The Beneath The Sea consumer scuba and dive travel show will take place on March 25-26, 2023 for the first time since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and the death of its founder.
“Every year Beneath the Sea delivers more than 200 booths and over 70 seminars and workshops on all aspects of scuba: equipment, destinations, medical issues, expedition planning, wreck plotting, conservation, fish behavior, enviromental issues, exploration, leadership, dive safety, a marine careers day, underwater digital photography and videography.”
The COVID-19 pandemic caused the expo to be delayed and ultimately canceled in 2020 and 2021, and during that time both the expo’s founder, Armand “Zig” Zigahn, and his wife JoAnn — who created a lot of the event’s family-oriented programs — passed away in February and October 2021, respectively.
In a December 2021 holiday greeting card posted on the BTS Facebook page, the organization’s board of directors announced that “following the untimely passings of both Zig and JoAnn, at the DEMA meeting of the dive industry, the industry encouraged the return of Beneath the Sea” and booked the Meadowlands Exhibition Center for the weekend of March 24-25, 2023.
The Awards Banquet on Saturday night will recognize marine artist Wyland as the “Legend of the Sea” and Walt “Butch” Hendrick as the “Pioneer” for his 1974 creation of LifeGuard Systems, a company that teaches leadership and cutting-edge rescue skills to the international water rescue community.
The Divers of the Year are Dr. Michael Lang for Science, Barry Lipski for Service and Brian Skerry for the Arts.
Friday, organizers are inviting high school and college students from schools across the New York Tri-State Metro Area to spend the entire day for free, meeting men and women who enjoy successful marine careers in the arts and sciences.
There will be a drawing for a grand prize – a trip to Fiji for two staying at Voli Voli Resort, travel on Fiji Airways (LAX gateway) — and a silent auction filled with personal gear, dive trips to exotic places and much more.
The expo will take place at the Meadowlands Exposition Center in Secaucus, New Jersey, about eight minutes from New York City.
For more info, go to http://www.beneaththesea.us.
