A memorial fund has been established for Dewi and Breezy, Larry’s wife and daughter. The Benefit of the Larry Smith Family honors Larry’s dedication to his family, friends, and marine world. If you would like to donate to the fund, instructions are available at the main Larry Smith memorial page.
For those of you who will be at SeaSpace this weekend, we wanted to let you know of a tribute and a gathering which will be held in honor of Larry Smith. Ken Knezick was gracious enough to find us a place at the Reliant Center—Room 600, on the second floor, and we will meet from 4:00 - 5:00 on Saturday, March 31st. Please come with memories, stories, photographs if you have them, and the spirit which our dear friend brought to every one of his 20,000 dives. Or was that 30,000? In addition, we will hear a few words honoring this great man just before the film festival begins. All three of Larry’s sons, Trevor, Tim, and Casey, will be with us for both occasions.
Please send any digital images you may have of Larry and his adventures to Eric Cheng, and he will make sure they get to us for use in the memorial slideshow.
Wetpixel member and recent Canon-convert Tim Rock had the chance to use the new Aquatica AD200 housing for the Nikon D200 with an added bonus - the new Aqua View viewfinder:
DEMA is the diving world’s convention venue to show off the latest and greatest - I went to Grand Cayman. “Want to test our new housing and viewfinder in the sea?” the Aquatica folks asked. Yikes, could I remember how to use a Nikon again? Must be like riding a bike or throwing a boomerang…
Continue reading to learn what Tim thought of the viewfinder and housing, and the surprise decision he made to go back to Nikon…
Robert Delfs has written in to let us know that there will be a cremation service for Larry Smith on Sunday at Taman Mumbul in Bali, Sunday March 25 at 1:00 pm:
Vasa Setra Mandala Mumbul
Jl. Bypass Ngurah Rai, Nusa Dua
(near the Chinese graveyard).
Friends of Larry will be gathering after the ceremony. Details about that will be forthcoming later, or at the ceremony. It’s understood that Wetpixel readers in the region are likely to be able to participate in this service, but we wanted to get the word out as widely as possible.
The winning images of the 2007 British Underwater Image Festival (BUIF) have been announced. Popular Wetpixel member Dean Burman (DeanB) won the amateur video category with his ground-breaking film Lair Of The Waterwolf about the private life of pike. The winning photograph (on the right) was taken by Nacho Gil from Mexico. Once again there were many familiar names from the Wetpixel Community among the prize winning and commended entries. Check out the BUIF website for the full gallery and to read comments from the judges.
DiveFilm Podcast Video presents Episode 40, Hans Christian Andersen’s “Bubbling Reefs,” which introduces methane-bubbling reef structures off the northern coast of Denmark, and the marine life that inhabits those reefs, thriving around the poisonous gas. Episode 41, by Wetpixel moderator Shawn Heinrichs, is “Realm of the Sharks,” featuring imagery of sharks, rays, dolphins, whales, and other marine life at Cocos and Malpelo Islands.
“Realm of the Sharks” has also been released as Episode 3 of the new DiveFilmHD Podcast Video, and is optimized for playback on TV and larger computer screens. The new ‘high definition’ podcast videos can be subscribed to through iTunes as well as downloaded directly from the new DiveFilmHD website, and are compatible with the new AppleTV set-top box due to be released in April, 2007. DiveFilm Podcast Video is produced in association with Wetpixel.com and are “Featured TV & Film Podcasts” at iTunes.
Wetpixel sponsor Underwater Photo-Tech is hosting an underwater photography and videography weekend at the Adams Building Opera house in Derry, New Hampshire on April 20 and 21, 2007. The weekend will start with a Friday night presentation of underwater imagery by renowned photographers Marty Snyderman, Ethan Gordon, & Andy Martinez. On Saturday, four photo and video workshops will be available on topics including point & shoot techniques, advanced underwater photography, and how to create compelling short videos. Workshop prices range from $50 to $150.
Larry Smith, beloved dive pioneer, guide, and critter expert in Indonesia, passed away on March 20, 2007, in Sorong, Indonesia. Larry spent two days in a hospital in Fakfak with what everyone thought was pneumonia. He was on his way to Bali when he passed away at the Pertamina hospital in Sorong from complications associated with pneumonia. Our heart-felt condolences go out to his family and friends.
- Memorial service in Bali on Sunday, March 25, 2007.
- Memorial gathering at SeaSpace, Houston, Saturday, March 31, 2007.
- Larry Smith Memorial Fund established. Read full article for donation details.
Letters and images have been pouring in for the last two days, and we’d like to share them here. Continue reading for more about Larry…
Kawika Chetron, a local diver in the San Francisco Bay Area, went missing off Cape Mendocino this weekend. Berkley White writes, “he’s a great guy and a great shooter. He’s a very strong guy and we’re hoping he swam the 5 miles to shore and is hiking out of the Lost Coast as we speak. He dropped anchor on Saturday and has been missing since.”
If you have any information about Kawika, or just want to help, please contact Berkley at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
Wetpixel and DivePhotoGuide have teamed up with the 2007 SCUBA Show to announce the Under the Blue International Photo and Video Competition.
Limited to amateurs and hobbyists (no professionals), the competition features over $20,000 worth of prizes (with travel trips to Fiji, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, South Africa, and Australia), and includes a category focused solely on California’s underwater environment.
The deadline for entries is May 12, 2007, and 15% of proceeds will be donated to marine conservation efforts. Winners will be announced online and exhibited at the show in Long Beach, California on June 2nd-3rd. For all the details and information on how to enter, continue to Under the Blue 2007 at UnderwaterCompetition.com…