Gualala Arts Lecture Series presents:
Wakatobe Dive

with Mark Roth
Thursday, January 17, 2013, 7:00 p.m.
Admission is $5

Returning after a two year hiatus, Mark Roth will provide an all new video presentation of his underwater explorations in the waters off Indonesia at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, January 17. His film will combine two diverse experiences into one overall view of the area around Wakatobe, Indonesia.

Of the 13,466 islands in this tropical nation, Roth believes none offers a better diving experience than what he encountered on his two trips to Wakatobe Dive Resort and Yacht. He says, "This region on the equator produces a wide diversity of marine life and some of the most spectacular coral anywhere in the world."

The shore dive shots feature coral and the high diversity of colorful reef fish that reside on nearby reefs. It also includes an area called The Wall which is easily accessible from the resort by wading in shallow water until the diver encounters a straight drop with many interesting crevasses to explore.

Other material was filmed when diving from a 115 foot luxury vessel, the Pelagian, where Roth spent days in the waters around a number of islands and nights pampered by the crew. The entire region is a government run sustainable marine park with support from local villagers to reduce the environmental impact on this marine treasure.

Introduced to scuba diving on a family vacation, Roth has developed his hobby into a retirement avocation. His Sea Ranch home includes a separate studio where he can edit his film, add commentary, and dub sound tracks. It is full of equipment, reference books, professional videos, his own DVDs, and mementos that he enjoys sharing with his grandchildren.

Every year he embarks to an exotic warm water location with good light for recording life under the waves. This talk features two of those trips. After serving in the Marine Corp for twenty years and then running a family business, he retired to his Sea Ranch home in 1989 where he now lives fulltime.

A question and answer session will follow the screening. Although not formally trained in marine biology, his many years of diving and his extensive reading have made him quite knowledgeable.

The Gualala Arts Center, located at 46501 Old State Highway in Gualala, CA,
is open weekdays 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., and weekends from noon to 4:00 p.m.
Please call (707) 884-1138 for more information, or email info@gualalaarts.org.

Serving the coastal communities of northern Sonoma & southern Mendocino Counties.