Press Release

Promoting Earth Day Awareness with the Bonaire ReefCam

BONAIRE, N.A. - April 4, 2002 - To show support for Earth Day - an international date to raise awareness of our natural environment, and for the Coral Reef Alliance's "Dive Into Earth Day" education effort, Caribbean WebCams LLC announced today it would be hosting a Bonaire Reef Awareness event on Bonaire on Earth Day. Earth Day always falls on the 22nd of April, which is a Monday this year.

The event will be located at Kaya Rotterdam 2, on the island of Bonaire - this location is also home to the world famous Bonaire WebCams, including the world's only permanently mounted underwater coral reef Web Cam, the Bonaire ReefCam.

The free Bonaire ReefCam Earth Day event will start at 2pm, and will allow local and visiting divers and snorkelers to access the ReefCam from shore, with a dive or snorkel orientation preceding entry into the ocean. During this time, the ReefCam, which normally returns a picture to the Bonaire WebCams Web site (at http://www.BonaireWebCams.com) every two minutes, will have its picture taking frequency increased to once every minute so that people have a better chance of being captured on camera and seen by thousands of people, live, over the Internet.

Prizes, including Bonaire WebCams t-shirts, will be given to those showing the best buoyancy and those with the most original dive or snorkel outfits captured on the ReefCam.

Also featured at 2:30pm will be a free one hour workshop on proper buoyancy for divers, which will help divers of all skill levels improve their buoyancy underwater, thereby extending their dive time and helping preserve corals and other underwater creatures from accidental damage. The buoyancy workshop will be taught by dive buoyancy expert, Bruce Bowker, who is also the owner and operator of Bonaire's Carib Inn dive resort (http://www.caribinn.com). The workshop is all theory, so no dive gear is required, but the first five minutes of the workshop lays a foundation for the rest, so participants should be sure to arrive early.

At 3:30pm, Caren Eckrich, well known Bonaire marine biologist and director of Sea & Discover (http://www.seandiscover.com), will offer a free workshop on marine biology, including fish and creature identification and behaviors and perhaps a game or two.

The Bonaire ReefCam Earth Day event will close at 6pm with a potluck BBQ so that all participants can enjoy the close of Earth Day with a standard Bonaire sunset, as well as good company and food.

"Everyone who is concerned about the welfare of our marine environment should show their support for CORAL's Dive In to Earth Day event. And this year, on Bonaire, it's easy. Just get yourself pictured on the Bonaire ReefCam and Bonaire StreetCam.", said Kalli DeMeyer, CORAL's Director of the Coral Parks Program.

The Coral Reef Alliance (CORAL) promotes coral reef conservation around the world by working with the dive industry, governments, local communities and other organizations to protect and manage coral reefs, establish marine parks, fund conservation efforts, and raise public awareness with the mission to keep coral reefs alive for future generations. CORAL is coordinating Dive In To Earth Day, which is co-sponsored by the Dive Equipment and Marketing Association (DEMA), PADI AWARE Foundation, Earth Day Network, and ICRAN. Information for organizers and participants can be found on the web at http://divein.coralreefalliance.org.

Earth Day Network (EDN) currently includes more than 5,000 groups in 184 countries. Its mission is to achieve a healthy and sustainable world by linking groups worldwide and providing them with the information and resources to combat environmental destruction.

Caribbean WebCams, LLC, owner and operator of the Bonaire WebCams and the award winning Bonaire ReefCam, specializes in all aspects of commercial WebCam set-up and installation for resorts and travel destinations. Company headquarters are located in Bolton, Massachusetts in the U.S.A. Caribbean WebCams information can be found at http://www.CaribbeanWebCams.com, and the company may be contacted at info@CaribbeanWebCams.com or by phone at +1-703-783-8370 or by FAX at +1-703-783-8371 in the U.S. or by phone at +599-7-176773 on Bonaire.

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"Bonaire ReefCam" is a trademark of Caribbean WebCams, LLC.

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"ReefCam" and "StreetCam" is a trademark of Caribbean WebCams, LLC.

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