We live right next to one of the most gorgeous, cited, studied, and renowned natural marine sanctuaries in the world—home to dolphins, sea otters, whales, sea stars, those squishy anemones that curl up when you touch them (probably not supposed to do that…) and so much more! But do we really know much about it? For the majority of us with short attention spans and very little time, the Beneath the Waves Film Festival offers three days of entertaining, engaging, and educational material so that we can connect further with our underwater neighbors.
Created by ocean enthusiasts, scientists, professional filmmakers, and students, the Beneath the Waves Film Festival showcases short films on topics big and small—like massive blue whales and coral polyps—across the Bering Sea to the Pacific and beyond.
This three-day event features full access to the Sanctuary Exploration Center, with all its incredible exhibits and interactive displays. A panel discussion and Q&A with local marine scientists will follow Thursday’s kickoff screenings. For the younger ones and young at heart, day two of the event will feature a family-friendly hands-on day of activities and screenings, and on Saturday a roundup of encore screenings of all the films—if you want to see them all over again or missed the first round!
Beneath the Waves conducts conservation-based research and hosts film festivals all around the globe—what began in 2009 has now presented to six continents and brought underwater education to thousands of people.
Info: Thursday, Sept. 24 – Saturday, Sept. 26. Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary Exploration Center, 35 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz. beneaththewaves.org.
