TV favourite Steve Backshall is back by popular demand after last year’s triumphant return to the UK’s only scuba-diving event, the GO Diving Show, which returns to the NAEC Stoneleigh on 28 February/1 March 2026.
The multi-award-winning TV presenter, perhaps best-known for his phenomenally successful Deadly series, has explored some of the most-remote places on the planet and this, coupled with his unparalleled knowledge of wildlife and the natural world, make him a fascinating guest speaker.
Steve recently travelled across the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans filming Whale for Sky TV, a ground-breaking programme tracking our most-iconic, yet threatened, species. He has also filmed Expedition and Shark for Sky TV and appeared in Our Changing Planet for the UK’s BBC One – an ambitious seven-year series documenting six of the planet’s most-threatened ecosystems.
Prior to this, for Lost Land of the Jaguar, he made the first ascent of Mount Upuigma in Venezuela, slept on the vertical cliff face, and found unknown species of animals on the summit. He also abseiled to the bottom of the Kaiteur Falls in Guyana to the soaked wonderland below.
In Lost Land of the Volcano, Steve was the first outsider to enter the Volcano Mount Bosavi – where the team discovered as many as 40 new species, including the largest rat in the world! Steve also took part in a brutal caving expedition opening-up a new passage in Mageni Cave in New Britain.
Other series include Expedition Alaska, where he was almost swallowed by humpback whales and was swept into the guts of a glacier, and The Venom Hunter, where he endured the stings of hundreds of bullet ants (the world’s most-painful stinging invertebrate) in an initiation ceremony. Other films he has made include Wilderness St Kilda, Extreme Britain – Caves, Springwatch Trackers, Alaska Live, Blue Planet Live and Undiscovered Worlds with Steve Backshall.
A prolific writer, Steve’s most recent book, Deep Blue, is a blend of memoir, travel, and marine and environmental science that takes us on a tour of the many worlds of aquatic life: from underwater deserts and rainforests to the evolution of ocean heroes like the sea turtle and the great white, to the rapidly declining state of white polar seas and coral reefs. Steve will be signing copies of Deep Blue at the GO Diving Show.
As if that wasn’t enough, in 2023, Steve showed immense resilience, determination, drive, and ambition to break a new world record – for the fastest time to paddle the length of the Thames River in the UK.
He recently retraced a young Prince Charles Arctic adventure 50 years on, uncovering dramatic changes to our planet alongside an urgent need for action.
Steve is joined on the Main Stage by fellow GO Diving alumni Liz Parkinson, the Hollywood stunt performer and freediver who was heavily involved in the blockbusting Avatar movies, and for 2026, they will be alongside 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, and TV presenter, adventurer and scientist Lizzie Daly, who has been everywhere from the bowels of the Amazon to the harsh terrain of the Arctic.
And, of course, stunt performer, tech diver and all-round Action Man Andy Torbet is back as MC, as well as giving presentations on stage too.
The GO Diving Show 2026
As well as the Main Stage line-up, the dedicated stages – the UK Stage, the Tech Stage and the Inspiration/Photo Stage – also boast a fantastic array of speakers, ranging from old favourites like tech gurus Paul Toomer and Mark Powell, underwater photographers Lawson Wood and Anne & Phil Medcalf, to new faces such as snorkel pros Emma and Gordon Taylor, the Great Scuba Drive duo Rico Anselmi and Sophie Shields, underwater archaeologist Duncan Ross, extreme freediver Nick Fazah, and tech experts Barry McGill, Ahmed Gabr, and Dominic Robinson.
Each of the speakers on the dedicated stages are only appearing on one of the days, so with so many different options to choose from over the Saturday and Sunday, why not make a weekend of it?
There is plenty to keep you occupied. As well as the superlative array of speakers over the weekend, there are also a host of interactive features, including a VR technical wreck dive, the Nautical Archaeology Society’s ‘shipwreck’ to learn survey techniques, breath-hold workshops with NoTanx Freediving, the marine biology zone with Just One Ocean, and new for 2026, your chance to take part in research with Imperial College London, which has been conducting various studies into diving.
All these attractions are scattered among an ever-increasing array of stands from tourist boards, manufacturers, training agencies, resorts, liveaboards, tour operators, dive centres, retailers, artists and much more. Get inspired for your next dive adventure, check out the latest gear, and look at where your training will take you next.
Get your tickets now – save 30%!
Tickets are available now, priced at £20 for a day ticket, and £35 for a weekend pass. There is also the option of a VIP Pass, which includes a weekend pass plus 12 issues of Scuba Diver magazine (Magazine delivery – UK mainland only), and a GO Diving Show Dive Team T-shirt.
As always, complimentary parking is included with all tickets, and under 16s go free – bring the family and let the kids dive into the fun with our try-dive pool.
Book your ticket now and save money – use code divernet_30 and you will get 30% off the ticket price!
See you there!
