Passengers of the Dive-In Theater get to touch whatever marine life is brought to the surface. PHOTO COURTESY OF ED MONAT
BAR HARBOR After 20 years of leading ocean explorations here through his Dive-In Theater, Diver Ed Monat is moving to Eastport, at least for the season.
There, the Dive-In Theater will operate under Eastport Windjammers, a family-owned company that has provided sea excursions for the last 40 years. Tickets for the Dive-In Theater can be purchased beginning June 15, with the first trip setting sail on June 21.
“It’s actually a better place to highlight marine life in Maine,” said Monat. “The marine life here has just dwindled so much we had to come up with a plan.”
The passenger-boat attraction offers a look at underwater life via real-time video fed to an onboard projector. Eastport’s waters are abundant with marine life, including more sharks. “If a shark tries to eat me, it will make a good video,” jokes the owner.
Scallop fishermen brave the cold and new territory
BAR HARBOR Scallop season remains in full swing until the end of March for much of the waters of Maine. Despite a recent area closure affecting the Casco Passage and western Toothacker Bay off Swan’s Island, imposed by the Maine Department of Marine Resources (DMR), both draggers and divers from Mount Desert Island have caught a fair share.
In 2019, scallopers harvested 3.5 million pounds of scallops statewide, bringing in more than $4.3 million.
Diver Ed Monat of Bar Harbor has been swimming along the frigid ocean floor to harvest scallops.
“There’s been a moratorium on [new] scallop licenses for so long, and there are not a whole lot of divers scalloping,” he said.
Scallop season continues despite closure
MOUNT DESERT ISLAND Scallop season remains in full swing until the end of March for much of the waters of Maine. Despite a recent area closure affecting the Casco Passage and western Toothacher Bay in Swan’s Island, imposed by Department of Resources, both draggers and divers from Mount Desert Island have caught a fair share.
In 2019, scallopers harvested 3.5 million pounds of scallops statewide bringing in more than $4.3 million.
Diver Ed Monat of Bar Harbor has been swimming along the freezing cold ocean floor to harvest scallops.
“There’s been a moratorium on scallop licenses for so long, and there are not a whole lot of divers scalloping,” he said.