US divers perform beneath the sea during underwater music fest

Washington: About 300 divers and snorkelers took part in a unique Underwater Music Festival in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. Ocean-themed songs like Jimmy Buffett’s ‘Fins’, the Beatles’ ‘Yellow Submarine’, and the themes from ‘The Little Mermaid’ and television’s classic ‘Gilligan’s Island’ had been included in the festivities. “Music underwater has a real ethereal feel to it. You don’t just hear it through your ears, you hear it through your whole body -- through your jawbone, through your skull,” CBS News quoted festival founder Bill Becker as saying in a statement. Concertgoers had been able to explore the US’ only living contiguous barrier reef. A local Keys radio station at Looe Key Reef had sponsored the concert. They broadcast the tunes underwater through speakers that were suspended underneath boats positioned above the reef. Messages about how the divers could enjoy the area while minimizing impacts on the environment were interspersed throughout the music. The participants got in the swing of things, some playing ocean-themed instruments like trom-bonefish and clambourines created by Florida Keys artist August Powers, while others got dolled up, wearing clothing that spoofed popular contestants and judges from the reality TV shows. Seven-year-old snorkeler Jaden Gill believed that that everyone underwater enjoyed the concert - human or non-human. “I think the fish liked the music. It sounded like a band is playing,” Gill said. ANI