rebreathers. And yes, there are good, bad and ugly facts – but knowing these facts will make the choice of a machine easier and, if you already use on, it may make it safer.” Shirley also presented a
fascinating talk titled “Beyond the Light Zone”, during which he shared his experiences of an intoxicating world where you “dive beyond the light: the caves, wrecks and dark spaces that have a unique fascination; a different world where you are entirely alive”. Another speaker was Barry
Coleman, who was the first person to lead a dive expedition to explore the wreck of the Oceanos, a cruise liner that sank off the Wild Coast in 1991. Coleman, also hosted a separate talk on technical dive kit configuration, chated about wreck diving along the South African coastline – “finding them, and planning and executing a dive on them” – not the easiest type of diving by any stretch. Tese are dives that reach depths of 60m and more. “Tey are all situated in fairly difficult and inaccessible areas offshore, with strong currents,” says Coleman. Ironically, he points out, even though the Cape of Storms is renowned for shipwrecks and bad weather, the currents there are so strong that they tear apart the wrecks or bury them – and the country’s best wreck diving is actually to be had off the Wild Coast, Hole-in-the-Wall and Port Shepstone areas. Nuno Gomes, the current
holder of two Guinness World records, was, funnily enough, asked if he wanted to atempt the Try Dive Pool at the stand – oddly, he declined! He discussed the history of deep diving. “I talked about the deepest people have dived over the years, starting from fairly shallow depths and evolving to the 300-metre-plus mark,” he reveals. Gomes holds the world record for deep diving – a mind-boggling 318,25m, achieved in June 2005 in the Red Sea. Te Dive Expo has become
a must-atend event on every aqua-fanatic’s calendar and again showcased the latest trends in dive gear and destinations, catering
for dive enthusiasts across the spectrum. Many visitors tested the waters in the heated indoor Try Dive Pool and Dive Tank, hosted by Divestyle under the supervision of professional divers. Te magazine enabled people to discover the wonderful world of scuba! Te Divestyle stand was a hive
of activity throughout the weekend, hosting a Blue o Two party on the Friday night. Blue o Two travelled all the way from the UK for the show and were not disappointed. Following the festivities on Friday night, Divestyle’s free bar ran out of liquor. Twice. But the stock was quickly replenished to keep visitors to the stand happy. Te Divestyle staff could not be missed in their bright orange shirts, which were made by exhibitor Boney Fish. Te weekend show also
featured a Play Kidz Zone a safe, creative environment for the kids and high-octane events such as the Wake Wars wakeboarding displays and Suzuki Rockin’ Roadshow. A new Boatyard Food Market was introduced this year, offering a range of delicious preserves, foodstuffs, produce, fine wines, recipes and treats. Ten there was also the continent’s most spectacular and comprehensive display of boats – big boats, litle boats, sail boats, paddle boats, powerboats, inflatable boats, fast boats, slow boats, fun boats and glorious yachts. Diving exhibitors included
Minelab underwater detectors for the first time, as well as all the regular players in the scuba diving industry. NAUI and SSI were the two dive organisations represented with NAUI promoting its Green Diver Initiative at the show. An interesting product on display for the first time was the DC Logbook, a comprehensive diving logbook compatible with smartphones! DAN were also at the show, collecting data for a research study on recreational diver lung functions in conjunction with the University of Stellenbosch. Te Dive Expo, although
seemingly smaller this year, had actually increased in size as a number of exhibitors joined Divestylein moving to the lower
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section. Divestyle’s contribution to the show was recognised as the magazine was one of the big winners in the stand awards, scooping a coveted Outstanding Exhibitor award. Other Dive Expo winners were: Best Stand Shell Scheme: Bronze – Dive Sail; Silver – Pro Dive and Gold – Ocean Explorers. Te Best Use of Floorspace awards went to: Bronze: Dive Tek/Boney Fish; Silver – Scuba Pro and Gold went to Cressi. What would the Dive Expo
be without us, the divers?
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