Technical diver Jen Smith will be taking to the Tech Stage at the GO Diving Show in March to talk about the 2024 expedition to the shipwreck of the HMS Exmouth.
A serving Officer in the Royal Navy, Jen has deployed on multiple operations around the world. A keen technical diver, she has been involved in numerous projects to locate and identify Royal Navy wrecks, as well as conducting licensed surveys of Controlled Sites.
To preserve their heritage Jen works with teams of volunteer divers to record these poignant sites, to ensure their status as a war grave is respected and the memory of their loss is not forgotten.
HMS Exmouth
On 21 January 1940, HMS Exmouth was torpedoed by U-22 some 20 miles off Wick, in the Moray Firth, while escorting Cyprian Prince from Aberdeen to Scapa Flow.
She sank with all 190 hands.
A probable position was identified by Bob Baird and Kevin Heath, and in 2001, divers from the European Technical Diving Centre confirmed the site was HMS Exmouth. In 2002, she was designated a controlled site under the Protection of Military Remains Act 1986.
In 2024, a licence to dive the site was obtained from the MOD, and in August of 2024, a team of divers assembled to document the site and pay their respects to those lost. Diving took place from MV Clasina, and Kevin Heath from Lost in Waters Deep was also on board to direct side-scan sonar surveys.
Jen Smith and Rich Walker will present a short history of HMS Exmouth, and then show a combination of sketch, video, photography and photogrammetry media to reveal this important war grave to the audience. Rich said he hopes that the people present will feel some of the same reverence the divers felt on the dives and join them in paying respect to the brave crew of HMS Exmouth.
The GO Diving Show
The GO Diving Show – the only consumer dive and travel show in the UK – returns to the NAEC Stoneleigh on 1-2 March 2025, just in time to kick off the new season, and promises a weekend full of interactive, educational, inspirational and fun content.
As well as the Main Stage – this time headlined by TV star, author and adventurer Steve Backshall, making a welcome return to the GO Diving Show after a few years away, along with NASA-trained NEEMO Aquanaut and Head of Scientific Research at DEEP Dawn Kernagis, fellow TV presenter, author and perennial favourite Monty Halls, Dr Timmy Gambin, who will be discussing Malta's rich maritime and wartime heritage, and the dynamic duo of explorers Rannva Joermundsson and Maria Bollerup, who will be talking about their recent Expedition Buteng in Indonesia – there are again dedicated stages for UK diving, technical diving, underwater photography and inspirational tales. Andy Torbet will be MCing the Main Stage once again, as well as giving a presentation on the challenges of shooting technical diving for TV shows.
Along with the stages, there are a host of interactive elements – the ever-popular Cave, the giant trydive pool, the immersive virtual reality tech-wreck dive, breath-hold workshops and lining-out drills and, new for 2025, your chance to try your hand at wreck mapping with the Nautical Archaeology Society and their ‘shipwreck' – all scattered among an ever-increasing array of stands from tourist boards, manufacturers, training agencies, resorts, liveaboards, dive centres, retailers and much more.
This year also sees the NoTanx Zero2Hero competition taking centre-stage. This competition, aimed at newbie freedivers, will see an initial 12 candidates undergo training with Marcus Greatwood and the NoTanx team in London in late-February. Then five selected finalists will compete at the GO Diving Show over the March weekend, including static apnea sessions in the pool, to find the overall winner, who will get a week-long trip to Marsa Shagra Eco-Village, courtest of Oonasdivers. Click here to register for your chance to compete.
Advance tickets now available!
Buy your day ticket now for £17.50 + booking fee and be ready for an educational, exciting and inspirational experience! Or with so many speakers over the two days, plus all the interactive displays and exhibitors to visit, why not make it a weekend, and snap up a two-day ticket for £25 + booking fee? Group ticket prices for 10+ people are also available if you are coming with your centre/club members. Book tickets on Go Diving Show website.
And as always, the ticket price includes complimentary parking. And under-16s go free of charge, so bring the kids along for a fabulous family day out!
