About Us

The Boston Sea Rovers is a 501C3 non-profit volunteer organization dedicated to increasing awareness and appreciation of the marine environment. We are one of the oldest and most distinguished underwater clubs in America , and have a worldwide reputation of excellence. While the membership has changed repeatedly over the years, we still hold true to a pledge that was inspired in 1954, and we remain dedicated to “Raising the Level of Knowledge of the Underwater World”. In order to achieve this lofty goal, the early members of the club designed and invented the first underwater film show available to the general public. They called that first production a Clinic, and we have held the event every year since.

The Clinic, now the International Ocean Symposium, comprises an entire weekend, which is typically in March. The event is held at the Doubletree by Hilton Hotel-Boston North Shore. The Symposium consists of a world renowned film festival where international underwater film makers present and premier their most recent works, over forty daytime seminars covering a wide variety of topics, workshops focused on hands-on training, and an exhibit hall filled with equipment, travel destinations, dive clubs, and more.

Founded when SCUBA diving was still in its infancy, The Boston Sea Rovers are a group of people from diverse and varied backgrounds, who share the common bond of a love for diving and for the ocean. Perhaps the best description of the organization is a quote from “Explorations”, the biography of Robert Ballard, who at one point was Vice President of Boston Sea Rovers:

“I had also become active with the Boston Sea Rovers, one of the oldest diving clubs in the country. The Sea Rovers membership was eclectic, to say the least, cutting across social and economic lines to include bank presidents, stevedores, surgeons, auto mechanics, college students, and the heirs to old New England fortunes. The love of the sea and diving brought us together. So did a thirst for cold beer and lobsters steamed over a roaring campfire.”

Bob went on to a great career in the underwater world, finding the Titanic and many other famous shipwrecks. He is presently a Professor of Oceanography at the University of Rhode Island where he serves as Director of the Institute for Archaeological Oceanography.  Best known for the discovery of the RMS Titanic, he is the founder of the Ocean Exploration Trust.

The Boston Sea Rovers are proud sponsors of our Ocean Symposia, the last major dive show in America run solely by volunteers. Proceeds from these symposia are used for scholarships, internships, and have supported of other non-profit organizations  (SeaMark, Cotting School, etc.), as well as continuing the promotion of the goals of our organization.

Included on this website is a brief glimpse at the illustrious history of our club. We are currently working on a detailed written history of our organization, that includes hundreds of photographs accumulated over the years. Details will be posted here at a later date when the tome will be available for download.