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Latest Hollywood Blockbuster Spotlights Stuart Cove’s Aquatic Specialties Once Again

INTO THE BLUE

Nassau, Bahamas — It ‘ s no coincidence that when Hollywood needs to shoot a marine based film with crystal clear waters and conditions consistent enough to allow shooting over 3 months they look to The Bahamas right away. When you add shark stunts to the equation – they call Stuart Cove.
After all, for more than 20 years, Stuart has been working with Hollywood to deliver underwater thrills and incredible imagery. The latest big-budget Hollywood blockbuster to work with the Dive Bahamas team is INTO THE BLUE. Opening nationally September 30th, INTO THE BLUE is a remake of the popular 1970’s diving flick, THE DEEP.

 

The producers of the movie were impressed by the crystal blue waters and the ample shark population that would help to add an element of danger and fear to the movie. The film features some of Hollywood’s young, attractive stars (Paul Walker, Jessica Alba, Scott Caan, Ashley Scott and Josh Brolin), plenty of free diving, scuba action and a compelling story line. The staff at Stuart Cove’s certified both Scott and Caan, and provided advanced training options for other cast and crew members.

 

Stuart’s on-site photo operation, Fin Photo played an important part in the production as well, although few people would ever know about it. Fin Photo helped to provide photos that were used for “continuity” in the film. Feature films are not shot in the order that you see them on the big screen. It is the job of the “continuity” team to ensure that the sets are dressed to match their sequence in the film. A normally tedious job was complicated by the fact that so many sets were underwater. To assist in this process Fin Photo used their underwater photography skills and worked closely with the production team and documented each set so that it could easily be re-dressed as needed.

 

For more details, visit the INTO THE BLUE web site at http://www.sonypictures.com/movies/intotheblue/

Stuart Cove’s To Appear on MTV’s “YOUR MOVIE SHOW”

Go Behind The Scenes With The New Feature Film INTO THE BLUE

Nassau, Bahamas — Stuart Cove’s recently hosted the MTV program “Your Movie Show” as they traveled to Nassau to get a behind the scenes look at the locations where the new feature film INTO THE BLUE was shot. Opening on September 30th, this action adventure film starts new young Turks of Hollywood Paul Walker, Jessica Alba, Scott Caan, and Ashley Scott, and is a remake of the 1970’s diving classic THE DEEP.

Be sure to watch this Thursday on MTV for an early peak at the new film. You will also hear interviews with the stunt divers and get chance to see two new dive sites created for the film. In case you miss it – check your local listings for additional re-air schedules! Once the premiere plays – you can also see extended interviews, segments, and out takes from the show on overdrive.mtv.com under the movies category.

 

It’s No Myth – Stuart Cove’s is THE Place Discovery Channel Chooses for Shark Week

Stuart Cove’s staff and facilities have been involved in the popular SHARK WEEK promotion on the Discovery Channel for many years.

 

Annual Discovery Channel SHARK WEEK kicks off with yet another production that involves Stuart Cove’s Dive Bahamas . The Mythbusters JAWS Special was filmed on location earlier this year, and features co-hosts Jamie Hyneman and Adam Savage taking on common “shark myths.”

Stuart and his team are very familiar with Discovery Channel, having worked in previous years on nearly a dozen SHARK WEEK projects and documentaries. The warm waters and ample shark population enhances the environment allowing producers to get the shots they need – every time. In the past, Stuart has worked with well-known figures including Nigel Marvin, Heidi Klum, Gabrielle Reece, Estella Warren, Brian McNight, Adrian Pasdar, and Casper Van Dien on SHARK WEEK programming.

 

The “Mythbusters” program will provide an entertaining and informative 2-hour program that includes the crew testing different “myths.”

Jamie and Adam outfitted “Buster” the show’s “Crash Test Dummy” to test the common myth that punching a shark in the nose will make it go away. Did the test prove the “myth”? We’re not saying, but we can tell you that the dummy eventually lost his “arm”.

 

Heard about “yum yum yellow” and that sharks have a color preference. The Mythbusters took this myth head on in another informative (and humorous) experiment. Large nylon bags filled with bait of various colors were suspend from surface buoys to test color preferences. Want to know what happened? You’ll just have to watch the program to find out.

 

Questions and Answers On Shooting Shark Week

Stuart Cove and Claudia Pellarini Let You In Behind The Scenes

Nassau, Bahamas — During the filming of the “Mythbusters” JAWS episode, Stuart Cove served as the official “shark wrangler” and marine coordinator.

Why is Nassau such a popular place for SHARK WEEK producers?

Stuart:It’s simple – we have sharks, and plenty of them. There is no shortage of sharks if you’d doing a shark production in Nassau . We’re been fortunate that producers have discovered how easy it is to come here and complete the productions without any hassles, like “disappearing sharks.” It’s almost like the sharks arrive on cue!

What was the most humorous part of the “Myths” shoot?

Stuart:Probably when I and Jamie were in the cage yelling ‘punch’ and there was a split second time delay because by the time Adam re-acted to that command and yanked the lever on the boat, he had missed the shark.so there was a lot of giggling going on in the water…

Did anything about the SHARK WEEK shoot surprise you?

Stuart:In one of the experiments, the sharks definitely identified the same highly reflective nature of the silver color on the buoys and on my fins, and kept going for them. I have noticed subsequent to this every shark dive I do with those fins I always have sharks eyeballing my fins..it has to do with silver looking like the shiny scales of a fish.

 

What did you learn from this most-recent production?

Stuart: One thing we’ve learned from many years of interacting with the sharks in their natural environment is that you never learn everything. There’s always something new to discover. We tried several experiments with the Mythbusters team and it’s true – there’s always something new to see.

 

Stuart Cove’s Film Project “After The Sunset”

Nassau, Bahamas — The feature film project worked on by Stuart Cove’s, “After The Sunset”, a new comedy-action film staring Pierce Brosnan, Woody Harrelson, and Salma Hayek. The film pits Harrelson against Brosnan as they play opponents in a high-stakes game of cat-and-mouse.

We think that Stuart will be making an appearance in “After The Sunset” as well! So to have some fun with this – the staff at Stuart Cove’s have created an on-line contest to identify Stuart in the film.

 

Not only did the cast go diving for the film, so did a lot of their friends and family. Woody Harrelson’s daughter got hooked and became a certified diver while shooting took place. Likewise, Salma Hayek’s friend Josh Lucas (of “Sweet Home Alabama” and “The Hulk”) visited and they decided to learn to dive together as well.

According to Stuart Cove “The last 18 months have been great for diving and the film industry. We have worked on 3 different feature films this past year that contain key scenes where the actors had to use SCUBA equipment. At the same time many of the crew behind the cameras embraced the sport and a few new divers were generated. I am hopeful that when the general public sees diving on the screen, that it will carry over the interest and generate new divers to our sport.”

 

“Ray Of Hope” Adds To Bahamian Reefs

Stuart Cove’s Dive Bahama’s Team Sinks a 200-ft Freighter As Nassau’s 16th Wreck Location!

Nassau, Bahamas –Continuing the great cooperation between Government and the Private sector, the Port Authority of Nassau has released the 200-ft vessel “Ray of Hope” to Stuart Cove’s for sinking as an artificial reef. On July 7, 2003 the team at Stuart Cove’s Dive Bahamas, headed by Operations Manager David Eads, Facilities Manager Mark Lessard, and Maintenance Manager Alex Paul completed preparations and successfully rested her on the bottom

The 200-ft long wreck is sitting upright and is located directly behind the “Bahama Mama” with its bow at 40 feet sloping down to the stern at 60 feet. She landed fully intact and allows divers to penetrate her interior, cabins, and gangways. The large cargo hold is open and is crossed with beams that cast shadows along the floor. While she was last legally registered as a Haitian freighter, her side plate indicates a previous registration in Belize. When you visit the office or engine room placards indicate she was constructed in Germany.

The “Bahama Mama” has deteriorated over the past few years. Placing the “Ray of Hope” behind it has created a welcome upgrade to the site. The location is excellent with a wall and shark dive nearby. This new wreck will give underwater photographers incredible new views to frame their shots with.

The “Bahama Mama” as already one of the most popular wrecks on the island. The location has a large sand patch that looks like a giant runway from the air and sits right on the edge of the Tongue-of-the-Ocean wall. In addition, it is close to shore providing for short boat trips and good protection from the elements.

According to Stuart Cove “this one was not that difficult, all we had to do was wait for a good day, then we tied the bow of the “Ray of Hope” to the “Bahama Mama” and set out two stern anchors so she wouldn’t drift”.

Alex Paul who headed up the cutting team added, “The government gave us plenty of access ahead of time to the vessel. That allowed my team to get on board while she was still tied up at the docks to cut through the bulkheads and tanks. With the extra time I was sure there were no air pockets that would have caused her to roll”.

 

The Steel Forest Takes Root

Stuart Cove sinks 2 shipwrecks in 2 weeks to launch Nassau’s newest dive site!

Nassau, Bahamas — On Tuesday, August 20th, the “Captain Fox”, an 80-foot fishing trawler came to rest in 40 feet of water forming the third trunk of Nassau’s newest dive site “The Steel Forest”. The “Captain Fox” joined the “Manana” and “Fenwick Stirrup” on a sand bottom that starts at 30 feet and slopes to 120 feet where it drops over the edge of the “Tongue-of-the-Ocean” wall.

The sinking of the “Captain Fox” marked the culmination of an ambitious undertaking where Stuart Cove and the team from Dive Bahamas sunk two new shipwrecks in a 2-week period. “We are exhausted!” said Cove. “I’d be curious if this has ever been done before? But it was worth the effort – I love our new site – The Steel Forest”.

“We envisioned creating a site that would allow experienced divers to start off deep and do a multi-level profile, while at the same time allowing less experienced divers to still enjoy some new wrecks without having to worry about deeper depths” according to Cove.

Well-known for his shark diving experiences, Cove now brings the same innovations to wreck diving. He explained that there are now a trio of wrecks roughly 50 feet apart, lined up from bow to stern. The first is in just 40 feet of water, while the stern of the third is in 110 feet of water

Cove works closely with the Bahamian government to secure the wrecks. “Over the years we have learned each other’s needs. Ours is obviously to promote tourism and adding new wrecks does that,” Cove said. “Other ministries of the government are involved with salvage and confiscated vessels. It was a natural marriage. Our company invests $10,000 to $20,000 per wreck to salvage it and prepare it for relocation and sinking as a dive site. The government donates the tugs and title to the vessels. It’s a win-win, private sector – public sector relationship.”

The idea for the “trio” of wrecks that will form an underwater “forest” of diving opportunity was first discussed earlier this summer. With the help of officials representing the government and the diving industry, Cove and his team accepted the challenge.

The first wreck was the “Manana”, a 150-foot island cargo ship which went down two weeks earlier. Says Cove, “It’s a really cool design, a tall wheelhouse up front, and in the rear it was one of those island ferry types where you drove semi trailers onto. So it has a low flat bottom and sidewalls with a drop down ramp at the rear. This gave her a nice flat bottom and she went down sitting upright and 50 feet away from the “Fenwick Stirrup”, the original vessel, sunk in 1997.

The most recent wreck sunk was the “Captain Fox”, an 80-foot fishing trawler which was placed on the bottom August 20, 2002. “The challenge on this wreck was cleaning her up and towing her around without her sinking,” Cove observed. “The wreck was not in good shape to start with. We waited for a “postcard weather day” and the tugs got her around perfectly. She went down upright just in front of the “Fenwick Stirrup”.

 

“Beauty Is On Fire” In Nassau Michelle Cove assists Natalie Imbruglia shooting her latest video.

Click Here To Watch The Video

Australian singer Natalie Imbruglia shot the video for her single “Beauty On The Fire” from her latest album “White Lilies Island” in the waters surrounding Stuart Cove’s and at the Atlantis Resort. The video involved many underwater scenes in both open ocean and in the spectacular Ruins tank at Atlantis.

Michelle Cove was called in as a marine coordinator and professional instructor to train free-divers and evaluate skill levels of certified extras. Although Natalie Imbruglia is a certified diver, the stunts required for the shoot involved some additional training and review.

According to Michelle, “once I became involved in the production the director asked me to be on-camera talent in addition to co-coordinating the marine aspects of the shoot. See if you can spot me running down the beach, free diving in the Atlantis tank and swimming in shallow water!” “I have worked on many film productions but this one was the most fun. I was already a fan of Natalie’s music and had just purchased the new album right before they called me to work on the video. What more can you ask for than doing what you love and listening to great music at the same time?!”

Over the past few years Michelle has developed a great relationship with the Water Features and Public Relations staff at the Atlantis Resort. Michelle was the on-camera diver representing Atlantis during the grand opening of the Royal Towers. Due to her familiarity with and respect for the delicate marine environment in the Atlantis aquariums, she is often called upon to assist with productions some of which have included the Mary Kate and Ashley “Holiday in the Sun” video, Ricky Martin music video and other productions involving underwater expertise.

 

LIVE! With Regis & Kelly at the Atlantis Resort

Nassau, Bahamas — During the week of February 25th, the television program “LIVE! With Regis & Kelly” was broadcast from the Atlantis Resort.

This was the second time that the program had visited the Atlantis and the second time that Buena Vista Television, the production company for the show, called on Stuart Cove’s to assist them with broadcasting.

You never know what is going to happen the first time somebody enters the water to go diving. As instructors, we are even more nervous when it is a television personality that is doing it for their job instead of really wanting to try it as part of their vacation. This thought led up to our first “marine” segment involving host Kelly Ripa, who was going to do her first resort course offshore from the Atlantis resort.

Well those fears were completely unfounded. Kelly literally jumped into scuba diving and disappeared under the surface for over 40 minutes completely enjoying the new environment. When she surfaced she was ecstatic, and we relaxed knowing that this is one celebrity who’s zest for life and fun is just as true off screen as it is on!

Now, we only hope that Regis will give her some time off so that she can become a certified diver while vacationing with her husband.

According to Michelle, “once I became involved in the production the director asked me to be on-camera talent in addition to co-coordinating the marine aspects of the shoot. See if you can spot me running down the beach, free diving in the Atlantis tank and swimming in shallow water!” “I have worked on many film productions but this one was the most fun. I was already a fan of Natalie’s music and had just purchased the new album right before they called me to work on the video. What more can you ask for than doing what you love and listening to great music at the same time?!”

Over the past few years Michelle has developed a great relationship with the Water Features and Public Relations staff at the Atlantis Resort. Michelle was the on-camera diver representing Atlantis during the grand opening of the Royal Towers. Due to her familiarity with and respect for the delicate marine environment in the Atlantis aquariums, she is often called upon to assist with productions some of which have included the Mary Kate and Ashley “Holiday in the Sun” video, Ricky Martin music video and other productions involving underwater expertise.

 

A second fun shoot for LIVE! was to work with Ethan Zohn – the winner of Survivor Africa. However, before he went on-air to chat with Regis & Kelly, Michael Gelman the shows producer wanted to film his impressions of “surviving Atlantis” for a day.

Later, we found out that for Ethan, the best part was finally meeting Regis & Kelly. “I’m excited about Regis & Kelly. I love Regis & Kelly. When I was younger, I used to pretend to be sick so I could watch Regis & Kathy Lee.”

The third segment we shot was when the producer Michael Gelman and Michelle Lui, the director of aquariums at Atlantis went diving in “The Digs” tank at the resort. The dive and filming went fine. But here’s where the blooper from this shoot happened… the segment was supposed to have “teasers” in conjunction with the interview. However, the producer forgot to do the “teasers” before they got out. Later, when putting the piece together for air the next day, they realized the mistake, and “dubbed” the sound over – by sticking their heads in the toilet bowl of their room and speaking into it for the echo while recording.

 

Cliftons Wreck SunkThis marks the 4th wreck sunk in 18 months!

Nassau, Bahamas — Clifton’s Wreck was a victim of hurricane Floyd in 1999. During the storm it broke free from the dock and was blown up onto the beach. After the storm, the Port Authority towed it off the beach and back to a dock. However, the vessel was damaged quite heavily and was continuously taking on water. Time passed while the owners pursued insurance for repairs. Ultimately, after 14 months, the Port Authority was informed by the owners that the ship was unrepairable and would be abandoned.

At this point the Port Authority contacted Stuart Cove. The two have an outstanding relationship and a gentlemans agreement that if the Port Authority obtains title and rights to a vessel that Stuart Cove’s will fund the cleanup and provide the labor for the vessel to be sunk as an artificial reef for divers.

When the call came in, Stuart and his crew had to act quickly. The vessel was taking on water and everyone was nervous that it would sink at the dock. Stuart and his team came in and shored up the vessel long enough that it could be prepped and cleaned for sinking. When that work was finished, the Port Authority donated the tug boats to bring the ship around to the dive site Stuart had selected.

Less than 2 miles from the mouth of Stuart Cove’s facility, between “Pumpkin Patch” and the “Bahama Mama”, a perfect ledge at 130 feet was located on “Heineken Wall”.The challenge on this wreck was to position it perfectly, as the target location was a narrow ledge.

 

She went down perfectly! The vessel itself has a large keel which Stuart knew ahead of time would cause it to roll to one side or the other. What he didn’t know was which way. As she hit – she rolled downhill. In hind site it was the perfect direction, as the two masts dug into the bottom and are acting as anchors preventing the ship from sliding over the wall where it’s next resting point would be 6,000 feet below.

 

According to Stuart, “This is going to be a great wreck! Our Wall Flyers will love cruising the wall and coming across the anchor line that will lead them down to 130 so they can quickly buzz through the tunnels created by the hull resting on the bottom.”

He also pointed out that this new site enhances the experience for divers taking the Wreck Specialty Course in the Fins & Masts Package and divers who take the Deep Diver Specialty will have something to visit on their deep dive.

 

Backstreet Trio Reach New Depths Learning To Scuba Dive In the Bahamas.Michelle Cove continues the family tradition as dive instructor to the stars.

(ENTERTAINMENT WIRE)–May 24, 2000–Three members of the Backstreet Boys — presently recognized as the biggest pop group in the world — made the most of recent recording session in the Bahamas by becoming certified scuba divers

Nick Carter, Howie Dorough and Kevin Richardson received their PADI Open Water Scuba Certifications through Stuart Cove’s Dive Bahamas resort just south of Nassau. The trio, who proved to be “underwater naturals” according to instructors, were able to explore shallow shipwrecks, colorful coral reefs and even historic underwater sets used in the filming of several James Bond films.

 

“It was tough getting them out of the water once they discovered how comfortable and enjoyable scuba diving can be,” said Michelle Cove, co-owner of the resort and the group’s instructor. “The looks on their faces after that first dive was so memorable, I don’t think they’ll ever forget it.”

During their certification dives, the three young divers logged time on the famous “Bahama Mama” shipwreck, clowned around on the underwater airplane wreck used in the James Bond film “Thunderball” and even had an encounter with a group of Caribbean Reef sharks. “That was the highlight of the day when the sharks showed up,” Cove recalls.

 

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