Freediving guru and PADI IDC Staff Instructor Liz Parkinson – who is rapidly becoming the go-to person for Hollywood and TV companies when it comes to teaching talent to scuba dive or freedive, or when they need a stunt performer who can excel whether they are on a set of scuba gear or diving breath-hold – will be on the Main Stage at the Long Beach Scuba Show (30-31 May) and the Atlantic City Scuba Show (6-7 June)
Liz was born in the UK but spent her childhood and young adult years growing up in South Africa while pursuing a competitive swimming career. Liz’s swimming achievements provided her with the opportunity to attend Florida State University in the United States. Upon completing her degree, she began traveling and quickly became immersed in the world of scuba diving and freediving.
For many years, Liz embarked on global adventures as a dive instructor until her journey led her to the Bahamas, where she began working at Stuart Cove’s Dive Bahamas. It was during her tenure there that she gained invaluable experience and the initial exposure to the film and television industries, as well as the world of ocean conservation.
Over the past several years, Liz has been involved with leading water-themed films, including James Cameron’s Avatar: The Way of Water, Marvel’s Wakanda Forever, Netflix’s mini-series Thai Cave Rescue, and Blumhouse thriller Night Swim, among others.
Her work has allowed her to also work on a variety of different production mediums, including television and documentaries. This work allows her to travel the world, working with actors, explorers, conservationists and fellow stunt performers.
She is joined on the Main Stage – which she is also MCing – by freediving guru and tech diver Kirk Krack, cave diver and explorer Patrick Widmann, underwater photographer and film-maker Annie Crawley, and commercial diver Chris Lemons, whose amazing tale of survival in the depths of the North Sea was made into the big-budget movie Last Breath in 2025.
Long Beach Scuba Show
The Long Beach Scuba Show, this year sponsored by Divers Alert Network, is celebrating its 39th anniversary in 2026 (30-31 May), and it represents the first show under the banner of new owners Rork Media Limited, which also runs the GO Diving Shows in the UK and Australia, and publishes the global-multi-edition Scuba Diver magazine, as well as being behind the Scuba Diver Magazine YouTube Channel, and long-established website Divernet.
Fans of the long-running event will be delighted to hear that Rork Media plan to retain everything that made the Scuba Show such a staple on the West Coast diving circuit, and enhance it with new and improved elements, including a Main Stage with a huge video wall right in the exhibition hall itself, a new layout designed to stimulate exploration around the hundreds of booths, and additional interactive attractions including a VR dive on a deep-water shipwreck in the Baltic Sea.
The three seminar rooms have been organised into themes, to make it easier to find speakers/topics of interest, so prepare to dive into Adventure, Inspiration, and UW Imaging.
Whether you’re an experienced diver, a new enthusiast, or just curious about the underwater world, the Scuba Show brings together everything you love about diving under one roof.
Explore hundreds of exhibitors showcasing the latest scuba gear, dive destinations, underwater photography equipment, training programs, and ocean conservation initiatives. Attend inspiring seminars led by world-renowned dive experts, explorers, and photographers, and connect with dive professionals, travel operators, and fellow divers from across the country.
There is also the opportunity to expand your skillset. The PSI-PCI Visual Cylinder Inspection course is open to everyone who wishes to inspect high-pressure breathing gas cylinders, or just know about the process. These specialty courses support the inspection process with formal function specific training on valve maintenance and repair, and Oxygen Cylinder Cleaning. Inspectors who are at the three-year renewal mark and want to attend the PSI-PCI Update course will be able to take care of it at the Scuba Show as well.
PSI-PCI offers the only training that is formally endorsed, utilized, and referred to by the cylinder manufacturers. The training has been created with the input of industry professionals and experts in each field to provide you with the best training available to meet the Federal requirements for the associated processes. You can join the team of PSI-PCI Professionals at the Scuba Show. Don’t wait, seats will fill up quickly! Click here for more information and to book a slot.
The Scuba Show offers two full days of ocean adventure, hand’s-on experiences, and exclusive show specials, and is where the US dive community comes together to celebrate the underwater world.
Get your tickets now!
Tickets are on sale now for the Scuba Show, and new for 2026, there is a change to the cost of entry – there is now one ticket price, which gets every attendee full access to the Exhibition Hall, and entry to all seminars.
With many of the speakers in the dedicated Adventure, Inspiration, and UW Imaging seminar rooms either only presenting on one of the days, or giving two different talks, plus with the headline acts on the Main Stage, and the plethora of booths, interactive elements and much more, there is plenty to keep you occupied on both days, so why not make a weekend of it?
Tickets are available now – click here – priced at $33 for a day ticket, and $60 for a weekend pass. There is also the option of a VIP Pass, which includes a weekend pass plus 6 issues of Scuba Diver magazine and 6 issues of California Diving News (Magazine delivery US & Canada residents only), and a Scuba Show Dive Team T-shirt, for $100.
Under 16s go free – bring the family and let the kids dive into the fun as well.
Join us for two incredible days, 30-31 May 2026, celebrating the world of diving at the Long Beach Convention Center!
One ticket. Full access. Endless inspiration.
Atlantic City Scuba Show
Live on the East Coast? Feeling a spot of FOMO? Never fear, in 2026 you are getting a Scuba Show all of your own, at the Atlantic City Convention Center on 6-7 June. Like its sibling Long Beach event, the Atlantic City Scuba Show will be a sublime blend of top-notch speakers, interactive entertainment and hundreds of exhibitors – click here to find out more…
