Dive Show 2017 - what was happening at the Birmingham show?

Fair, rally, or just a festival? Organised in Birmingham for over twenty-five years, the event gathered, as every year, a huge number of divers – both professionals and amateurs. The biggest diving magazine in the UK – “DIVER” – is continuously responsible for all the fuss.

Travel, equipment and training news. For both experienced and complete beginners. For families, singles, young and old – a great celebration of exploration of the deep sea and inland waters!

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The event took place last weekend, on 21-22 October, and was packed with meetings and talks with personalities known throughout the diving world. Among them were Martyn Farr, the legendary cave diver, and Ellen Cuylaerts, famous for her photographs of marine mammals. The event was also honoured with the presence of Mark Powell, who in turn introduced the audience to the secrets of the work of a diving instructor and diving training.

There were, of course, other photographic impressions – apart from exhibitions and workshops, we could purchase photo equipment suitable for divers and confront our experiences with opinions of well-known underwater frame artists. Meetings on basic equipment, composition and nature photography were led by such photographers as Mario Vitalini, Martin Edge and Alex Mustard, among others.

Visitors could also try out the latest equipment offered by the exhibitors, thanks to the Tekpool area, intended for experienced divers, and the Try-dive pool – for those who would like to start their diving adventure. These were specially prepared pools, available to all guests. At the Try-dive pool there were constantly helpful instructors, under whose supervision you could make your diving debut in diving equipment.

Companies organising trips to the most beautiful corners of the world also prepared interesting offers for those who are slowly filling their diving expeditions for the following year. The Caribbean Village or the Asia-Pacific Zone allowed visitors to get to know the specific character of a given region through photographs, film footage and direct reports from the exhibitors.

Often described as downright overwhelming, the show already has a regular audience who return to Birmingham every year to recharge their batteries for the coming winter. We too are putting Dive Show 2018 on our calendar as a must-see item.

Photo: Dagmara Błaszczyk