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Promoting Scuba to the Public--Taking the Challenge

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John A Lewis

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Scuba Instructor
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A few years ago, friends and I were discussing the decline in interest in scuba from what appeared to be the peak in the mid-1980s.


This usually leads into a reminiscence about what drew each of us into the underwater world. Usually, it had something to do with film or in particular television - the Jacques Cousteau specials, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea and of course the granddaddy of them all: Sea Hunt with Lloyd Bridges. All had some fairly common themes, the biggest of which was that once discovered scuba is a lifestyle, and a fun one at that.


Scuba needs to be put on a par with other fun and gear intensive sports such as skydiving, snow skiing, wake boarding, hang gliding - in other words, other sports that require proper training in order to safely participate in them.


We need something out there to put our sport front and center in the public awareness again. Something easily accessible and inviting to fire up the public to take courses and purchase gear and head out into the water.


Having had an idea rattling around in my head for a long time now, I consulted with my Self-Appointed Committee of One about doing something about the situation.


Below you will find the link for the Indiegogo campaign to fund the first three episodes of a new series, tentatively titled Around the World under the Sea.


The series is intended to bring awareness of the diversity of life on our planet with the ultimate intention to spur more involvement on the part of the public in ecological and cultural awareness - and also encourage the viewer to take up the sport of scuba themselves. To take our classes, purchase our gear and join us in travel adventures of their own.


The campaign funds raised will be going to final preproduction, location shooting and postproduction of these three inaugural episodes. More information can be found on the Indiegogo campaign site using the link below. Please note the several perks available on the site for contributors at varying levels.


It is my hope that each of you will contribute to this effort, which is designed to benefit us all as an industry. I also respectfully ask that you share this campaign far and wide so that others with an interest may also participate. The campaign link follows:

Link: Around the World Under the Sea

Regards,

John Lewis
Aqualife Adventures


---------- Post added April 24th, 2014 at 10:19 AM ----------

The campaign has been featured on Scubaverse!

Crowdfunding Project Hopes To Raise Money For New Scuba Diving Series - Scubaverse


Link to contribute: http://igg.me/at/atw1/x/4225828
 
The video pitch for the Indiegogo campaign for the proposed first three episodes of Around the World Under the Sea.

To donate to the campaign, go to http://igg.me/at/atw1/x/4225828

[video=youtube_share;qoTPMWip5tY]http://youtu.be/qoTPMWip5tY[/video]
 
Two new perks have been added to the Indiegogo campaign site!
 
John:

Extremely interesting concept. Where is it that you intend to have your project broadcast to the public?

it very much goes along with our push to have vendors, dive shops and marketing organizations come together to promote scuba via mass media. Do you have plans or commitments post production?

Mark
 
It's starting to look good, John! How can we help?

Contribute to the funding effort! Funds are needed to make this a reality, and I made certain that this is explained on the Indiegogo site so there's no mistaking where the funds are going, and what for.

Second--spread the word far and wide as you can to get as many people involved in this as possible--and at all levels in our industry. This is, after all, an effort to benefit everyone in scuba by getting folks interested in our lifestyle and activities.

John:

Extremely interesting concept. Where is it that you intend to have your project broadcast to the public?

it very much goes along with our push to have vendors, dive shops and marketing organizations come together to promote scuba via mass media. Do you have plans or commitments post production?

Mark

Excellent question, Mark!

I wrestled with that topic prior to setting up on Indiegogo. Once we get the episodes made, how do we make certain that we get the widest net cast for viewers? After all, if we don't get eyeballs seeing this, then we are dead in the water as far as making new episodes down the road.

My thought is that access to the programs MUST be free, and available to the widest possible audience worldwide. If you make it only available on a paid basis like cable TV, you lose the chance of hooking a large enough viewer base. That means Internet access is the way to go, as the 'net has the widest possible throw out there.

So I am looking at YouTube and Vimeo as the first possibilities for broadcast. Frankly, I lean towards YouTube because it has the greater public awareness and visibility of the two.

That being said, there is another possibility: offering the series via Hulu as a free broadcast program, which also gets a wide dissemination. The only concern I see with Hulu is the chance that we cannot get worldwide distribution, but may be limited to North America (at first) due to the network's program licensing agreements in other countries. Not a bad thing, but it means that other markets would have to be developed separately which is a resources-consuming process.

That of course, is working with the idea that Hulu would consider original content for their online network. It might be best to use the first choice(s) for proof-of-concept, then pitching it to them once the metrics there show the interest level.

John Lewis
http://igg.me/at/atw1/x/4225828 is our site for contributions on Indiegogo.

---------- Post added May 1st, 2014 at 05:21 PM ----------

The locations have been determined!!!
Based on being fully funded by your contributions, the three locations for our first episodes will be:
[alternates are in brackets if the primary is not possible]
Cayman Brac
Fiji [Barbados]
West Australia (Perth North to Exmouth) [Townsville/Sydney]
Please continue to spread the word about this effort!
 
Still putting together all the pieces, but there's one missing--and it's YOU!

This is being done with an eye to benefit the industry as a whole. Since many of us here have a vested interest in the promotion of our sport, shouldn't we all take a moment to contribute towards that goal?

There's still time to jump on board. Be a part of this proactive effort to bring the public back into the water.
 
Kudos to you on this.

I've been broadcasting episodes of my two cable TV shows as well as a compilation of underwater shorts that Jean-Michel Cousteau permitted me to use on local cable and YouTube for nearly 15 years now. I think it is a great way to get non-divers interested in diving, but if they don't want to try it at least they gain insight into the marine world and may want to protect it in the future.

I think it would be fantastic if underwater videographers around the country and the world produced shows about their particular areas and marine life and these were then consolidated into a series. Of course your concept is doing something similar using a single production unit that travels if I understand it correctly. I think every effort of this nature is important. I do find that local residents enjoy seeing what is in their local waters perhaps a bit more than what may be in environments a "world away."
 
Thanks, Bill. Means a lot to me for you to say that.

The reason this is the format being used as opposed to a compilation of images is that consistency of message is a thing. While I do think that local videographers should be a part of the message, there must be a unifying, consistent center to it all that helps things stay on point for the series. Consider the Cousteau material and how it was done for prime examples of traveling to sites, then bringing local talent into the episode.

The other aspect is that I feel it important that the viewers learn that what we show them is an adventure that they can personally experience by going to the places we showcase. By going there ourselves, the viewer also sees what's happening now, and learn of current conditions.
 
Hey John, let me just toss some things at you.

Would we be able to use this for broadcast on our local cable systems if we just buy the time (and, of course, contribute to the effort) using our added slides/video snips at the front and back?

Have you approached any industry people other than divers and dive shops for funding? We have been seriously pushing our vendors and one, in particular, showed some real interest in something along these lines (finally!) just last month. I appreciate the 'free' distribution via the web but, if we can get this out via television on a regional or national basis, wouldn't you think we'd reach a larger audience?

Just thinking. Do you mind if I suggest this to a few vendors and get their feedback?
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/teric/

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