‘Celebrate the Sea Marine Festival’

Celebrate the Sea is the most prestigious event of the sea in the Asia Pacific –  first launch in 2002 as part of ADEX – Asian Diver Expo, the festival was subsequently staged in Kuala Lumpur 2003 and 2004, Singapore 2005 and 2006, Philippines 2007, 2008 – it has evolved to be the one of the most important international event of the sea.  The 3-day event is comprise of showing the latest in marine feature documentaries, children’s painting competition, exhibition featuring an international prints in competition, posters display on  marine environmental issues. Past presenters at Celebrate the Sea are comprised of some of the world’s most prominent luminaries in underwater imaging and science, including: Stan Waterman, David Doubilet, Dr Sylvia Earle, Dr Phil Nyutten, Dr Gerry Allen, Emory Kristof of National Geographic, Michael AW, Dr Carden Wallace – curator Museum of Tropical Queensland, Dr. Lindsay Porter – WWF Hong Kong, Daniel D’Orville, Leandro Blanco, Mathieu Meur, Jacky Stanley, Dr Mark Erhmann, just to name a few. Celebrate the Sea is proudly presented by OceanNENvironment in association with The World Festival of Underwater Pictures, Antibes Juan Les Pins.

Mission Statement:

 The under lying mission of the festival is to promote the beauty of the sea, and highlight the urgency for preservation of remaining resources through the art of underwater imagery. Ultimately the event will raise the public interest in the sea and standard of marine artistes in the Asia Pacific region. OceanNEnvironment’s Save Our Sharks campaign now in its seventh year.   

Celebrate the Sea - International Underwater Imagery Competitions - The focus of the festival is the International Underwater film and photographic competition.

 Why ‘Celebrate the Sea Festival’ - Most of us don’t pay attention to the very element that keeps us all alive. The living Sea has been the source and cradle for life on Earth for over 3 billion years.  The Seas occupy nearly 70.98% of our planet's surface and the sea provide 99 percent of the Earth's living space - the largest space in our universe known to be inhabited by living organisms. The Seas act as both our heaters and air conditioners. Ocean currents move warm water to cold areas and likewise from cold to warm. The Seas absorb heat in summer and release it in winter. The Seas and marine life consume huge amounts of carbon dioxide, and much more oxygen is produced and released through oceanic photosynthesis than by all the earth's terrestrial plants and forests combined. Without the sea there could be no life on this planet.

 We celebrate our National Day, we celebrate our birthday, we celebrate the New Year, we even have bank holiday, yet through the ages, none of us, kingdom, nation or country have ever take time to celebrate the sea ... the essential element that keeps us all alive. We are just beginning to understand our Seas, the processes, and life within her embrace. But it is a puzzling question, especially to those of us who recognized the fact that our politicians spend so little resources to protect our seas. The “out of sight and out of mind” mentality is obvious. If only the Seas were as clear as our sky, perhaps than we will realize the urgency in cleaning up our act and protect our resources.

 After staging several Sea Life Festivals in the last decade, OceanNEnvironment conceptualised and launched “Celebrate the Sea Festival 2002” in Singapore to promote greater awareness of the beauty and the importance of our seas. Since most life on Earth is aquatic, in terms of both diversity and biomass, it seems reasonable for us to direct extra interest in getting to know who’s who in the sea, appreciate each and every living creature that makes up the vast biospheres that effectively influence our existence, climate, weather and the mechanism that made this water planet a hospitable place for life.  Celebrate the Sea Festival promote the beauty and greater awareness of the beauty of the sea.

Who is OceanNEnvironment?

OceanNEnvironment is a registered charity with Environment Australia operating throughout the Asia-Pacific realm. The organisation is dedicated to the protection of natural environs through education and meaningful research. The mission of OceanNEnvironment is not only to promote preservation but also to document the status of coral reefs, bio-diversity and the impact of man-made pollution through research programs and educational expeditions. All of OceanNEnvironment’s projects are result oriented and results measurable. OceanNEnvironment provides lectures and educational material to schools, private clubs and other non-profit organisations. Honorary Fellows and Associates of OceanNEnvironment include award-winning underwater filmmakers, photographers, marine biologists, researchers and writers dedicated to producing high-quality natural history multi-media works. The organisation’s key activity is the presentation of information about the natural environment in an exciting and thought-provoking manner to motivate people to learn, to love and to help preserve our ocean environment.

 Celebrate the Sea Festival in Asia is part of OceanNEnvironment’s ongoing efforts to raise awareness of the beauty of our oceans and its Say No to Shark Fin Campaign. It is held in collaboration with the world underwater film festival at Antibes, Juan Les Pin. For more on festival entry, masterpasses email cts@oneocean.com