Monday, August 9, 2010

Blue World visits Diver Ed in Maine!







This past weekend the Blue World team headed up to Bar Harbor, Maine to shoot a segment about "Diver Ed"--a Bar Harbor celebrity. Ed and his wife Edna ("Captain Evil") run a charter boat called the Starfish Enterprise, on which they conduct a program called the Dive-In Theatre. It's a little like a combination of a guided underwater tour and a hands-on touch tank experience. Ed goes underwater with his camera tethered to the surface so people can watch him point out underwater marine life on a 60" flat panel TV on the boat, while Edna narrates from the surface. Then Ed comes back with a bag full of critters for the kids to touch. He explains (in hilarious ways) how animals like sea stars, lobsters and sea cucumbers eat, walk and yes, poop. People of all ages love his show. He also uses a little plastic side-kick called Mini Ed to give scale to objects underwater. Mini Ed often has run ins with lobsters that don't end too well. It's all in good fun, and people always learn quite a bit.

I have known Ed for a few years and even bumped into him once in the Bahamas. We started talking about doing a segment about him. Julia Cichowski, production manager extraordinaire, finally scheduled the whole thing and got us in the same place at the same time. We dragged along "Cameraman Tim" Geers, my wife and Executive Producer Christine Bird, and even my kids, for a weekend of fun with Diver Ed.

When we arrived and started setting up, Ed and Edna presented me with my own Mini Jonathan, complete with Force Fins and a camera. Later on the dive with Ed, I was able to use Mini Jonathan to "film" Mini Ed being attacked by a Lobster. Luckily, both minis survived!

It was a hilarious and enjoyable shoot, complete with a cookout on the boat. I can't wait to start editing this fun segment. And if you are planning a vacation in the Bar Harbor area this summer, you just have to go out with Diver Ed...he is the best!

Jonathan

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