Nicholas has already brought in some of diving's top names to help launch the Underwater Channel. Included are Neutral Buoyancy author, Tim Ecott, adventurer and broadcaster, Monty Halls and Peter Scoones, the cameraman celebrated for his work on the blockbusters, Life on Earth, Blue Planet and Planet Earth.
Of special interest to us is an interview to be screened with Anne-Marie Kitchen-Wheeler. Anne-Marie will be discussing her research into manta rays in the Maldives. She is also leading our own whale shark and manta safari in 2007.
It was at Peter Scoones' suggestion that Nicholas first contacted Mavericks Diving. Nicholas wanted a diving-themed backdrop for recording the links that will introduce the footage and interviews that will make up the pilot show. The Mavericks showroom proved to be perfect.
Mavericks also helped out the Underwater Channel by introducing Nicholas
to the two individuals who he has chosen to present the pilot. Amanda
Ursell is a tv broadcaster and journalist who will be known to many
divers for her work with Diver magazine. She is also the author of the book
Going Down - Reflections of a Reluctant Diver.
Andrew Pugsley, 25, has
worked part time with Ocean Optics / Mavericks Diving for nearly ten
years. He was the recipient of the first Our World Underwater Scholarship
Society award for a young underwater photographer in 2002 and has had
numerous images published. AJ, as he is known, is also a shark
enthusiast who has worked with South African specialists Andy Cobb and
Andre Hartman. Currently he is designing the Mavericks scuba courses.
The Underwater Channel is an ambitious project that promises to be unmissable.
See also the Gibraltar Chronicle article (2007 Jan 27).
The Underwater Channel URL is: http://www.theunderwaterchannel.tv
