The fast-approaching GO Diving Show ANZ, taking place at the Sydney Showground from 28-29 September and with FREE admission, promises a host of informative, educational and enjoyable talks, displays, exhibits and interactive elements, whatever your level of diving experience – and the Inspiration / ANZ Stage is the perfect place to find out more about local diving opportunities – and be inspired by some fantastic presentations.
Speakers on the Inspiration / ANZ Stage include:
Roni Ben-Ahron
Sustainable tourism advocate and industry expert Roni Ben-Ahron will be on the Inspiration Stage at the GO Diving Show ANZ in September showcasing the incredible diversity of the Philippines.
Escaping the topside corporate world to the deep, Roni has spent the past 15 years in the dive tourism industry. Having worked in six countries, in both operational and sales and marketing roles, she fell in love with Asia-Pacific diving. She says ‘It is where the diversity and colours warm the heart and shine as a beacon as to how the ocean should look like’. Her goal is to promote sustainable dive tourism practices that involve divers around the world.
The Incredible Diversity of the Philippines
The Philippines is one of the world’s top dive destinations. Located in the heart of the Coral Triangle, you’ll enjoy the world’s greatest biodiversity: vivid coral reefs, wrecks, incredible pelagic life, rare critters, and unique topography.
Learn about the top dive destinations in the Philippines, what you can expect to find in each, and how you can experience them with Atlantis Dive Resorts and Liveaboards.
Consumers today have a choice; you can choose the brand based on a set of values that you deem important. Are environmental efforts, community outreach and education important to you? Learn about how you can make an impact when diving with Atlantis Resorts and Liveaboards!
Torrey Klett / Sea Shepherd
Sea Shepherd Australia is a marine conservation non-profit using direct action on the front line of the war against plastic pollution in the oceans; illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing; destructive marine life management strategies; and other threats to the ocean ecosystem and its inhabitants.
Torrey Klett, Chapter Co-ordinator for Sea Shepherd Sydney, will be presenting on marine conservation issues facing Australia and the world today on the ANZ / Inspiration Stage at the GO Diving Show ANZ in September, and how we can effect meaningful change.
Torrey became impassioned to pursue marine conservation efforts following her tenure as a PADI Master Scuba Diver Trainer in Honduras. She believes that conservation is everyone’s responsibility, and wants you to feel empowered to get involved and make a difference in protecting the oceans we love so dearly.
Terry Cummins
Renowned industry figure Terry Cummins will be waxing lyrical about the wonders of Queensland’s waters when he takes to the ANZ Stage at the GO Diving Show ANZ in September.
Dr Terrence (Terry) Cummins is President of Dive Queensland, and a prominent figure in the global dive community, as well as a known underwater photographer, writer, and as a past senior executive of diver training agencies.
Terry currently sits on several Government and NGO advisory committees relating to diving, tourism, legislation, and business sustainability, and has a long list of prestigious awards and accomplishments, including appointment as a Fellow of the Explorers Club of New York and an ‘Order of Australia Medal’ for his contribution to scuba diving.
Diving the Queensland Coast
Terry will take you on a photo journey from the southern border of Queensland to the far north and include the magnificent diving found on Great Barrier Reef and the Coral Sea. He will also address and take questions on the negative perceptions that wrongly exists in some media about the condition of the Great Barrier Reef, while highlighting the unique services provided to visiting divers by Dive Queensland members.
Nays Baghai
Nays Baghai is an independent film-maker and underwater creative, and he’ll be on the Inspiration Stage at the GO Diving Show ANZ in September.
Based in Sydney, he is a graduate of Australia’s national film school AFTRS, and his feature film debut as a director, Descent, won the 2020 Sydney Film Festival and is now streaming on Amazon Prime ANZ.
His second feature, Diving Into The Darkness, featuring Main Stage speaker Jill Heinerth, won the 2024 Santa Barbara International Film Festival. This awesome film will be shown at the GO Diving Show ANZ on Saturday morning to kickstart proceedings.
In addition to his long-form work as a director, cinematographer and editor, Nays has also won 30 awards for his short-form and photography work. His portfolio of clients includes Sony, Rolex, Deloitte, SBS, Scuba Diver Magazine, Tourism Australia and many more.
As an underwater cinematographer and photographer, Nays holds a wide variety of diving certifications that enable him to operate in demanding environments inaccessible to traditional film crews.
Making the Impossible Possible: Behind the Scenes of Diving Into The Darkness
Multi-hyphenate director Nays Baghai dives into the secrets of his award-winning documentary feature film about the legendary Jill Heinerth. In this presentation, Nays covers a wide range of topics, including:
- The dive training required to pull off the project
- The details of complex film documents, including scripts, storyboards, shooting diagrams and others
- The full list of caves and other underwater filming locations
- The endless array of challenges encountered by the team
- The gargantuan editing process
- The risks and rewards of rebreathers
- The parallels between film-making and technical diving
Danny Charlton
Thinking about visiting Indonesia on a diving holiday? Then make sure you come and listen to the sage advice of Indonesia dive travel guru Danny Charlton at the GO Diving Show ANZ in September.
Danny will be on the ANZ / Inspiration Stage offering plenty of useful hints and advice on visiting this wonderful country, which is home to some of the best diving on the planet.
Danny holds a BS in Tourism Studies and worked in corporate America for several years before venturing to Indonesia. A one-year contract evolved into meeting and marrying Angelique and a permanent expatriate life.
He is passionate about developing local talent through training and guidance. He consulted with the Lembeh Resort owners on product development in 2001 and opened the dive concession at the resort the following year. The Passport to Paradise product was developed shortly – giving divers the opportunity to fully explore North Sulawesi.
Danny is at the forefront of developing Lembeh Resorts and Murex Resort’s diving facilities to the highest standard, with extensive amenities.
James Hunter
James Hunter is the Australian National Maritime Museum’s Curator of Naval Heritage and Archaeology, and he’ll be giving a fascinating presentation on the ANZ/Inspiration Stage at the GO Diving Show ANZ in September.
James received his PhD in maritime archaeology from Flinders University in 2012, and MA in history and historical archaeology from the University of West Florida in 2001.
He has been involved in the fields of historical and maritime archaeology for over two decades and participated in the investigation of several internationally significant shipwreck sites in the United States, including the American Civil War submarine H.L. Hunley and the Emanuel Point Shipwreck, a Spanish galleon wrecked in Pensacola Bay, Florida, in 1559.
James’ doctoral research explored the history and archaeology of torpedo boat defences utilised by the colonial and early national navies of Australia and New Zealand. He was appointed to his role at the museum in January 2015, and has participated in several of its maritime archaeology projects, including shipwreck surveys of Australia’s first submarine AE1 in Papua New Guinea, the World War Two light cruiser HMAS Perth (I) in Indonesia, and the search for, and identification of, the wreck site of James Cook’s HMB Endeavour in the United States.
Holly Wakely
Diving instructor and tour leader Holly Wakely will be on the ANZ / Inspiration Stage at the GO Diving Show ANZ in September, continuing her mission to inspire more people to get into diving.
At the age of 21, Holly has already completed over 2,000 dives and is a PADI Course Director. But her journey started much earlier, at the age of four, when she first discovered her love for the underwater world. Her passion led her to pilot the PADI Junior Divemaster programme. Holly now loves to teach diving of all levels, especially to kids.
Holly’s deep love for diving extends beyond teaching. She co-runs the Blue Horizon Diving YouTube channel, sharing diving adventures and tips for everyone. Holly also organises and leads diving trips all over the world.
She loves to share her passion with others however she sees fit. She aims to get more people into the diving community, including kids passionate about the ocean!
From youth diver to course director: engaging the next generation
Holly Wakely, a former youth diver turned Course Director, shares strategies for engaging the next generation of divers through different streams of media. Holly’s journey changed who is she as a diver and an individual. She aims to inspire others and support youth divers in pursuing their individual journeys, building an inclusive diving community. Holly keeps engaged with youth divers through social media networks like YouTube and TikTok, and discusses how these shape the future of diving.
Matias Nochetto
Diver Alert Network’s respected Vice President of Medical Services, Dr Matias Nochetto, will be giving inspirational and educational presentations at the inaugural GO Diving Show ANZ in September.
Dr Nochetto has worked at DAN since 2006. He is co-director of the DAN-UHMS continuing medical education programme, and a faculty member of several national and international diving medicine courses and programmes.
He became a dive instructor (1999) during medical school, which led him to complete a three-year clinical and research fellowship in hyperbaric and diving medicine to combine the two passions.
The GO Diving Show ANZ
This annual event, taking place this year on 28-29 September at the Sydney Showground at the Olympic Park, is aimed at showcasing the very best of our underwater world to everyone from raw novices who are either contemplating getting into diving, or have completed their entry-level courses, to advanced divers, right through to technical divers and veteran CCR divers.
There are an array of stages – the Main Stage, the Photo Stage, the Australia/New Zealand Stage, the Inspiration Stage and the Tech Stage – that will play host to dozens of speakers from around the world, as well as a host of interactive features to suit young and old, from VR diving experiences, trydives, a demonstration pool, and much more.
Surrounding the stages and features will be a broad range of exhibitors, from tourist boards and tour operators to resorts, liveaboards, training agencies, retailers, manufacturers, and conservation organisations.
The 2024 GO Diving Show UK, now in its fifth year, attracted more than 10,000 attendees over the weekend, and spanned an area of 10,000 sq m of exhibition space, and the Australia and New Zealand variant aspires to reaching this level in coming years.
Entry to the inaugural GO Diving Show ANZ is completely free – register here to get your tickets for what is undoubtedly the diving event of 2024 in Australia. There is plenty of parking on-site and the venue is easy to get to with plenty of transport options, so get the dates in your diary now and prepare for an epic weekend celebrating all forms of diving.
