I woke up Saturday morning to a barrage of comments flying around online about how bad the London dive show was this year …even though it wasn’t open yet for the weekend ….

It was badly attended , not many stands , shared with other events …. too expensive said the raft of armchair experts , few of which had woken that morning with any intention of actually supporting ‘their’ industry or attending.

London Dive Show 2016

When I arrived I instantly saw it for what it was ….quite simply …the best dive show I’d seen at London in my 20 years of diving .

and here’s why…………

I dive …I also keep bees and chickens …I also run long distances . Lots of people have lots of hobbies . Lots of people do more than one hobby. Outdoorsy people do more than one outdoorsy thing .

And that’s the point isn’t it ?

Crammed into the hall as well as the dive show was climbing , bikes , camping , all sorts ….

It was brilliant . I loved it.  In a diving industry who’s only innovation in the last decade is coloured dive computer screens I finally saw loads of new stuff.

I got a sweat assessment from the brilliant Precision Hydration guys,  a company  recommended by Rory Coleman . Apparently my sweat rather like me is low concentration …I forget what else Jonny told me but luckily they emailed me my report too ! I saw Brooks trainers at their stand , met the amazing guys at ALP KIT who’s jackets keep me alive when training . The point is at a ‘PURE ‘ dive show I wouldn’t have met up with these guys .

AND I met Mark Evans of Sport Diver and found a kindred nutjob and had a very fruitful meet up with Tonya head of marketing at PADI.

Jonny from Precision Hydration with Lee-Stuart Evans having a sweat test

I broadened my horizons , saw new stuff made new contacts got loads of new ideas and had a cracking BLT Panini.

I hooked up with my friend Leo Morales world record disabled diver and also my friend Jenny Lord both of whom were formally introduced as brand new PADI Ambassadivers that day.  I even tried out some Giant Beanbags and got excited about lightweight tents.

Lee-Stuart Evans and Jenny Lord trying out giant beanbags at he London Dive Show 2016

PADI want new people to learn to dive , people that current might rock climb or ride bikes ..so of course their stand was AWAY from the diving , they want new people to join the sport.

Think about it. It makes sense .

Lets see more of this . I want bigger broader outdoor adventure shows , not smaller insular ones . I want to meet new people with new ideas not see the same divers looking at the same dive kit EVERY SINGLE YEAR. This is where ideas like a 24hr enduro underwater scooter race get thought up,  when people of multiple outdoor sports have a coffee together and wave their arms about and get excited.

The days of shopping and getting a great deal at a dive show on kit are gone … We have the internet now for that .

So what do you want out of your sport ? If you only do one outdoor activity and its diving I’m afraid you are in the minority .

Yes the entry price was steep, yes the toilet queues were huge and yes there were less dive stands there than I’ve seen.

But are you a quality or quantity person ?

So overall I left the dive show today enthusiastic. New people , New ideas and and a new raft of crazy up and coming ideas.

View of the Excel Centre London at night

So if you bitched online about the dive show today but weren’t actually there …..

or if you were there and thought it was small and crap…

….I’m sad you are part of the past.

If I can see a beekeeping stand and chickens next year too , some homebrew stands and maybe add the pilot show next year too that would be ace.