowned explorer and environmentalist, Philippe Cousteau, event sponsors and media personnel will have a unique opportunity to view coral reef habitats, first hand, just south of the Port Everglades shipping channel in human occupied submersibles, thanks to a partnership between Miami Waterkeeper and Project Baseline.
The dives will take place, weather permitting, on Monday, March 21 and Tuesday, March 22, from 8:30am to 4:30 p.m. Submersibles dive teams will be conducting operations with Project Baseline and Miami Waterkeeper on the 146’ ship the Baseline Explorer.
The primary goal of the two day event is to increase understanding and awareness of coral reef conditions near Port Everglades before shipping channel expansion begins in 2017. The Army Corps of Engineers has taken no steps to alter its Environmental Impact Statement, recently sent to Congress for funding, to ensure that the Florida Reef Tract, bisected by the channel, remains safe and intact from the impacts of dredging.
Submersible pilots will accompany special guests (submersible passengers) along Barracuda Reef, collecting valuable baseline data from sections of the Florida Reef Tract. Data will be delivered back to the surface for dissemination on key social media platforms and Project Baseline’s online spatial database of global underwater conditions.
An evening social aboard Baseline Explorer to close out the event, docked at Pier 66 in Fort Lauderdale, is open to the public on the evening of March 22. Food and beverages will be provided by Global Sub Dive and Whole Foods – Aventura store.
Members of the media are encouraged to board BEX and observe submersibles dives in action on March 21st and 22nd.
Contact Rachel Silverstein
+1(619) 787 3161
or
Rachel@miamiWaterkeeper.org
About Miami Waterkeeper:
Miami Waterkeeper (MWK, formerly Biscayne Bay Waterkeeper) is a Miami-based 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that advocates for South Florida’s watershed and wildlife. Our goal is to educate locals and visitors about the vital role of clean water in Miami’s clean water economy, and to empower them to take an active role in community decision making. We hope to ensure a clean and vibrant, water-based coastal culture and ecosystem for generations to come. We are a member of the Waterkeeper Alliance, an internationally recognized, citizen-led alliance working for clean water around the world. Launched in 2011, MWK is the first Waterkeeper in South Florida and the only advocacy organization solely dedicated to protecting Biscayne Bay and its surrounding watershed. Visit miamiWaterkeeper.org.
About Project Baseline:
Project Baseline, supported by Global Underwater Explorers and the research vessel Baseline Explorer, was founded in 2009 to empower a global network of highly skilled scuba divers (more than 275 and growing) in 25 countries to create a lasting visual legacy of underwater conditions in oceans, lakes, rivers, springs, and caves all over the world, one picture and video at a time. For more information, visit projectbaseline.org.
About Baseline Explorer:
The Baseline Explorer is classed as a private research vessel, owned and operated by Global Sub Dive since the start of 2015. The ship is 146’ long with a 36’ beam and is equipped with two manned submersibles, a recompression chamber, and gas compressors to support advanced diving operations to depths of 1,000’. To date, Global Sub Dive as has supported marine research by teaming with three universities in Florida, the Azores, and Portugal. For more information, visit globalsubdive.com.
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MEDIA CONTACT: Rachel Silverstein +1(619) 787 3161; Rachel@miamiWaterkeeper.org
This post was originally posted on http://www.globalsubdive.com/rare-photo-opportunity