underwater australasia is hosting the 4th instalment of its hugely successful annual Underwater Festival on Christmas Island in the middle of the Indian Ocean. Held for the first 3 year in Byron Bay, the most easterly point of the Australian mainland, the organisers have decided to ‘spice it up’ and take the festival to a new and exciting location in 2010.

Christmas Island diving is endless kilometres of spectacular wall diving, untouched corals, undersea caves, hundreds of species of tropical fish, dolphins, whalesharks, and warm clear water. Truly a dive destination that has it all.

In 2009 close to $40,000 worth of prizes were awarded in the photo & video shootout competition alone and 2010 will again see a massive prize pool. There will be photo and video clinics, outdoor cinema, BBQs, the underwater party and other fun events. This years successful product trials will continue.

On of the most important aspects of the festivals so far seem to be the social interactions between photographers and videographers from all over the world. Although there is competition involved and the prizes are fantastic, previous years have shown that people very freely exchange tips and trick and new ideas for composition of shots and interesting subjects.

As in the last 3 years of the festival, images captured during the event will help build up a database of species for this location and there will be prizes for those who contribute most new records to the Christmas Island records.

Neville Coleman will again be a VIP guest of the festival and he will be the driving force behind the new species database for Christmas Island. In addition he will conduct a series of Underwater Naturalist and Fish ID programs.

Mathieu Meur has promised his participation with his extremely popular underwater photo clinics for beginners and advanced photographers to continue on Christmas Island. In addition to that we are hoping to have video clinics as well for both new and advanced underwater videographers.

New photographers are encouraged to participate and there will be FREE trial cameras for hire during the festival for those that are new to underwater photography and don’t have their own set-up yet.

UF10 will be officially launched at the Malaysia International Dive Expo in Kuala Lumpur 3-5 July at the underwater australasia and Christmas Island booths. Come and see us there and reserve your spot - places will be more limited as boats and tanks ‘on island’ are limited.

Festival packages will be available on-line from July 2009.

For more info please keep visiting this site - join the facebook group - follow updates on twitter (@UWfestival) or subscribe to the RSS feed.

The 2010 Festival will be held at Christmas Island as part of a new direction the festival is taking. Be excited about discovering new destinations and meet marine enthusiasts, underwater photographers and videographers from around the world.

We start with one of our favourite diving destinations, Christmas Island in middle of the Indian Ocean. Endless kilometres of spectacular wall diving, untouched corals, hundreds of species of tropical fish, dolphins, whalesharks, warm clear water, caves and more.

The format of the festival will remain, we will have a shoot-out, photography and possibly video clinics, film, fun and party nights. Watch this space for further announcements.

Video winners have been uploaded as well … hope you enjoy the shows.

We hope to see you all next year at the 2010 Underwater Festival - keep your eyes on this site for some exciting announcements !

This year shootout participant numbers are at record heights with over 70 divers competing for $40,000 worth of prizes so the competition will be challenging and fun for all. Many come for the social aspects of the festival. Pretty much every night of the week we have social gatherings organised where photographers and videographers and our VIPs mingle and many diving tales will be told.

Stay tuned to this blog for updates on the festival and if you are in the area, make sure to drop by Byron Bay and participate.

See you underwater …

This is where Neville Coleman will be staying and the venue for the UF09 Welcome BBQ on Wednesday night.

To enter, simply click here and join the MadFish Fish Bowl Wine Club where you can receive special member prices, access to new release and cellar door only wines, information about MadFish events and much more.

*This competition is for residents of Australia only. You have to be over 18 to win this prize.

Thank you MadFish ! We are looking forward to your sponsorship contribution to the Byron Underwater Festival - for the 3rd time !

Cocotinos is located in picturesque Wori Bay, North Sulawesi and is a dynamic new beach resort. It is situated in the heart of Kima Bajo, a fishing village, overlooking Bunaken National Marine Park. Just a 25-min ride from Sam Ratulangi International Airport, the resort is situated on a chocolate-coloured beach, in full view of majestic Manado Tua, a dormant volcano across the Sulawesi Sea.

Good luck to all the competitors - this is another top prize !

Tickets are only $10 - Secure your ticket early in the Underwater Festival Shop

Coral Sea Dreaming HD is the story of coral; the world’s greatest natural architect, and the ancient ancestor of humankind itself. Coral is the immortal sea God of our oceans, responsible for the building of massive limestone citadels which house the most exotic and specialized creatures on earth.

8 years in the making, Coral Sea Dreaming HD brings together the world-class cinematography of Emmy Award Winner, David Hannan, with an original musical score by Australian composer Tania Rose. Shot on State-of-the-Art High Definition technology, it chronicles over 2000 dives on the last three great coral reef ecosystems on earth: the Great Barrier Reef, Ningaloo Reef, and Papua New Guinea.

Over 84 extraordinary minutes, Coral Sea Dreaming HD enters the very heart of life – and death – on a coral reef. Amongst the thousands of marine creatures represented, there are courting manta rays, oceanic sharks, turtles, cuttlefish, alien sea slugs, and massive fish schools reminiscent of a bygone age.

But due to global warming, and ocean acidification, the limestone citadels built by corals are literally dissolving. And when the reefs die, everything dies with them. This means the extinction of millions of marine animals.

There is much to be done to safe-guard these precious ecosystems for future generations. And very little time to do it.

David Hannan is renowned not only for his filmmaking, but more importantly the conservation that is activated by his films. This is the driving force behind his work.

Coral Sea Dreaming is designed as a multi-platform product, which will place coral into modern consciousness as never before. It will be released on DVD and Blu-Ray Disc in Australia & New Zealand through Roadshow and niche distributors during 2009 and in the USA & world wide during 2010. Audiences can select to have a music-only experience, and enjoy the film as the ultimate relaxation video. Because of its superior format, it can also serve as animated ‘wallpaper’, turning a screen or even an entire wall into a virtual fish tank. For a more classic documentary experience, ‘switch on’ an emotive and informative narration track, or a ‘making-of’ interview with David Hannan. Other features such as pop-up factoids or creature identification tabs can be activated, turning the film into a powerful Field Guide and educational resource. Through the web, Coral Sea Dreaming also becomes as a high tech porthole into other related programming, with links to key marine conservation organizations worldwide.

Coral Sea Dreaming is about coral. And the sea. And their dreaming.

With her days now numbered, Coral Sea Dreaming is how coral – our once great and enduring ancestor - will forever want to be remembered.

Tickets are only $10 - Secure your ticket early in the Underwater Festival Shop

If you are interested, make sure you secure your spot quickly.

AUNOC trial torches are available for this dive as well FREE of charge.