The Tribune

By DENISE MAYCOCK

Tribune Freeport Reporter

dmaycock@tribunemedia.net

BAHAMAS Underwater Photo Week is underway and several world-class dive photographers are in the country shooting and filming, generating international exposure for the islands’ dive industry which brings in $330m annually.

The event was officially launched in Grand Bahama this week and tourism officials are excited about the positive impact it will have not only for the country, but also particularly in Grand Bahama.

“We are excited and we feel this launch is a part of the overall destination launch of getting Grand Bahama back on its feet, getting us back on the map,” said Betty Bethel, director at the Ministry of Tourism in Freeport.

Linda Osbourne, general manager of UNEXSO (Underwater Explorers Society), said Bahamas Underwater Photo Week will feature beautiful underwater footage of the Bahamas.

Osbourne, who is also an executive officer of the Bahamas Diving Association, said: “We are so excited for this event. This is the first time in history that the underwater beauty of the Bahamas will be photographed in one week.”

“We have seven world-famous photographers and videographers covering 10 islands in the Bahamas this week.”

The underwater pictures and films will be featured in international media in North and South America, Europe, Australia and Indonesia.

Footage is also scheduled for the National Geographic Channel for Brazil. Social media representatives from various organisations are also covering the event.

“In the end, the result is that we are going to have a huge social buzz on social media and in print in the coming months, making a huge global splash for the Bahamas overall,” Osbourne said.

World-renowned photographer Stephen Frink, publisher of Alert Diver, said the idea is to tell the amazing story of the Bahamas to divers around the world.

Frink has been coming to the Bahamas since 1982, travelling to Grand Bahama, Eleuthera, New Providence, Long Island and San Salvador.

“I have travelled throughout the Bahamas but I had a challenge in photographing the Bahamas. The issue I had is that the Bahamas is too vast and diverse to tell the entire story at one time,” he explained.

“So I thought, what if instead of one photographer we had four world-class photographers who are very productive and who have a great personal following, and are very respected in their field; what if we conceived a week in your life of the Bahamas and call it Bahamas Underwater Photo Week.”

Mr Frink said Alert Diver magazine has some 250,000 members.

“It is our job to tell a story of a destination that is meaningful. We want our people to go on the road to have fun; to be safe, happy divers; and I know that the Bahamas is a perfect place for them.

“So it is our job to tell the story to make our members aware of how special your destination is. We are going to immerse our members through social media, print and a slideshow so other businesses entities can share our passion, support, and appreciation for what you have underwater.”

Ms Bethel said Grand Bahama is experiencing a rebound with new airlifts and a new hotel product and noted that the destination is also known for its dive experience.

“GB has a great dive product that is very easy to access. Only about five minutes by boat, you can get to any dive site,” she said.

“Diving represents a countrywide economic impact of some $330m annually. The entire dive community services over 116,000 divers annually, with about 30 dive members spread out over 10 Bahamian islands.”

Ms Bethel said that some 1,500 persons are directly and indirectly employed within the dive industry in the Bahamas.

She noted that divers account for well over 50,000 room nights in the Bahamas. Of this number, over 50 per cent of these room nights are in the Family Islands.

Ms Bethel commended Mr William Klein, Mr Frink, UNEXSO, and the Grand Bahama Island Tourism Board for the role they have played in bringing this event to the Bahamas.