ADEX India 2019 Report
Premiering India’s first international dive show with strong endorsement from the stalwarts in the diving and ocean-conservation industry
The Asia Dive Expo (ADEX) premiered in Mumbai, marking its inaugural edition in India. The ADEX
India – Mumbai Dive Show was held from Octobe
4 to 6 at the Bombay Exhibition Centre in Goregaon, Mumbai. Organised by Underwater 360 (International) and in partnership with Events Solution (India) and High Rise (Maldives & Sri Lanka), the show successfully brought together stakeholders in the dive industry and ocean conservation on a single platform.
The ADEX India – Mumbai Dive Show was proudly endorsed by ADEX India Ambassador and Bollywood actress, Parineeti Chopra, graced by the former President and Speaker of the People’s Majlis Maldives, President Mohamed Nasheed, and supported by India’s pioneering diving advocates, Prahlad Kakar and Anees Adenwala. The three-day show received broad support from the region’s diving industry as dive travel and trade stakeholders, equipment manufacturers, national tourism organisations
(NTO), distinguished VIPs, leaders, and influencers such as underwater photographers, scientists and environmentalists came together to meet, network, share stories, and exchange ideas. The inaugural show boasted 53 booths, 44 exhibitors, 30 speakers, and four industry panel discussions, with some 4,500 visitors in attendance.
Visitors were treated to activities such as oceanthemed photography and art exhibits, industry and conservation dialogues, film screenings, technical diving talks, new product showcases, a business forum, free dive try-outs, and much more. The event featured international and regional diving experts, underwater photographers, conservationists, professors, celebrity guest speakers, and two Guinness World Record Holders – Ahmed Gabr and Faisal Jawad Hashim.
The ADEX India – Mumbai Dive Show also celebrated the recognition of Absolut Scuba India for their outstanding success as the “first” Indian scuba diving centre to create a Guinness World Record for the “Longest Human Chain Underwater” on December 2016 with an appreciation plaque presented by Mr John Thet, CEO of ADEX, Founder of Underwater360, Publisher of Asian Geographic Magazines Pte Ltd, Founder of Historical Diving
Society Asia (HDSA), and President of Media
Publishers Association Singapore (MPAS). The event
also recognised Captain Pravin Sinha in bringing the National Navy of Maldives entourage to the show and awarded exhibitor, Wonderful Indonesia, for the best booth design.
The first edition of the ADEX India – Mumbai Dive Show firmly established that the region’s dive industry is growing, and that marine conservation issues such as oceanic plastic pollution resonate as strongly nationally as they do on a global level. The three-day event showed that the region’s tight-knit industry and community are thriving and India is ready to engage with the international market.
PRE-SHOW BEACH CLEAN-UP
Our Planet, Our Life: Cleaning Up Versova Beach Themed “Dedicated to a Plastic-Free Ocean”, ADEX together with Adv. Afroz Shah, an Indian lawyer,
United Nations “Champion of the Earth” recipient and the leader of the world’s largest beach cleanup, gathered ocean citizens to Versova Beach on Wednesday, October 2 and Saturday, October 5, 2019 for beach clean-up sessions, which occurred alongside the announcement of the ban of single-use plastics in Mumbai by Prime Minister Nahendra Modi, who has also been recognised as a “Champion of the Earth” by the United Nations. On Gandhi Jayanti this year, Mahatma Gandhi’s Swachh Bharat (“Clean India”) campaign was reignited and swarms of people – rich and poor, young and old, students and professionals – came together to bring Bapu’s vision to life.
Spearheading the event, Afroz’s team of volunteers gave safety briefings and instructions, manned booths that gave out masks and gloves for hygiene purposes, and got down and dirty to complete their intended mission: doing a small bit to create a large impact. The items uncovered – plastic bags, cement sacks, shards of glass, cloth seeped in water and sand – were swept up by trucks and strategically recycled by collaborative efforts through a circular economy.
DAY ONE (FRIDAY, OCTOBER 4)
OPENING CEREMONY
To kick off the opening ceremony, a traditional dance, Ganesh Vandana, was performed. ADEX India Ambassador and Bollywood actress Parineeti Chopra, graced the stage and talked about her love of diving. While she confessed to not being the sporty-type, Parineeti was pleasantly surprised when she tried diving, which she first discovered and fell in love with in Bali, Indonesia. Over 40 media channels turned up from various organisations to cover the event that day, transcending print and digital formats. From the media interest, it was clear how much the Indian dive scene is growing.
SPEAKER HIGHLIGHTS
The Dive Conference opened with Prahlad Kakar
(India), the country’s “Godfather of Diving” and founder of India’s first scuba diving school – the Lacadives Diving School in the Lakshadweep Islands. He shared his first encounter with diving in Mauritius that led to the founding of the Lacadives Diving School. Adv. Afroz Shah (India), UN “Champion of the Earth”, talked about his on-the-ground clean-up efforts at Versova Beach, which has led to an increase in the rate of turtle eggs being laid on the beach again; John Thet (Singapore), CEO of ADEX and Founder of Underwater 360, advocated for the ocean’s health, while Neil Francis (UK), SSI’s Business Development and Training Director, presented the different SSI dive courses offered in India and the Blue Ocean programme, which highlighted global challenges to the environment.
With the Maldives being a famous diving destination in the region, speakers including Zoona Naseem (Maldives), ADEX Guest Speaker from PADI Maldives; Matt Wenger (Switzerland), Regional Manager of PADI; and Ibrahim Naeem (Maldives), Director General of Environmental Protection Agency of Maldives all spoke about their love for the archipelago and its vast, beautiful underwater world.
PANEL DISCUSSION: DIVING INDUSTRY IN ASIA
Matt Wenger (Switzerland), Faisal Jawad Hashim (Kuwait), Mark Strickland (USA), Major Vivek Jacob (India), Jonah Skoles (India), and Neil Francis
(UK) came together to discuss the diving industry in Asia, which has been an incredible growth market for over for the past 10 years, and in India, where five years ago diving was just a hobby but can now be seen as a mature sport that may be elevated to a professional level.
The panellists enthused about the possibility of India as a world-class dive hub, not only for the rich, with the support and regulatory oversight of government bodies. The panellists also discussed diving for the handicapped and its challenges. They concluded that diving offers differently-abled people tangible benefits, and that this is an important area which must be developed further by the industry.
DAY TWO (SATURDAY, OCTOBER 5) MALDIVES’ FORMER PRESIDENT ATTENDS ADEX AS A GUEST OF HONOUR
Former President and Speaker of the People’s Majilis Maldives, Mohammed Nasheed, graced the event as a Guest of Honour, emphasising the beauty and accessibility of the Maldives – for everyone, not only the wealthy – and reinforcing the importance of maintaining health marine ecosystems, including the 250 species of corals which are responsible for creating the reef structures that make up the Maldivian islands.
WORLD GUINNESS RECORD HOLDERS
Ahmed Gabr (Egypt), the Guinness World Record holder for the deepest scuba dive, and Faisal Jawad Hashim (Kuwait), the Guinness World Record holder for the fastest 10-kilometre scuba dive, inspired the audience with their struggles, determination and success stories in diving and in life.
PANEL DISCUSSION: SUSTAINABLE DIVING TOURISM
A discussion on sustainable dive tourism ensued with our moderator Ibrahim Naeem (Maldives) and panellists Zoona Naseem (Maldives), Paul Tanner (UK), Mitali
Dutt Kakar (India), Jonah Skoles (India), Abi Carnadie (Indonesia), and Neil Francis (UK). It was suggested that while it is important to reward good practices, one should not be afraid to name and shame unsustainable practices and practitioners. It was concluded that companies need to work together to solve, educate and raise awareness about this issue.
PANEL DISCUSSION: DIVING INTO PROFESSIONALISM
Moderated by crowd favourite, Ahmed Gabr (Egypt), together with panellists Julien Fortin (France), Commander Vishwanath Rajan (India), Anand Sharma (India), and John Seddon (Hong Kong), this panel discussion looked at the accessibility of technical and professional diving as well as the impact of social media.
SPEAKER HIGHLIGHTS
Julien Fortin from Technical Diving shared his in-depth expertise and experiences on tekdiving and cave diving. He highlighted the proper procedures in tekdiving, emphasised on education, exploration and conservation and encouraged the audience to apply the right mindset of acquiring a passion and pushing it further.
DAY THREE (SUNDAY, OCTOBER 6)
SPEAKER HIGHLIGHTS
Jonah Skoles (India) opened the last day of the ADEX Mumbai Dive Show with a talk on the evolution of diving, especially regarding sidemount techniques and the need to venture into deeper and more remote areas.
Monica Chin (Malaysia) spoke about her company, ADRECC, and her hopes for our ocean. Monica and her team taught people about up-cycling fishnets, saving sharks and coral, and created a wider awareness about achieving a clean ocean.
Kanika Mohan Saxena (India) from Orca Dive talked about three kinds of divers she sees and trains as a Master Scuba Diver Trainer. These were the Facebook divers, the people who want to try out a new sport, and those that do it because they have fears to overcome and triumph over.
She talked about her approach to teaching, and how it is accessible to kids and adults alike. “ABCD,” she proclaims.
“Any Body Can Dive!”
Mark Strickland (USA) spoke about the amazing behaviours of marine life by looking at the tiniest to the largest creatures in the sea. From clownfish to sharks, Mark talked about how they mated, laid eggs, and fed. He also mentioned how different marine creatures partnered to form unique relationships that enhance each other, also known as symbiosis, and others that simply cannot get along.
PANEL DISCUSSION:
THE SINGLE-USE PLASTIC CONUNDRUM
Ibrahim Naeem (Maldives), Elsie Gabriel (India), Monica Chin (Malaysia), Jackson Peter (India), Shaahina Ali (Maldives), and Ahmed Gabr (Egypt) sat on a panel with moderator Mitali Dutti Kakar (India) to discuss the challenges of single-use plastic in their respective regions. It was suggested that India’s biggest challenge is the collaboration between the municipality, government, ministry, and the citizens and the enforcement of these rules. The panellists highlighted the sweeping plastic ban that came into effect in Maharashtra (of which Mumbai is the capital) and how it should be managed. It was also agreed that it is also the responsibility of each individual to reduce the use of plastic. The panel concluded with the idea of setting examples and standards for young people, including the inclusion of ocean education and environmental sciences into school curriculums.
DAILY LUCKY DRAW
We would like to thank our sponsors, Ara Dinawan Research Education Conservation Centre (ADRECC), Proscuba, Whale Liveaboard Thailand Wave Sound by 3S Maldives, Royal Island Resort & Spa Maldives, Pebbles Inn Maldives, Cocoon Maldives and Maldives Explorer Collections for generously supplying the prizes.