Go Diving Show

Type: Consumer dive show
Frequency: Annual (February/March)
Location: UK — Ricoh Arena, Coventry (2019–2020); NAEC Stoneleigh, Warwickshire (2022 onward)
Founded: 2019
Organizer: Rork Media
Website: godivingshow.com

Overview

The Go Diving Show is the UK’s primary consumer dive show and the annual gathering point for Britain’s underwater photography community. Launched in 2019 at the Ricoh Arena in Coventry, it effectively succeeded the long-running DIVE Show held at the National Exhibition Centre (NEC) in Birmingham, which had been the UK’s flagship consumer dive event since at least 2003 (^[1], ^[2]).

Since 2019, the Go Diving Show has served as the venue for the annual announcement of the Underwater Photographer of the Year (UPY) contest results, with finalist images exhibited at the event and winners presented live on stage (^[3]). Adam Hanlon covered the show for Wetpixel, providing detailed reports with photographs of exhibitors, industry figures, and underwater imaging products on display.

Predecessor: The DIVE Show, NEC Birmingham (2003–2017)

Before the Go Diving Show, the UK’s main consumer dive event was the DIVE Show (also known as “Dive” or “The Dive Show”), held annually at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham, typically in October or November. The show featured a dedicated imaging section called the “Photozone” (or “Imagezone”), which served as a focal point for underwater photographers, equipment retailers, and speakers (^[4]).

DIVE 2003 (NEC Birmingham)

Wetpixel’s earliest coverage of the Birmingham show. Billed as “the biggest and busiest yet,” with 320 exhibitors across two massive halls at the NEC. The show featured two in-hall pools for try-dives (open-water and rebreather), a Caribbean Village promoting Bahamas/Caribbean holidays, and seminars by speakers including Tanya Streeter (on her 122m variable weight freedive record) and Amos Nachoum (National Geographic). Camera retailers including Cameras Underwater, FEP, and Alan James Photography displayed an “increasingly large number of digital underwater cameras and housings” from Sea & Sea, Light & Motion, Subal, Seacam, and Gates (^[5]).

DIVE 2009 (NEC Birmingham)

More than 320 exhibitors. Cameras Underwater shared a stand with Gates, whose CEO John Ellerbrock showed housings for Sony XR520 and Canon HF-S10/S11/S100 camcorders. Photography-related exhibitors included Ocean Optics, Ocean Visions, Fantasea Line, the British Society of Underwater Photographers (BSoUP), and the Underwater Channel. Seminars included Paul Duxfield’s “Digital Clinic,” Maria Munn’s “Fabulous Photography with your Compact Camera,” and Mark Addison’s “High Definition Sharks.” The Bite-Back shark conservation calendar featured images by Eric Cheng (Mr December, humpback and calf from Tonga), Alex Mustard (Mr February), Amos Nachoum, Brian Skerry, Chris Fallows, David Doubilet, Doug Perrine, and Jason Isley (^[6]).

DIVE 2012 (NEC Birmingham)

The Photozone featured booths from Nauticam UK (Underwater Visions, staffed by Alex and Kat Tattersall), Hugyfot (Pascal Eekhoudt and Andy Fenn), Sea & Sea, Subal (Rolf Sempert), Aquatica (via Cameras Underwater, with Spencer Cobley), and Ocean Leisure Cameras. Alex Mustard and Martin Edge presented a joint lecture in the main convention hall. BSoUP held their annual Diver print competition with public voting, receiving over 1,000 votes. Brian and Linda Pitkin helped with voting slips. New products included BS Kinetics carbon fiber housing for the Nikon D800 and H20 Photo Tools cold-water control extensions for the Inon Z240 strobe. Peter Rowlands of UwP Magazine was also in attendance (^[7]).

DIVE 2015 (NEC Birmingham)

Described as “the UK’s largest and busiest consumer dive show.” The Photozone stage hosted speakers including Saeed Rashid, Nigel Wade, Amanda Cotton, and Maria Munn, plus the popular Mustard-Edge double act presenting “Camera Settings in the Sea.” Equipment highlights included Nauticam’s housing for the Arri Alexa Mini cinema camera, their WWL-1 wide-angle conversion lens, and Hugyfot’s range of GoPro housings. Retailers Cameras Underwater and Ocean Leisure Cameras reported selling out of many items (^[8], ^[9]).

DIVE 2017 (NEC Birmingham)

The final Birmingham show covered by Wetpixel. Photography presentations included a bittersweet talk by Saeed Rashid — his comedy double act with Nigel Wade continued as a solo show following Wade’s sudden death earlier that year. BSoUP Chair Paul Colley delivered a “moving eulogy” to Nigel prior to Saeed’s talk. Equipment highlights included the Nauticam Wide Angle Converter Port (WACP), the Nauticam NA-D850 housing, Weefine ring flash, and the new Retra flash. Italian manufacturer Easydive debuted at Birmingham with wireless and USB-controlled universal housings. The Underwater Visions/Nauticam UK stand was staffed by Robert White, Pash Baker, and Alex Tattersall. Ocean Leisure Cameras had a busy booth. Industry figures included Ellen Cuylaerts, Nick More, Will Clark, and Simon and Zee Buxton of NAD Lembeh (^[10]).

Go Diving Show 2019 (Ricoh Arena, Coventry)

The inaugural Go Diving Show was held at the Ricoh Arena in Coventry on 23-24 February 2019. The show marked the debut of the Underwater Photographer of the Year awards ceremony at Go Diving — the UPY 2019 results were announced live on stage on 24 February at 3:30pm, with all 48 finalist images displayed at the event. Richard Barnden won the overall UPY 2019 title with an image in the Behaviour category (^[11]).

Alex Mustard, the UPY judge and organizer, shared thoughts about the competition with Wetpixel at the show. Industry figures present included Aquatica’s Blake Stoughton, Andrew Lok and Henry Collister with the Solitude team, GUE’s Richard Walker, Guy Thomas and Chantelle Taylor-Newman of DAN, Petra Morten of Lembeh Resort, and Massimo Franzese with Mario Vitalini and Caroline Worlatini of Scuba Travel (^[12]).

Go Diving Show 2020 (Ricoh Arena, Coventry)

Held at the Ricoh Arena on 22 February 2020, just weeks before the COVID-19 pandemic shut down live events worldwide. This was one of the last major dive events held before lockdowns began. The UPY 2020 results were announced at the show, with Greg Lecoeur winning the overall title for his image of crabeater seals swimming around an iceberg. Other category winners included Nick More (British Underwater Photographer of the Year), Anita Kainrath (Up and Coming), and Nur Tucker (Most Promising British Underwater Photographer). The UPY team was photographed at the event (^[13], ^[14]).

2021: Pandemic Cancellation

The Go Diving Show did not take place in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The UPY 2021 results were announced online in February 2021, with Renee Capozzola winning the overall title (^[15]). The UPY 2022 results were also announced without a live show in February 2022 (^[16]).

Go Diving Show 2022 (NAEC Stoneleigh)

The show relocated to the NAEC Stoneleigh Showgrounds in the UK’s Midlands and was held from 4-6 March 2022. It was described by Wetpixel as “the first post-pandemic dive show in the UK.” While trade support was reduced after COVID-19, visitor numbers were strong, indicating continued public appetite for in-person dive events (^[17]).

UPY Awards Ceremony: Alex Mustard acted as compere for the formal presentation of all UPY 2022 winners, introducing placed images and presenting video clips from the winners. This was highlighted as “the highlight of the day.” Photographers exhibited with their winning images, including Kirsty Andrews (runner-up, British Waters: Living Together), Cathy Holmes (runner-up, Wrecks), and Paul Petit (Most Promising British Underwater Photographer of the Year) (^[18]).

Product Launches: Fourth Element launched a new mask called the Scout, available in multiple colors and lens types, including a “Clarity” version specifically designed to be super-clear and recommended for photographers. It was available with white or black skirt. Dean Martin of Fourth Element modeled the mask at the show (^[19]).

Industry Figures: Attendees included Peter Rowlands of UwP Magazine, Peter Symes of X-Ray International (described as “the two Peters!”), Caroline Robertson-Brown on the Shark’s Trust booth, Jenny Stock, and photographers Yo-Han Cha, Jim Standing, Alex Tattersall, and Roisin Maddison. A series of underwater photography talks on a smaller stage featured presenters including Martyn Guess. Steve Backshall delivered a well-attended session on the main stage. Cathy Holmes was also photographed with Jenny Stock (^[20]).

The show also featured, “perhaps incongruously,” a shark ride “complete with fake bloody mouth” (^[21]).

Significance

The Go Diving Show functions as the primary UK venue for the underwater photography community, continuing a tradition established by the DIVE Show at Birmingham’s NEC dating back to at least 2003. Its most important role is as host of the Underwater Photographer of the Year awards ceremony, which has been held at the show since 2019 (^[22]).

While smaller in scale than international events like Boot Dusseldorf or the DEMA Show, the Go Diving Show provides a dedicated annual gathering point for British and European underwater photographers, equipment retailers like Nauticam UK (Underwater Visions), Cameras Underwater, and Ocean Leisure Cameras, and dive travel operators. The show consistently features a photography-focused area with talks, equipment demonstrations, and the BSoUP print competition — continuing the “Photozone” tradition from the Birmingham DIVE Show.

The DIVE Show at NEC Birmingham itself served as a key venue for equipment reveals: Nauticam housings, Hugyfot products, Retra strobes, and the Nauticam WACP all received significant UK exposure through the show. The Photozone’s lecture series became a fixture of the UK underwater photography calendar, with the Alex Mustard and Martin Edge double act becoming a perennial draw from 2012 through 2015.

The show’s resilience through the pandemic was notable: after cancellation in 2021, the 2022 edition at its new Stoneleigh venue demonstrated that public demand for in-person dive events remained strong despite reduced trade support (^[23]).

Timeline

• 2003-11: DIVE 2003 at NEC Birmingham — “biggest and busiest yet” with 320 exhibitors; Wetpixel’s earliest coverage of the UK show (^[24])
• 2009-11: DIVE 2009 at NEC Birmingham — 320+ exhibitors; Gates, Cameras Underwater, Ocean Optics, BSoUP, Bite-Back calendar features Eric Cheng (^[25])
• 2012-10: DIVE 2012 at NEC Birmingham — Nauticam UK (Underwater Visions), Hugyfot, BSoUP Diver print competition; Alex Mustard and Martin Edge joint lecture (^[26])
• 2015-10: DIVE 2015 at NEC Birmingham — Nauticam Arri Alexa Mini housing and WWL-1 lens; Mustard-Edge “Camera Settings in the Sea” talk (^[27])
• 2017-10: DIVE 2017 at NEC Birmingham — Final Birmingham show covered by Wetpixel; Nauticam WACP and NA-D850; Retra flash; bittersweet Saeed Rashid solo talk after Nigel Wade’s death (^[28])
• 2019-02: Inaugural Go Diving Show at Ricoh Arena, Coventry. UPY 2019 results announced on stage; Richard Barnden wins overall (^[29], ^[30])
• 2020-02: Go Diving Show 2020 at Ricoh Arena. UPY 2020 announced; Greg Lecoeur wins overall. One of the last major dive events before COVID-19 lockdowns (^[31])
• 2021: Show cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic. UPY 2021 (Renee Capozzola) and UPY 2022 results announced online (^[32], ^[33])
• 2022-03: Show relocates to NAEC Stoneleigh. First post-pandemic UK dive show. UPY winners formally presented; Fourth Element launches Scout mask; Steve Backshall on main stage (^[34])