After years of people wanting an annual, all-encompassing dive show that catered for recreational divers, freedivers and technical divers, the GO Diving Show ANZ finally filled that void with its inaugural show at the Sydney Showground in Australia on 28-29 September.
The Sydney Showground was chosen for its location, which is surrounded by suburbs, is easy to get to with direct rail connections and the motorway from downtown Sydney, and there is plenty of parking, plus lots of other amenities (hotels, restaurants, etc).
This first show very much emulated the initial show in the UK, with a similar footfall – just shy of 3,000 people attended over the two days – and a similar number of exhibitors. We expect to see the same year-on-year growth that the UK show has enjoyed as the event gets more established and more manufacturers, training agencies, retailers, etc, get onboard – the UK variant, now in its fifth year, grew to more than 10,000 sq m and welcomed more than 10,500 people to its 2024 event.
There was a palpable sense of excitement in the air from both the exhibitors and the visitors, many of whom were queued up outside on the Saturday morning eager for the doors to open, and this buoyant, positive atmosphere continued throughout the weekend.
The GO Diving Show ANZ will return, bigger and better, to the Sydney Showground on 13-14 September 2025, so make a date in your diary.
So, the inaugual GO Diving Show ANZ was an undoubted success, but don’t just take our word for it – below is PT Hirschfield’s in-depth, first-hand report on the event:
PT Hirshfield: Australia celebrated its inaugural new annual scuba diving show on 28-29 September at Sydney’s Olympic Park – and it was brilliant! Tickets for this first year were free, attracting registrations from thousands of divers and ocean enthusiasts with its rich and diverse programme across the two-day event.
The GO Diving Show (GODS) ANZ – which was sponsored by Scuba Diver ANZ magazine, Underwater Australasia, Vanuatu Tourism Office, Dive Photo Guide, PADI and UW Images- is a satellite expo of the hugely popular, five-year-old show in the UK. Both events are co-ordinated by Rork Media, the backbone of the Scuba Diver magazine brand. Rork Media’s Editorial Director Mark Evans explains: “We’re trying to keep the same vibe, a bit like we do with the international versions of the magazine in the UK, North America, Australia/New Zealand (and launching into Germany in January 2025). They’ve all got the same branding, but the magazine in each country is bespoke for that continent.
“We’ve done the same with the dive show. The basic look and structure of the show are very much the same as in the UK – what is it they say, ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’ – but we’ve add some localised elements.
“It doesn’t matter whether you’re a beginner, experienced recreational diver, proper techy, veteran or underwater photographer, there’s something here for you in a welcoming environment.”
Unlike many other first-time events that can be plagued by teething problems, GODS ANZ was bold and polished out of the gate, running smoothly and delivering plenty of what its visitors wanted. Showgoers lined up early outside the venue before the doors opened, keen for the ‘Australian Dive Event of the Year’ to commence. There was a palpable buzz from the outset.
World-class Main Stage presentations
GODS offered a broad smorgasbord of top quality local and international speakers. Over 40 talks were well-attended at the simultaneously programmed Main Stage, and Photo, ANZ/Inspiration and Tech Stages.
The most-difficult part of the weekend was deciding which audience to be in, with so many outstanding speakers running at the same time. (Thankfully, the programme was published well in advance in Scuba Diver ANZ magazine and on the GO Diving Show website, allowing attendees to map their movements out in advance).
The UK’s wildlife warrior, author, television and documentary host Steve Backshall was a major drawcard. A world-class orator with expertly curated and highly engaging presentations, Steve shared spectacular footage on both days. His talks focused on diving with sharks, and ‘learning to speak whale’.
Other main stage speakers included Thai cave rescuer Dr Richard Harris, who discussed the lure of technical diving. He remarked: “I’ve found GO Diving quite different to other dive shows. There’s a lot more recreational emphasis, which I really like.
“It’s good to give talks about high-end technical diving to those who might be newer divers. This opens their eyes to this world of possibilities beyond swimming around the reef with a single tank if they want to do something different. There’s an amazing tribe of really interesting people in diving that I’ve spent my life with. I love encouraging others to get into it.”
A morning screening of Nays Baghai’s powerful feature-length documentary Diving Into the Darkness – followed by Q&A with the film’s Canadian cave-diving pioneer subject Jill Heinerth – was very well received. Jill presented separately about Canada’s longest underwater cave, and the discovery of Shackleton’s vessel Quest.
NZ’s Lust4Rust wreck explorer Pete Mesley’s talks covered remote location and liveaboard safety, as well as the Truk Lagoon Baseline Project. Reflecting on GODS, Pete echoed the sentiments of many who attended: “It’s like a breath of fresh air. There’s a lot of vibrancy. It’s nice to be around positive, like-minded people.”
LA-based freediving legend and stunt performer Liz Parkinson has worked directly with James Cameron, Hugh Jackman, Sigourney Weaver and myriad other top actors and directors. She shared about teaching Hollywood and TV talents to freedive or scuba dive, as well as performing safety roles within the film and television industry (Her underwater stunt footage was incredible!).
Watching these five world-class presenters interact during an enthralling and entertaining final Main Stage panel moderated by MC Anthony Gordon reinforced the top-shelf calibre of the GODS programme.
A smorgasbord of talks
The speakers were equally outstanding on the three smaller stages. The ANZ/Inspiration Stage showcased talks about local and international dive destinations, dive health, finding the Endeavour shipwreck and engaging the next generation of divers. Twenty-one-year old PADI Course Director Holly Wakely (with 2,000-plus logged dives!) epitomised the spirit of this stage.
The Tech Stage featured presentations on archaeology, cave and wreck diving, and diver health and safety. Popular presenters included Human Factors Mike Mason, Avatar film-maker John Garvin and the always-entertaining David Strike.
The Photo Stage boasted a range of inspirational presentations from popular local and international photographers Don Silcock, Talia Greis, Nigel Marsh and more. American Mike Bartick’s lecture on blackwater diving was filled with spectacular imagery, highlighting how this genre frequently yields scientific discoveries.
Mike reflected: “There was some good energy in the show. The diving community in Australia is really strong. Having an event like this here is important for the community and the industry.”
Trade hall buzz
As with most expos, the greatest buzz was in the sold-out Trade Hall, where over 100 stands showcased the world of diving.
Local and international dive operators, tourism boards, training agencies, retailers, manufacturers, conservation and not-for-profit organisations were represented. Dive resorts and liveaboards seeking exposure to the Aussie market were particularly abundant, alongside plenty of underwater photography gear.
Stall holder and presenter Deborah Dickson-Smith of Diveplanit shared: “The GO Diving Show has exceeded all expectations. We’ve had big crowds here and we’ve been very busy with people wanting to find out where to travel next.”
Digital Diver’s Steve Martin agreed: “It’s been extremely busy. After the doors opened, we didn’t get a break until 3:30pm.”
One of the most-popular stands throughout the weekend was the VIZ stand, a Sydney-based Facebook group with 15k members keen to stay up to date with local dive conditions. Founder Marco Bordieri explains: “The dive show has been incredible as a meet-up opportunity for Vizzers. There’s so much stuff in the stands. You can easily spend just half a day looking at them all.”
Photo competition
The winners of the Underwater Awards Australasia 2024 – sharing a prize pool of $55k across eight categories (Sydney, Australian and International waters, Smart Phone, Portfolio, Environmental Take 3 and Reels) – were announced at the Photo Stage on the Saturday afternoon.
Best in Show was awarded to Gabriel Guzman for his image of a lionfish against a sunburst. This picture was selected from Gabriel’s winning portfolio of subjects with a similar theme, alongside several other placings and commendations. The standard of images that placed and were commended across the competition were exceptional, with many available for purchase by showgoers as prints.
Competition co-ordinator Brett Lobwein experienced GODS from almost every angle, including stand operator, presenter and audience member at a range of presentations: “The community got out and really supported it. There were huge amounts of people around on the first day. I had a total of about four minutes there wasn’t someone at our stands. It’s just so good for the industry, with fantastic sponsors and the local dive community. People flew in to attend from interstate.”
Bringing the dive community together
QLD attendee Sally Gregory shared: “This dive show’s been great. I caught up with so many people I haven’t seen in years; people I knew when we all started out in the dive industry in our 20s. There are a lot of new people coming through too, and so many new and interesting pieces of equipment that we could never have imagined when we started.”
Attendee Dr Bill Gladstone echoed the comments of many other attendees: “It’s exciting to be around so many great, like-minded dive people.”
A family friendly event
Most dive expos struggle to be truly family friendly, but GO Diving strived to meet the brief. Offering free tickets removed one barrier to attendance. In the Trade Hall, Spot A Shark offered kid-friendly fun and educational activities. A VR dive experience of Sweden’s Mars wreck – sitting at 75m depth – provided an immersive experience without needing to get wet.
Nostalgia met education as the Shark in a Bus Aquatic Museum (a 1957 Leyland Bus showcasing a heritage collection, including a preserved five-metre great white shark, fossils and more) aimed at educating about the species with a conservation focus. This was the only separately ticketed attraction at the dive show, with a $5 entry fee.
Kids and adults alike enjoyed viewing the long, narrow demo tank featuring freedivers, mermaids, sidemount divers and underwater drone demos.
As the show drew to a close on the Sunday afternoon, Editor of Scuba Diver ANZ and event co-ordinator Adrian Stacey reflected: “It’s been fantastic. The feedback’s been really positive from exhibitors, visitors and speakers. It was lovely to see a lot of families here over the weekend, so hopefully the next generation of divers as well. Everyone’s enjoyed getting together under the one roof. It’s exceeded our expectations.”
Closing thoughts
An annual scuba show for Australia has been long overdue. It’s exciting to see the GO Diving Show step up to fill the void and carve out such a strong inaugural event, catering to the broadest possible scuba audience. This event is bound to grow and thrive as it becomes established over the coming years.
Rork Media’s Mark Evans offers the last word to anyone who chose to go diving rather than attend the GO Diving Show: “I know the actual diving is great here, however you can go diving most weekends – all of these speakers, exhibitors and attractions are only here for this one weekend. After this inaugural show, we’ve already had many dive businesses come to us and say ‘We should have been here, we’ll come next year’, so make sure you get it into your diary for next year, it promises to be epic.”
Visit the website for more information about next year’s event (13-14 September 2025 at the Sydney Showground) as things are planned in.
Photography by PT Hirschfield, Mark Evans and Robert Smith, RJS Foto (rjsfoto.com.au)
