Located at a depth of 20 feet below the surface, the sand of the ocean floor off the coast of the Florida Keys might be an unlikely spot to host a music festival, but that hasn't stopped music enthusiasts from diving underwater to rock out.
For the past 35 years, the Underwater Music Festival, an event that pairs music with conservation, has been hosted. Equipped with guitars, drums and other musical instruments, divers go down to the depths and play along to a playlist of water-inspired songs that are piped underwater via speakers. Over the years the event has gone from being a small grassroots effort put together by few locals, with the idea that once people see what's going on beneath the surface, the more likely they would be to protect it, to a two-day festival that draws dozens of divers, boaters, and musicians to the Keys from around the world.
"Thirty-five years ago a few Keys locals sat down and wanted to figure out a way to bring awareness to our coral reefs (珊瑚礁) that would preserve, rebuild and restore them in any way," says Dave Turner, executive director of the Lower Keys Chamber of Commerce. "They came up with this idea of playing music underwater and invited people to listen while also enjoying the local sea life."
"The preservation of the reef is our main purpose," Turner says. "To avoid any further damage, the festival takes place in a nearby sandy area so that the musicians don't disturb the coral when they're performing."
Although holding a music festival underwater may seem a bit out there, Turner is quick to point out that it is actually achievable. "The music is obviously not as clear as when you're sitting in room with stereo (立体音响) but you can still hear it and understand the lyrics and music," he says. "If you were to go underwater you would recognize the song and it would sound the same. It just has little different tone to it. Plus, sound travels faster and farther underwater."
