After a fun week in Orlando, catch up on the latest industry news in 2022 DEMA Show, I finally returned to my office in the Caribbean to report on this year’s amazing event. For those who don’t know, DEMA is the largest diving trade conference on the planet, and DPG has been attending and covering the show for over 15 years. We wanted the opportunity to meet our friends and fellow photographers face-to-face as well as meet our advertisers and partners who are promoting the best diving spots in the world and recommending Latest camera cases and other underwater photography equipment.
After a surprisingly quiet show in Las Vegas in 2021, I was pleased to find the Orange County Convention Center busy every day and most of the exhibitors I spoke to during the four-day event. are satisfied with the results and attendance of the program. This year, the DPG booth was perfectly placed in the middle of the Image Resource Center, the busiest place, and for us, the most important area of the show. All leading manufacturers of cases, lenses and underwater lights are in attendance, including Backscatter, Sea life, Seacam, Nauticam, Kraken Sports, Keldan, Big Blueand newcomers Marelux. We got the chance to meet them all to get their hands on their new devices, and as you can imagine, there’s a lot to be said.
Full details on every company’s latest products will follow this general showcase and travel feature tomorrow. For now, it’s safe to say I’m excited about the many new products I got my hands on last week and can’t wait to get some of them out for underwater use soon. When we weren’t attending booth meetings or discussing camera gear, we spent the rest of the time at the show walking the decks and talking to the dive center owner and liveaboard operator about what will happen in the future. It’s not good to have the latest underwater camera if you don’t have any interesting places to dive, so let’s take a closer look at some of the most popular diving destinations and resorts.
DPG booth after late night setup
Erin Quigley presents Lightroom tips for a full-fledged home at the Image Resource Center
southern Ocean
Some of our longest-standing relationships are with world-renowned dive centers in Indonesia and it was great to catch up with some old friends who made the long journey to Florida to represent the resort. their maintenance and promote the area. I am delighted to hear from Danny Charlton and his team at Lembeh . Resort that everything is almost back to normal and the diving is fantastic, with all the most iconic creatures working at their best on the black sands of the strait.
The Backscatter Photo Center Stay up to date with the latest gear, and you can expect to see many underwater photographers experimenting with new gear Backscatter Mini Flash 2 flashing at the resort early. They are also advertising.”Catch Critters in Lembeh“January 2024 workshops, as well as multi-center tours cover the best of Sulawesi in Lembeh, Bunaken and Banka.
Talented shooter and friend of DPG Simon Buxton and his wife Zee are my close neighbors at NAD-Lembeh Resort and Simon once again showcased their amazing black water images and videos taken in the Lembeh Strait. Those wanting to learn more will be pleased to know that his popular book Blackwater Lembeh is scheduled for a second printing, so if you want to dive in the dark with alien-like creatures, contact Contact the NAD-Lembeh team for more information and special groups.
Lembeh Resort team taking bookings
Zee from NAD-Lembeh entertains future guests
Another longtime partner and DPG / Wetpixel Masters Underwater Photography Competition Donors Siladen Resort and Spa Also present, Ana and Miguel were at the booth to discuss their latest special offers and itineraries. Some of our favorite travel features have been produced at their resort in Bunaken National Park, and we can’t wait to visit them again next year to create more content. They continue to offer trips in conjunction with the aforementioned Lembeh Resorts partnership, and have also recently partnered with Coral Eye Resort in Bangka Island to add another place to their future itinerary. The resort will be closed from December until next March for renovations, but hopefully it will become a popular and frequent add-on to stays at Siladen Resort.
Moving on from Sulawesi, I also had a long chat with former DPG editors and Indonesian diving experts Hergen Spalink and Kerri Bingham about their company Subculture Tourism. Subculture is the North American representative for the three best Indonesian operators, liveaboards Samambaia and Pinditoand Alam Batu . Resort in Bali. This trio of companies basically covers the entire archipelago, from shore diving in Tulamben to action-packed trips to Komodo, Raja Ampat and the Banda Sea. Hergen had an impressive projector screen set up to show some epic videos that made me dream of exploring Indonesia again. Anyone wanting to see the best of what the region has to do with some of the world’s most dynamic and talented underwater photographers should contact Kerri and Herg to learn more about their upcoming trips. .
Subculture Travel’s Hergen talks about diving in Indonesia
Miguel and Ana talking at the Siladen booth
Philippines
Like last year, most of the Philippines’ most popular dive operators joined forces at the Philippine Department of Tourism’s booth to promote their destinations and resorts equally. Some of our favorites include Atmosphere Resort in Dumaguete, Amun Ini . Resort in Bohol, and Crystal Blue Resort in Anilao, owned and managed by frequent DPG contributor and blackwater master Mike Bartick.
Atlantis Dive Resortanother longtime sponsor of the DPG/Wetpixel Masters Competition, is one of the only operators to have its own booth and is busy with full promotion of specials at their two locations in Puerto. Galera and Dumaguete as well Atlantis Azores table directly. Aiyanar Beach and Dive Resort was another close neighbor of mine, sat in the booth opposite, and they also had a number of packages and specials on offer. All the operators I spoke to in the Philippines were happy to finally accept returning visitors after some of the longest and strictest COVID lockdowns anywhere. The message is clear: The Philippines remains one of the world’s best and diverse diving destinations and has a lot to offer underwater travel photographers.
Philippine Tourism Pavilion
Atlantis Dive Resort’s booth
Mexico
Both the Pacific and Caribbean coasts of Mexico have always been popular with scuba divers, but thanks to last year’s more laid-back attitude to COVID regulations and the constant discovery of biological encounters. Spectacular marine life on the west coast, Baja California is now one of the most popular underwater photography destinations on the planet. I spent time talking with Mike Lever, owner of Nautilus Liveaboards, is the most famous and respected operator in the region. They are most famous for their fleet of helicopter boats that visit the remote islands of Revillagigedo and Guadalupe, but also run a sister company called The Baja . Expedition offers ecotourism adventures and marine safaris that focus on floating sharks, stingrays, and striped stingray encounters. They are also partners of our friends at Backscatter and organize photography workshops on board each trip.
DPG Contributor and Famous Photographer Jay Clue also had his own booth at the show, advertising his Cabo-based company Diving staff. Jay recently put together a comprehensive review of the impressive Sony Alpha 1 cameraand so we had the opportunity to talk about camera equipment and also discuss his future exploration plans and recent work with PADI.
Dive Ninjas DPG Contributor Jay Clue
The rest of the world
Besides these three famous underwater photography locations, other prominent locations around the world are also excellently represented during the show. Our friends at Volivoli . Beach Resort in Fiji told us about their brand new camera room and the 18-passenger dive boat they are currently building, as well as a new conference room perfect for underwater photography workshops and events. other case. The Bahamas has its own way and it’s fun to catch up with Neal Watson at Bimini . Dive Center and plan future dives with tiger sharks and great hammerhead sharks. Bonaire, the Cayman Islands and the rest of the Caribbean also made up a large portion of the show floor, and many companies from each location showed up and promoted their products.
Probably the most interesting conversation I’ve had other than a talking camera was with the founders of Fuvahmulah Dive in the Maldives. Anyone up to date on the latest shark tourism activities will know about their tiger shark dives that rival the number and famous encounters. Tiger Beach. It was really exciting for me to learn how to set up the dive and in its short history it has become one of the craziest shark dive spots. I plan to visit next year, so stay tuned for stories about that on DPG in the near future.
Of course, there are several companies that cover all of the above with fleets of liveaboard diving boats, and it was a pleasure to meet our friends at Master Liveaboards to discuss their latest news and most popular trips. There have been some minor changes, including swapping the boat they have in Truk Lagoon with the one based in the Solomon Islands, but otherwise everything is going well and all cruises are working. Move and open the door to make a reservation. Popular Bahamian Master there are new cabins we hope to check out soon and Siren Fleet is back to what it does best in Indonesia, Palau and the Philippines. Sister company Blue O Hai well worth mentioning, as they operate in several destinations that the Master doesn’t have, namely Egypt and the Maldives. Between the two companies, they have the majority of the best diving spots in the world and have some great deals on upcoming trips in all locations.
Talk to Tigers with Fuvahmulah Diving School
The Master Liveaboards team is hard at work
Besides reporting on travel and camera gear, we also had time to host the annual DPG Dinner with some of our partners and friends in the diving industry, and watch some talks fun at the Image Resource Center and Backscatter stall. Of course, PADI, DANand a whole bunch of scuba gear manufacturers are present, and it looks like things are almost back to pre-COVID levels in every respect.
I’m relieved to see people’s enthusiasm to travel again after more than two years of restrictions, and it’s encouraging to know that operators are making a ton of bookings for next year and beyond. We look forward to getting some of our regular collaborators back in the field as soon as possible, so stay tuned! List of destinations, Trip reportand Underwater photographer’s guide here on early DPG. Most importantly, don’t forget to check back tomorrow for a deeper dive into all of the year’s most sought-after camera gear!
PADI happy hour is a popular daily event
