UNIQUE PASSENGER SUB WILL TAKE MEDIA ON OCEAN DIVE AFTER SEA TRIALS FORT PIERCE, FL., JULY 12, 2000 - The news media is invited to a media-only ocean dive on Friday, July 21st, WEATHER PERMITTING, in the "Looking Glass", a 46-person submarine that has undergone extensive refitting and modernization at Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution. "Looking Glass" will submerge for up to one hour in 60- to 90-feet of water on reefs one mile off Palm Beach and Riviera Beach. A water taxi will ferry news crews to the dive site from a yet-to-be-determined location in Riviera Beach. Seating is limited, and any media wishing to go on the dive must contact HARBOR BRANCH, Oceanographic Institution, at (772) 465-2400 , no later than 5pm Tuesday, July 18th. The names of all reporters/photographers and any support personnel must be submitted by that deadline and last-minute substitutions or replacements will not be allowed. Names will not be added to the passenger list after 5pm Tuesday, July 18th. Anyone who's name is not on the passenger list will not be allowed to go along on the dive. Harbor Branch divers will shoot underwater video during the dive and will make the video available to the news media after the dive. The video will be shot in digital and Hi-8 format, and stills will be available from the digital format. Only these HBOI-certified divers will be allowed on or near the submarine during the dive. "Looking Glass" is a true submarine, certified by the American Bureau of Shipping and the U.S. Coast Guard, capable of taking up to 46 passengers and three crew to depths of 250 feet for dives of up to one hour in duration. It is 65 feet long, and 17 feet high from the bottom of the submersible to the top of its conning tower. "Looking Glass" is outfitted with underwater touring lights and large side viewports to give passengers inside an amazing view of the sea depths. Technically, it is an engineering marvel, with reduntant life-support systems and numerous other safety features. The Looking Glass submarine is privately owned by U.S. investors who plan to take the submarine to a location in the Caribbean. They will be available the day of the dive for interviews. Technical support personnel and crew will also be available during the dive for interviews about the submersible, its specifications, and how it works. Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution, Inc. is one of the world's leading nonprofit oceanographic research organizations dedicated to the exploration of the earth's oceans, estuaries and coastal regions for the benefit of mankind.