SUBIOS (Sub Indian Ocean Seychelles), previously known as the Underwater Film and Image Festival was the brainchild of diving aficionado Mr. Philippe Blanchard.  In 1989 he, along with Mrs. Maryse Eichler, Mr. David Rowat, Mr. Maurice Loustau-Lalanne and a special committee put together a festival that would highlight Seychelles' extraordinary marine world, showcase the islands as an ideal diving destination and also sensitise the local population to the beauty beneath the waves.

Since 1989 SUBIOS has grown in stature, and as of 2011 has evolved into the ‘SUBIOS Seychelles Festival of the Sea’, attracting increasing numbers of filmmakers, photographers, journalists and ecologists from all over the world.

The new SUBIOS motto, ‘People and the Ocean: Striving for a sustainable partnership’, clearly encapsulates the broadened focus of the Seychelles Festival of the Sea.  In an effort to grasp the attention of a wider audience, the festival includes a diverse range of activities linked to the oceanic world and apart from its well-appreciated photographic competitions and presentations by famous visiting speakers, SUBIOS features dedicated events at hotels and a special school program to educate the nation's youth concerning the beauty and fragility of the islands' marine eco-systems.  Water sports and fishing will also begin to feature on the SUBIOS agenda, all the while drawing more attention to the healthy symbiotic relationship which should exist between man and the sea.

Over the years special guests have included such names as Kurt Amsler, recognised as the "Grand Master" of underwater photography, Pierre Coton - one of the organisers of the ‘Festival Mondial de l'image Sous-Marine’ in Antibes, David Doubilet, a National Geographic magazine underwater photographer; John Boyle, Mark Shelley, Lawson Wood, Norbert Wu, who used to film with Howard Hall, as well as Piet & Karen Van ZyI from South Africa.

SUBIOS remains a worthy platform, informing the local population about their marine world and at the same time providing the islands with another event that helps to raise the profile of the islands abroad.