Lower Keys Underwater Music Festival to ‘Make Waves’ for Reef Protection July 13
Looe Key Reef offshore of the Lower Keys becomes the location for the one-of-a-kind Underwater Music Festival July 13. Photos by Florida Keys News Bureau.
The 40th annual Lower Keys Underwater Music Festival takes place at Looe Key Reef, an area of the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary approximately 6 miles south of Big Pine Key. The sanctuary protects the waters surrounding the entire Florida Keys island chain, including the continental United States’ only coral barrier reef.
Keys radio station US 104.1 FM broadcasts an underwater-themed playlist piped underwater by speakers suspended beneath boats.
The playlist typically features marine melodies ranging from Jimmy Buffett’s “A Pirate Looks at 40” and “Fins” to the Beatles’ “Octopus’s Garden” and the theme from “The Little Mermaid” film.
Those planning to submerge themselves in the festival can learn about reef restoration Friday, July 12, during a free 6-8 p.m. welcome gathering at Mote Marine Laboratory’s Elizabeth Moore International Center for Coral Reef Research & Restoration, 24244 Overseas Highway on Summerland Key. Representatives will be on hand to lead tours of the facility and showcase Mote’s groundbreaking coral cultivation and restoration efforts.
All manner of costumed characters play along with the underwater tunes, including the Beatles' Octopus's Garden and the theme from The Little Mermaid.
As well as colorful reef fish and other marine life, divers and snorkelers might even spot “mermaids” and other costumed characters beneath the waves — some adding to the concert component by “playing” musical instruments during an underwater jam session.
Divers and snorkels can sign up for trips with Lower Keys diver operators to join the underwater concert.
Event information: lowerkeyschamber.com/chamber-events/