This is a guest blog post by Terry Nichols from Tank Bangers
Back in December 2010 a group of diving instructors in Sharm El Sheikh Egypt found themselves with a bit of unexpected time off on their hands following a series of shark incidents that had a dramatic effect on the local tourism industry. Deciding to make the most of their new found time off they decided to jump into the local bay and do a quick parody of Queens 1975 hit – Bohemian Rhapsody – underwater which was shot in one dive in just over an hour. After putting it up on Youtube and receiving a hugely positive response form all who watched it they decided to do another song – this time covering the Beatles “Ticket to Ride” only subtly changing the lyrics to “Ticket to Dive”. Again, the response was amazing.
After starting up a Facebook group which grew rapidly in a very short space of time the guys decided to get a little more serious with their next video and incorporate an important underlying message into the song. A song that was written and performed by The Tank Bangers themselves. And so, with a large Facebook following and many ideas regarding oceanic conservation project “Our Blue” was born. A simple song that laments upon a divers passion for the environment in which he/she loves to be in. An environment that is, sadly, in a state of dramatic decline due to over fishing, pollution and general neglect.
10 months, 1800 dives and several million takes later the result is a unique song and video that highlights the stunning beauty of our underwater world and at the same time shows how badly we mistreat it sometimes. The song is available to purchase via The Tank Bangers website and will also be released for sale on iTunes, Cdbaby and Amazon very soon. The proceeds of “Our Blue” will go to selected oceanic conservation groups, projects and also to Cancer Research UK - because it’s important to care about people too.
“Our Blue” is the first of many releases from the worlds first underwater charity band -The Tank Bangers - who are, even as you read this, working on their next project. Today our group has exploded and is fast becoming the fastest growing, most enthusiastic and darn right dangerous group of oceanic conservationists currently not in an asylum. Our vision is crystal clear - we want to "Promote, Inspire and Educate" by tapping into music, comedy and social media to encourage more cooperation and unity between divers, ocean lovers and other marine focused conservation groups to really get the increasingly desperate cry of our oceans heard.
Our strength and effectiveness comes from our individual members who are continually proving that by combining our shared passion there is no measure to what can be accomplished for our oceans, their life and ultimately our own future.
