Dive shows have been a mainstay on the diving calendar for decades. An opportunity to shop, listen to speakers, meet old buddies and scope out your next holiday destination.
The pandemic has been brutal on all aspects of the diving industry and this year’s Go Diving Show is the first UK diving exhibition to fully emerge from the shadow of the pandemic. The question is: how was it and what can we learn about the state of the sport in 2023?
There was a good selection of exhibitors covering: travel, training agencies, UK diving, charities, and equipment manufacturers. The majority of big name brands were in attendance. The one area that felt underrepresented was retailers – there didn’t seem to be the usual quantity of dive stores trying to sell kit with the now expected dive show offers.
The speaking lineup was headlined by actor, journalist and recent underwater adventurer Ross Kemp following his successful aquatic debut in Ross Kemp: Shipwreck Treasure Hunter. The remaining speakers were more traditional dive show personalities like Andy Torbet and Alex Mustard. Ross Kemp’s likeable personality translated well to his on stage discussion.
The show itself was well run with friendly staff within the venue. The exhibition floor felt organised with the familiar collection of stands, mini-stages and a particularly large try dive pool.
However, the venue is probably the biggest issue. The National Agricultural and Exhibition Centre (NAEC), near Kenilworth, feels like a mix between a Cold War military base and a college. It’s well positioned geographically but unlike more established venues it lacks good public transport links. The free on-site parking is a positive but until you are inside the exhibition hall the overall feeling is slightly amateur.
The show wasn’t large but seemed to be well attended albeit in a smaller venue. I think it is more representative of the overall decline (maybe decline is too strong but shift) in the UK and worldwide diving industry. The UK market has previously supported multiple large shows a year but this has slowly been whittled down over the last 15 years.
There are other indicators that point to an overall decline in interest in scuba diving: BSAC membership has halved in the last 20 years and a recent study in the US also found ‘core divers’ declined by over 5% in the last year. Pinpointing the exact cause is difficult. For exhibitions in particular there may be less need for divers to connect with the industry face-to-face when so much can be done online.
It’s easy to look back and view change as decline. Reminiscing over the mid-1990s when the BSAC had a membership of well over fifty thousand or the golden era of the late 1960s you may feel the interest in diving is dwindling. However, I’d argue there has never been more ‘diving’ available to consume – either through clubs, affordable holidays or staying engaged via social media. It’s simply a changing landscape.
The Go Diving Show felt like a success let’s hope it can continue to grow, establish itself and quickly move to a better venue.
