Tag: Ernie Brooks

A fitting tribute : Arlington Theatre packed to celebrate the life of Ernie Brooks

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Saturday's Santa Barbara Underwater Film Festival at the Arlington Theatre was "A Tribute to Ernie Brooks." Mr. Brooks, right, is joined by friends Jean-Michel Cousteau and Virginia Sloan. THOMAS KELSEY/NEWS-PRESS PHOTO
Saturday’s Santa Barbara Underwater Film Festival at the Arlington Theatre was “A Tribute to Ernie Brooks.” Mr. Brooks, right, is joined by friends Jean-Michel Cousteau and Virginia Sloan.
THOMAS KELSEY/NEWS-PRESS PHOTO

Ernie Brooks is a lucky man. Not everybody gets to cap a career surrounded by 2,000 fans at the Arlington, in the town one once called home.

But last night the famed diver and underwater photographer had that happen as the Santa Barbara Underwater Film Festival and the Historical Diving Society devoted an entire evening to Mr. Brooks and the students who were influenced by his teachings, both aboard ship and behind the camera.

The Arlington was filled with fans and well-wishers along with members of public who were attracted by the long guest list of presenters, a who’s-who of underwater photography.

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Underwater Love – SPECIAL ARLINGTON EVENING HONORS ERNIE BROOKS, PHOTOGRAPHER AND DIVER

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Howard Hall and IMAX 3D crewfilm Lemon Shark,Ginglymostoma cirratum, in the Bahamas for "Under the Sea 3D." Michele Hall photo
Howard Hall and IMAX 3D crewfilm Lemon Shark,Ginglymostoma cirratum, in the Bahamas for “Under the Sea 3D.”
Michele Hall photo

The history of offshore diving in Santa Barbara is a long and convoluted one, full of tangents and trivia. One tangent ties together Brooks Institute, underwater photography, nature documentaries, and the Santa Barbara Channel, and ties it together at the Arlington this Saturday night. The sporadic Underwater Film Festival, a loose affiliation of enthusiasts who program events every couple of years, hosts a tribute for Ernie Brooks, photographer and diver, and uses this evening as a chance to screen new and rarely seen footage, invite friends and colleagues on stage, and raise money for the Maritime Museum and the Historical Diving Society.

The brainchild of SBCC diving instructor Ed Stetson and assisted by faculty member Don Barthelmess, the evening is designed to give back to Mr. Brooks what he has given to generations of students, both in photography and in marine education. Ernie Brooks was raised in Santa Barbara — his father started Brooks Institute. The younger Mr. Brooks was president of the institution for many years as well, and has made a career passing on the excitement of both his loves.

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