Boston Sea Rovers

Type: Dive show / clinic / film festival
Frequency: Annual (typically early March)
Location: Fairmont Copley Plaza Hotel, Boston, Massachusetts
Organization type: 501(c)(3) not-for-profit volunteer organization
Founded: 1954
Website: bostonsearovers.com

Overview

The Boston Sea Rovers is one of the oldest underwater societies in the United States, dedicated to increasing awareness and appreciation of the marine environment. Their annual Clinic, held each March at the Fairmont Copley Plaza Hotel in Boston, is a singular event in the American dive industry, combining daytime seminars, exhibitor booths, photography and video workshops, and a prestigious Saturday evening film festival ([1]). All proceeds from the clinic and film festival are donated to scholarships, internships, and support of other non-profit organizations ([2]).

Eric Cheng described it as “the most amazing dive show I had ever seen” when he first attended in 2004, and later wrote: “if you are a fan of the ocean and love watching documentaries about discovery, there is no better dive show you can attend” ([3]).

The clinic is distinguished from other dive shows by its volunteer-only operation, the extraordinary caliber of its speakers, and the fact that all daytime speakers pay their own travel expenses to attend. Despite this, each year there are far more applicants for speaking slots than can be accepted ([4]). Eric Cheng wrote: “Here in the States, I can’t think of any other event that is so densely packed with such big names in the industry” ([5]).

Traditions

The Boston Sea Rovers are known for several distinctive traditions that set them apart from commercial dive shows:

Pre-Clinic Speakers’ Reception

On Friday evening before the clinic opens, the Sea Rovers host an invite-only party at the Gamble Mansion (located three houses down from the Fairmont Copley Plaza) for Sea Rover members, clinic speakers, and sponsors. The reception features an unlimited supply of appetizers and alcohol and draws the industry’s biggest names together for an informal evening ([6], [7], [8]).

Opening Ceremony

After guests at the Friday reception have had “plenty of time to saturate themselves with ethanol,” Sea Rovers president Dave Morton climbs to “a booth near the ceiling of the ballroom” and recites a poem, after which bells are rung to officially begin the annual clinic ([9], [10]).

Saturday Evening Film Festival

The flagship event of the clinic, held at John Hancock Hall (at least in 2005), features presentations by top underwater filmmakers and photographers. Past hosts have included Bret Gilliam and Ernie Brooks. The film festival is typically the main draw for visitors and consistently showcases work by industry luminaries ([11], [12]).

New Member Induction

New inductees into the Boston Sea Rovers are “held upside-down and dunked into a bowl of orange juice and vodka” at the post-festival party back at the Fairmont ([13]).

Frank Scalli Memorial Internship

An annual summer internship for graduating high school seniors interested in underwater-related careers, established in memory of Sea Rover and dive industry pioneer Frank Scalli. A tribute video in Scalli’s honor was presented at the 2005 clinic ([14]).

Wetpixel Community Involvement

Eric Cheng was first invited to the Boston Sea Rovers in late 2003 by Steve Drogin, who suggested he apply to give a seminar. Being completely new to the industry, Cheng “had no idea who the Sea Rovers were nor what their clinic was all about” ([15]). He went on to become a regular presenter and one of the clinic’s most enthusiastic advocates:

Year-by-Year Coverage

50th Anniversary Clinic (2004)

The 50th Anniversary Clinic, held the first weekend of March 2004, was Eric Cheng’s introduction to the Sea Rovers. He gave a seminar on digital underwater photography to a broad audience. Exhibitors included Aquatica, which displayed its 300D Canon Digital Rebel housing with the new E-TTL to TTL bridge at the Underwater Photo-Tech booth, and Sea & Sea, which claimed it would ship the Nikon D70 housing alongside the camera’s US release. Cheng played with a Nikon D70 at the Underwater Photo Tech booth and noted it “seems like a very nice camera” ([23], [24], [25], [26]).

51st Clinic (2005)

Held March 4-6, 2005, “buried in snow — just before the arrival of a massive New England winter storm.” The Friday speakers’ reception at Gamble Mansion drew Norbert Wu, Brian Skerry, Bret Gilliam, Todd Essick, Mike DeGruy, and Mauricio Handler. Sea Rovers president Dave Morton presented a tribute video to the late Frank Scalli ([27]).

The Saturday evening film festival, hosted by Bret Gilliam at John Hancock Hall, featured:

Mike DeGruy was inducted into the Sea Rovers that year. Attendees included Philippe Cousteau, Ethan Gordon, Dr. Thomas Goreau (President of the Global Coral Reef Alliance), and Steve Drogin (who showed photographs from his and Cheng’s trip to Raja Ampat and of his new 3-man submarine certified to 1,500 feet). Exhibitors included Light & Motion. Alex Mustard commented: “Looks like a great event, Eric. Excellent people and good fun” ([28]).

52nd Clinic (2006)

Held March 4-5, 2006. Cheng arrived directly from Grand Cayman “wearing far too little for Boston’s wind-chilled streets.” At the Friday party, he witnessed Berkley White of Backscatter wearing a suit and tie for the first time, though White assured him: “But I’m wearing cut-offs underneath this” ([29]).

The Saturday evening film festival was hosted by Philippe Cousteau and featured:

Exhibitors included Aquatica, Light & Motion, Underwater Photo-Tech, and Green Force. James Wiseman, Berkley White, and Eric Cheng gave workshops representing Wetpixel and Backscatter ([30], [31]).

53rd Clinic (2007)

Held March 3-4, 2007. The daytime speaker lineup included Jeff Rotman, Annie Crawley, John Ellerbrock, Steve Drogin, Mauricio Handler, Stan Waterman, Andrew Martinez, Eric Cheng, and many more. Cheng noted: “Some folks come to the clinic each year just to sit in seminars for two days” ([32]).

Aquatica showed a production version of the AquaView viewfinder and the new 9.25-inch optical glass “Megadome.” Light & Motion, Underwater Photo-Tech, and Amphibico also exhibited ([33]).

The Saturday evening film festival, MC’d by Ernie Brooks, featured:

The New England premiere of Rob Stewart’s Sharkwater took place on Sunday afternoon, drawing such a crowd that the exhibit hall “seemed a bit empty” because “everyone had crammed into one of the seminar rooms” ([34], [35]).

Morning workshops were offered by Berkley White (Backscatter) and Ethan Gordon (Fathoms Magazine) on digital photography techniques and Adobe Photoshop ([36]).

55th Clinic (2009)

Held March 7-8, 2009. Doug Sloss presented “Photoshop CS4 for the Underwater Shooter” and “Lightroom 2 for Underwater Shooters” workshops. Additional speakers included Stan Waterman, Ernie Brooks, Jeff Rotman, Berkley White, Ethan Gordon, and Paul Cater Deaton ([37]).

Historical Connections

Howard Rosenstein first met Dr. Eugenie Clark at a Boston Sea Rovers conference in 1973, where he was presenting the first dive travel operation in the Red Sea and she was receiving an honor for her life’s work. This chance meeting led to decades of collaboration, including Clark’s expeditions to the Red Sea with David Doubilet for National Geographic ([38]).

Controversies

In 2005, a Wetpixel forum thread discussed a CDNN article that accused Boston Sea Rovers members of salvaging artifacts from the wreck of the Nantucket, a National Historic Site. The forum community largely criticized CDNN’s one-sided journalism rather than the Sea Rovers organization itself, with Stephen Frink calling CDNN “the diving Enquirer” and sharing his own negative experience with CDNN’s coverage of the Spiegel Grove sinking in Key Largo. Eric Cheng contributed a philosophical comment comparing the situation to the shark feeding debate, noting the distinction between “wrong” and “illegal” ([39]).

Notable Recurring Speakers and Attendees

The clinic regularly attracted the following industry figures during the Wetpixel coverage era (2004-2009):

Timeline

Sources

  1. Wetpixel article, Mar 8, 2004: Boston Sea Rovers 50th Anniversary Clinic ↩
  2. Wetpixel article, Mar 15, 2007: Boston Sea Rovers 53rd Clinic 2007 ↩
  3. Wetpixel article, Mar 15, 2007: Boston Sea Rovers 53rd Clinic 2007 ↩
  4. Wetpixel article, Mar 15, 2007: Boston Sea Rovers 53rd Clinic 2007 ↩
  5. Wetpixel article, Mar 15, 2007: Boston Sea Rovers 53rd Clinic 2007 ↩
  6. Wetpixel article, Mar 17, 2005: Boston Sea Rovers 51st Clinic 2005 ↩
  7. Wetpixel article, Mar 11, 2006: Boston Sea Rovers 52nd Clinic Report 2006 ↩
  8. Wetpixel article, Mar 15, 2007: Boston Sea Rovers 53rd Clinic 2007 ↩
  9. Wetpixel article, Mar 15, 2007: Boston Sea Rovers 53rd Clinic 2007 ↩
  10. Wetpixel article, Mar 17, 2005: Boston Sea Rovers 51st Clinic 2005 ↩
  11. Wetpixel article, Mar 17, 2005: Boston Sea Rovers 51st Clinic 2005 ↩
  12. Wetpixel article, Mar 15, 2007: Boston Sea Rovers 53rd Clinic 2007 ↩
  13. Wetpixel article, Mar 15, 2007: Boston Sea Rovers 53rd Clinic 2007 ↩
  14. Wetpixel article, Mar 17, 2005: Boston Sea Rovers 51st Clinic 2005 ↩
  15. Wetpixel article, Mar 15, 2007: Boston Sea Rovers 53rd Clinic 2007 ↩
  16. Wetpixel article, Mar 8, 2004: Boston Sea Rovers 50th Anniversary Clinic ↩
  17. Wetpixel article, Feb 26, 2005: Boston Sea Rovers Clinic 2005 ↩
  18. Wetpixel article, Mar 17, 2005: Boston Sea Rovers 51st Clinic 2005 ↩
  19. Wetpixel article, Jan 11, 2006: Boston Sea Rovers 52nd Clinic Workshops ↩
  20. Wetpixel article, Mar 11, 2006: Boston Sea Rovers 52nd Clinic Report 2006 ↩
  21. Wetpixel article, Mar 15, 2007: Boston Sea Rovers 53rd Clinic 2007 ↩
  22. Wetpixel article, Mar 5, 2009: Wetpixel Member Doug Sloss To Present At Boston Sea Rovers ↩
  23. Wetpixel article, Mar 8, 2004: Boston Sea Rovers 50th Anniversary Clinic ↩
  24. Wetpixel article, Mar 7, 2004: Boston Sea Rovers 50th Anniversary Clinic1 ↩
  25. Wetpixel article, Mar 8, 2004: Aquaticas E Ttl To Ttl Bridge ↩
  26. forum (forum) ↩
  27. Wetpixel article, Mar 17, 2005: Boston Sea Rovers 51st Clinic 2005 ↩
  28. Wetpixel article, Mar 17, 2005: Boston Sea Rovers 51st Clinic 2005 ↩
  29. Wetpixel article, Mar 11, 2006: Boston Sea Rovers 52nd Clinic Report 2006 ↩
  30. Wetpixel article, Mar 11, 2006: Boston Sea Rovers 52nd Clinic Report 2006 ↩
  31. Wetpixel article, Jan 11, 2006: Boston Sea Rovers 52nd Clinic Workshops ↩
  32. Wetpixel article, Mar 15, 2007: Boston Sea Rovers 53rd Clinic 2007 ↩
  33. Wetpixel article, Mar 15, 2007: Boston Sea Rovers 53rd Clinic 2007 ↩
  34. Wetpixel article, Mar 1, 2007: Boston Sea Rovers 53rd Annual Clinic ↩
  35. Wetpixel article, Mar 15, 2007: Boston Sea Rovers 53rd Clinic 2007 ↩
  36. Wetpixel article, Mar 1, 2007: Boston Sea Rovers 53rd Annual Clinic ↩
  37. Wetpixel article, Mar 5, 2009: Wetpixel Member Doug Sloss To Present At Boston Sea Rovers ↩
  38. Wetpixel article, Mar 10, 2015: Dr. Eugenie Clark By Howard Rosenstein ↩
  39. Forum thread: Boston Sea Rovers Thugs Graverobbers ↩
  40. Wetpixel article, Mar 10, 2015: Dr. Eugenie Clark By Howard Rosenstein ↩
  41. Wetpixel article, Mar 8, 2004: Boston Sea Rovers 50th Anniversary Clinic ↩
  42. Wetpixel article, Mar 7, 2004: Boston Sea Rovers 50th Anniversary Clinic1 ↩
  43. Wetpixel article, Mar 17, 2005: Boston Sea Rovers 51st Clinic 2005 ↩
  44. Wetpixel article, Feb 26, 2005: Boston Sea Rovers Clinic 2005 ↩
  45. Forum thread: Boston Sea Rovers Thugs Graverobbers ↩
  46. Wetpixel article, Mar 11, 2006: Boston Sea Rovers 52nd Clinic Report 2006 ↩
  47. Wetpixel article, Mar 1, 2007: Boston Sea Rovers 53rd Annual Clinic ↩
  48. Wetpixel article, Mar 15, 2007: Boston Sea Rovers 53rd Clinic 2007 ↩
  49. Wetpixel article, Mar 5, 2009: Wetpixel Member Doug Sloss To Present At Boston Sea Rovers ↩
  50. Boston Sea Rovers 50th Anniversary Clinic (2004) (article) ↩
  51. Boston Sea Rovers 50th Anniversary Clinic - coverage (2004) (article) ↩
  52. Aquatica’s E-TTL to TTL Bridge (2004) (article) ↩
  53. Boston Sea Rovers Clinic 2005 Workshops (article) ↩
  54. Boston Sea Rovers 51st Clinic 2005 (article) ↩
  55. Boston Sea Rovers 52nd Clinic Workshops (article) ↩
  56. Boston Sea Rovers 52nd Clinic Report, 2006 (article) ↩
  57. Boston Sea Rovers 53rd Annual Clinic (article) ↩
  58. Boston Sea Rovers 53rd Clinic 2007 (article) ↩
  59. Wetpixel member Doug Sloss to present at Boston Sea Rovers (2009) (article) ↩
  60. Dr. Eugenie Clark by Howard Rosenstein (2015) (article) ↩
  61. Boston Sea Rovers Clinic 2004 — forum thread (forum) ↩
  62. Boston Sea Rovers == Thugs & Graverobbers ??? — forum thread (forum) ↩