WHY ADEX 2016 WAS SO MUCH MORE THAN JUST A DIVE SHOW
2016 saw Asia’s most important dive expo achieve stellar heights:
it was the biggest and best ADEX yet!
With almost 60,000 visitors from all over the world, Suntec was abuzz with ocean enthusiasm over the most important weekend in the year’s diving calendar: ADEX Singapore!
There was something on offer for every ocean lover, and every ocean lover in the making, from great deals on equipment and trips to mind-blowing underwater imagery, from tek diving to mermaids, seahorse scientists to ocean artists, kid’s activities to parties that went on until dawn, the world has never seen a dive show quite like this one!
SEAHORSE SCIENTISTS
The world’s seahorse experts travelled from all corners of the globe to share their incredible insights into the worlds of these tiny fish. Dr Amanda Vincent from Project Seahorse joined us from Canada and gave an impassioned keynote address about the importance of protecting seahorses and the threats they face. (Love seahorses? You’d better stop eating shrimp!) Dr Dave Harasti, ADEX Ambassador for Seahorses, revealed why seahorse habitats are so vital, and Dr Richard Smith, “Mr Pygmy Seahorse”, shared his tales from the gorgonians.
Everyone walked away from the show not only informed, but also INSPIRED!
THE BIG BLUE BOOK…
…Went seahorse crazy! Asian Diver released its seahorse special in support of ADEX, crammed with information and incredible images – a real celebration of all things seahorse!
MARINE CONSERVATION
In true ADEX style, the show was a veritable festival of ocean conservationists, all gathering around a shared love of the sea and a passion for protecting it.
PHOTO VIDEO ZONE
Another incredible lineup of talented underwater photographers from across the region and around the world graced the floor of this year’s Photo Video Zone. As in previous years, many of the presentations drew big crowds, with plenty of the attendees obliged to stand after the available seats were quickly taken.
The speakers included highly regarded contributors to Asian Diver and Scuba Diver magazines, and after the talks, several of them were surrounded by enthusiastic readers wanting to meet their idols in person. As well as soaking in the inspiring photography, participants once again came away with invaluable tips and advice for improving their images.
BIG BLUE PARTY
From across continents, ADEX speakers and sponsors got together at Suntec City’s Saint Ma Garden Dining by Indochine. The relaxed and informal event was welcomed by overseas guests, who could relax over drinks after a hectic first day of ADEX 2016.
The event also saw the launch of the ADEX 2016 Film Festival, with teasers of the exciting, beautiful, and often heart-wrenching films on the programme, and presentations by Shawn Heinrichs, Laurent Ballesta, Leslie Leaney,
Kurt Amsler and Pepe Arcos for the films Racing Extinction, Gombessa II: The Grouper Mystery, Genesis: The Man Who Discovered the Sea, The First Breath and the premiere of Pressure: The Challenge to Human Capacity.
BOOK FESTIVAL
“Celebrating Ocean Voices”, this new and hugely successful addition to the ADEX lineup, showcased the extraordinary work of some of the world’s most talented underwater photojournalists. Attendees got to meet and greet these talented shooters and have copies of their books signed in person!
FILM FESTIVAL
This year’s Film Festival showcased an eclectic mix of features, from cartoons and shorts to blockbuster documentaries, covering topics as varied as freediving, conservation, and marine exploration. Particular emphasis was placed on films centred around the ADEX 2016 icon, the seahorse, and in many instances the filmmakers themselves introduced their works and took questions from the audience. You didn’t have to be a diver to be bowled over by the programme!
TEKDIVE CONFERENCE
Driven by curiosity about what might lie within the confines of a wreck or a cave, or what hitherto undiscovered life forms lurk in the deeper ocean trenches, paid participants of the exclusive TekDive Conference were both awed and educated by some of the most accomplished tek divers in Asia and the world. Hosted by
ADEX Ambassador of Tek Diving, the renowned David Strike, speakers shared their extensive knowledge and experience, and took questions from an enraptured audience.
SCUBA360 BUSINESS FORUM
Another first for ADEX! This brand new series of seminars heralds even more B2B support for the dive industry. With enlightening presentations, the conference had sustainability at its heart, drawing experts from the world of diving and conservation together for a new era of mindful management of marine tourism!
WORLDS OF WATER!
The dive tank and swimming pool attracted lots of attention from day one, as always! While children and non-divers were allowed to have their first experiences as divers under the close supervision of professional diving instructors, other dive enthusiasts took to the tank to try their hands (or feet!?) at fin swimming and underwater hockey.
HAE-NYEO DIVERS
One of the biggest highlights of this year’s ADEX was seeing the remarkable Hae-Nyeo divers from South Korea’s Jeju Island showing off their breath-hold skills in the ADEX dive tank for everyone to witness.
SINGAPORE PAVILION
ADEX 2016 joined in the celebration of the launch of Singapore’s first Marine Park, organised by Singapore National Parks Board (NParks) and in association with the Blue-Green Alliance. The Singapore Pavilion was the focal point for three days of exciting discovery, education and awareness about the conservation of marine life in Singapore.
KID’S ZONE
Fun for all the family was to be had at the ADEX Kids Zone! Games that expanded young minds and brought the underwater world to life were on offer, and plenty of parents took advantage of the chance of a bit of “me” time with the rest of the expo!
MERMAIDS
Attendees got to watch these mythical creatures come alive as they performed in the ADEX dive tank. Kids also met and took photos with their favourite mermaids. ADEX Ambassador for Mermaids, Hidy Yu made a great splash, as did the other fish-tailed sirens Dada Li, Odessa Bugarin, Syrena, and Joyce Ng.
OCEAN ARTISTS
Holding the Guinness World Record for the largest underwater painting in the world, Alexander Belozor wowed visitors with his unique demonstration of live underwater painting at the ADEX dive tank.
FREEDIVING WORKSHOPS
ADEX once again only brought the best, offering freediving workshops from the masters, the “Iceman” himself Christian Redl, and the talented Dada Li, ADEX Ambassador of Freediving. Mostly sold out before the show, every lucky participant walked away from the sessions with the kinds of experiences and tips that money simply can’t buy…
DEEPBLU/ADEX VOICE OF THE OCEAN
The annual ADEX Voice of the Ocean Photo+Video+Art Competition celebrates visual representations of the ocean and its creatures. For this year’s live judging event, we were honoured to have celebrated photographer Alex Mustard as the host as well as a distinguished panel of professional photographers, including Iyad Suleyman, Kurt Amsler, Lynn Funkhouser, Matthew Smith, Pasquale Vassallo, Rico Besserdich, Shawn Heinrichs and Tim Ho.