Düsseldorf Bootshow is not only a boat show, but also of course a diving show. What was included at Europe's largest diving fair this year, what stood out? Continous Entertainment…
The adventure begins as soon as we board the train from Düsseldorf central train station to the exhibition area. When we arrive at the station where the show is held, the entire train is emptied and everyone walks through the exhibition area in the icy Düsseldorf weather. At the entrance, you will be greeted by a free cloakroom service where you can leave your coats and bags in a well-thought-out manner. Then we dive into the show.
Our first stop is of course the diving halls, but we quickly pass through the sailing and “foil sailing” halls to get here. The diving sector is spread over 2 halls. Our first stop is the hall of the Çanakkale Historical Site Directorate in hall no. 11, where diving centers in the region are also featured. Düsseldorf Bootshow is one of the right addresses for the promotion of this region.
While taking a quick tour of the show, let me list the brands that attracted attention with their design and size;
DiveSystem
DUI - OMS
Cressi
Sea Craft
SSI
XDeep
Atlantis ve Schnorkell
Fourth Element
Dynamic Nord
Santi
My first biggest disappointment was Aqualung/Apeks group was not exhibiting at the show even though they are one of the biggest diving equipment manufacturer in Europe.
Düsseldorf Bootshow is designed as an experience area rather than a regular fair. There were a lot of activities, especially for children, in diving and other sports. Children were offered the opportunity to gain experiences in many different areas, such as trying diving in pools, using a small sailing boat in a separate pool, canoeing in an artificial stream, examining microplastics in the oceans in a laboratory-like environment, and making music in water. Moreover, no additional fee is expected to be paid for any of these experiences. It is as if the main purpose of the fair is to make children love the sea and water sports. Scubapro should also be congratulated in this field, they have allocated a wide range of diving suits specifically for children. We can say that the show has a high child focus on both the organization and the participants.
One of the most different booths at the show was the German army naval forces. “Dear employers, welcome!” with their slogan, we understand why they are here. Different products such as the pressure chamber used by the naval forces, hard-hat diving system, rebreather (closed circuit) and speed boat were exhibited, and German soldiers paid close attention to everyone who visited the booth and explained the details of the products. In one corner, one of the soldiers was teaching visitors how to tie sailor knots.
One of the different aspects of this show, at least to me, was that it was a show where diving-specific product sales were also actively carried out. The stands of German diving equipment distributors named Atlantis and Schnorkel were already entirely about sales. At these booths, you could buy whatever you could buy at any diving equipment store. Apart from these, many brands, especially Divesystem, OMS and TDS, actively sold products. I can say that the biggest difference from the DEMA Show in the USA was the widespread sales.
Unfortunately, I cannot say that I saw an interesting launch or innovative product specific to the show. Even the wrist-type diving computer that Garmin announced in November was not in the mood for a new product here. Speaking of Garmin, let's not forget to mention Suunto. Even though I wonder if they have given up hope on divers with their small booth, it is also hopeful to see that they continue to innovate. However, when we asked how they did the underwater mapping feature in the latest model diving computers, we could not get a satisfactory answer.
Scuba Diving Brands
Speaking of Aqualung and Apeks, let's start examining the brands that meet all scuba diving needs from end to end. While Aqualung and Apeks were absent, Mares was also present as a section around the SSI booth. We also saw at the DEMA fair in the USA that the SSI - Mares duo was together at the shows, but the SSI part was dominant. Revo rebreathers were also being exhibited under SSI brand.
Luckily, Cressi, Tusa, Fourth Element, Scubapro didn't leave us alone. While Cressi exhibited all its products at the show, from masks to regulators, from bags to fins. Cressi's the swimming equipment section for pets was an interesting section. Although Tusa did not attract much attention, it displayed its entire product range, especially its masks. The Fourth Element design line drew attention with the diversity of its products. Their dry suit, Argonut 3.0, was once again one of their most prominent products.
One of the brands trying to make a strong entry into the sector seems to be the Dynamic Nord. I recommend you to follow this brand. From what I have seen, many of their products are produced in the Far East with OEM and they print their own brands on them. I understand that they are trying to make a difference with the design part. Although I have question marks about the quality, they have a product range that tries to meet all 360-degree scuba diving needs, from dry suits to BC, from masks to regulators and suits.
During the show, we also had the opportunity to evaluate the situation of scuba diving brands and Aqualung / Apeks group with Alper Burak Küçükkaramıklı, the founding partner of SONA company, which is the distributor of many European and US brands in Turkey. They also produce some diving equipment by themselves for recreational divers and militray. We can conclude that instead of brands that try to meet all the needs of a diver, brands specialized in certain areas are more prominent.
Tech Dive, CCR (rebreathers) and DPVs
One of the details that stood out at the show was the significant presence of supporting products such as rebreather diving systems and underwater scooters. When we look specifically at technical diving, we could not see many open circuit technical diving products. However, we saw that rebreather systems such as JJ, AP Diving, Revo, Scuba Force, XCCR, Divesoft, Halycon had their own booths or were included in the booths of various training certification systems. While JJ, AP Diving, Scuba Force, Divesoft, Halycon exhibited their products at their independent booths, Revo had the opportunity to introduce itself in a section of the SSI booth. XCCR introduced its newly released chest mount rebreather product here both at its own booth and at the booths of training systems such as IAC. Like other chest mount rebreathers, it tries to stand out with its lightness. These units, filled with Shearwater electronics, seem to shake Triton's throne in Europe as well. After all, the Triton is a manual closed circuit, and we did not encounter it at any point at the show. Speaking of Rebreather, we should not miss Poseidon, but it is difficult to say that it attracted much attention here.
Akuana is one of the brands where we started to see the effects of the Far East breeze in its rebreather, as in its other products. They introduced a chest-mounted rebreather product at the fair. How European divers will trust Akuana's rebreather, which also uses its own electronic system, is a question mark for me. They seem to have a lot of work to do in terms of marketing and communication.
In terms of technical diving products, brands such as Divesystem, OMS, DUI attracted the attention we expected and made an impression with their very large and mobile stands. The products of the TDS brand, which I think is trying to be the Scubapro, Mares, Cressi of technical divers, so to speak, were also quite remarkable. TDS had a stand with constant movement and active sales. As far as I have seen, TDS has many of its products produced by Far Eastern manufacturers with an OEM approach. With its very cool and tough design line, I think TDS's products are worth checking out for technical diving enthusiasts. Still, companies that produce everything are now a question mark for me.
Speaking of technical diving, it would not be wrong to evaluate underwater scooter brands under this heading. We come across Seacraft and Suex brands here. We could not see either brand at the DEMA show in the USA, and we cannot see the DiveX brand here. There is not much to say for both brands, Seacraft and Suex. Brands that have proven themselves in areas such as durability, failure-freeness and longevity exhibited all their product alternatives, from the smallest to the largest. Especially their ability to work integrated with navigation systems is another value point. It was not surprising not to see Bonex here. We thought maybe we would have the opportunity to talk to authorized people about the problems we have heard about user complaints and after-sales support in recent years, but it did not happen.
We had the opportunity to examine the products of Ocean Reef and Interspiro brands in full face masks at the fair. We can say that Ocean Reef, in particular, also includes products for more entertainment purposes. We could not see OTS at the Düsseldorf Bootshow fair.
Underwater Imaging
Unfortunately, we did not see much diversity in the field of underwater imaging. Still, we had the opportunity to see the products of brands such as Nauticam, Bigblue, Insta 360, XTAR, Divepro, Easydive. It was also an interesting detail that Go Pro was not here, even though it was one of the liveliest stands at the DEMA show in the USA a few months ago. We looked for Sea and Sea, Ikelite, Marelux and many other brands, but unfortunately, none of them were here. Although Nauticam did not come with a wide product range, they introduced the products they highlighted, such as EMWL, here as well.
I also had the chance to see Easy Dive housings for the first time in this area of the fair. The electronically controlled housings, which are compatible with many cameras, control the camera via wifi. This way, the nightmare of changing housings with every new camera update is over. The Easy Dive housings, which I started to hear about in the past years, were also above my expectations in terms of quality. Of course, the authorities highly praise their own products, it will be a product worth examining for those who want to make a new housing investment.
Dry Suits
It is not known whether the specialized companies with their wet suits were due to the cold inland waters of Germany or their interest in technical diving, but they took up more space than I expected. For example, DUI's place and product variety here were more interesting than the DEMA show in its homeland, the USA.
Divesystem has renewed its claim here, especially in dry suits with neoprene neck seals. While SANTI attracted attention with its design, they also designed a small experience area that showed that the dry suit they produced from a superior durable fabric would not wear out easily. Personally, I appreciated the rubber grip area on the side pocket, which they used in one of their dry suits, as a well-thought-out detail. Waterproof also had a pleasant looking stand, I can say that it attracted attention even though it was not very crowded. However, I would say that DUI is a bit behind compared to Divesystem and SANTI. In fact, I can say that the presentation, promotion and design of Fourth Element's Argonut 3.0 dry suit were widely reviewed by the visitors. Of course, we are not surprised to see Kallweit dry suits here in Germany. Again, like most other dry suit manufacturers, they are trying to differentiate themselves with a personalized production value proposition.
We can say that trilaminate and similar fabrics are more common in dry suits than neoprene and crash neoprene. Of course, it is possible to say that the price-performance issue is effective in this. Dynamic Nord also draws attention with its dry suits. Although it would not be wrong to say that it does not look bad in terms of quality, it is difficult to be sure.
Compressors, Boosters, etc.
When Germany and compressors were mentioned, our eyes immediately looked for Bauer. Bauer is Bauer as we know it, when we went to the stand and talked to the officials, they expressed that they were very pleased with their distributor in Turkey (Enkosan). As Bauer Junior II celebrates its 30th anniversary of the legendary model and it was named after the son of Bauer's founder, we had a pleasant conversation and moved on to other stands. Coltri and Nardi were other companies we saw in this field.
NRC also had a very lively stand. It was especially enjoyable to examine the booster products. These boosters, which provide gas transfer from low-pressure oxygen and helium cylinders to high-pressure cylinders, claim to be produced in high quality with German engineering. It was also a pleasure to meet and exchange ideas with NRC, a company we know for the oxygen sensors they produce for analyzers and rebreathers.
Far East Breeze
We mentioned above that many brands work with manufacturers in the Far East with an OEM logic. Akuana, on the other hand, appears at the Düsseldorf Bootshow fair as a Far Eastern brand that has its own brand. Akuana, which has produced dresses, regulators, BCs, masks, fins and even rebreather, may make a lot of talk about itself in the coming years, even though it waits for its visitors like one of the shy children of the fair. I expected to see IST Pro at the fair, but it remained one of the companies that I was surprised was not there.
High Interest in Gallipoli and Technical Diving
The booth opened by the Gallipoli Underwater National Park management of the Gallipoli War Historical Area Directorate at the Düsseldorf Bootshow attracted great attention from divers from many countries. The compliance of the shipwrecks in the region with technical diving limits attracted international technical divers. When many visitors learned that the climate conditions of the region are suitable for diving between May and October, they have already started making their plans. The common international history behind the shipwrecks attracts the attention of many different nations. More than 30 shipwrecks bearing both technical and Scuba diving limits, which bear witness to the history of the Gallipoli Wars, appeal to divers of all levels. Among the prominent shipwrecks, HMS Majestik (22-26 meters), Helles Barges (25 meters), HMS Louis (13 meters), Loundy (27 meters), SS Milo (7 meters) attract the attention of scuba divers, while HMS Triumph (72 meters). ), SS Carthage (84 meters), Midilli (74 meters), Atilay (70 meters), etc., for technical divers, closed circuit rebreather. These wrecks, which remained undiscovered for many years because they were closed to diving, are waiting as an exciting adventure for technical divers with their untold stories in the depths of Çanakkale.
Gallipoli Historical Underwater National Park is the first World War 1 themed underwater park. More than 30 wrecks in close proximity to each other allow divers to dive in the area many times and for days. The buoying of shipwrecks carried out in the region in recent years has made it easier for boats to be moored and allows divers to descent and ascent from the buoy chain easily. On the other hand, it is believed that it will be effective in protecting shipwrecks.
All diving centers in the region had the opportunity to promote their services. At the same time, they had the opportunity to communicate with potential customers and take part in season planning.
Let's do some advertising. Gallipoli Wrecks Dive Center, one of the newest diving centers in the region, was one of the attractions of technical divers at this stand at the show, as the region's first and only technical diving-oriented diving boat. They plan to provide rapid transportation to the wrecks with high-speed motor yachts that can serve small groups of up to 10 divers or individual divers. At the same time, entering and exiting the water will be much easier with the help of the elevator integrated into the platform of the boat. It is truly a blessing, especially for technical divers who carry the world on their backs. Those who want to contact can visit https://www.gallipoliwrecks.com and follow their Instagram and YouTube accounts.
See You Again Düsseldorf
Shortly, Düsseldorf Bootshow is a fair that I would recommend all diving lovers to visit whenever they have the opportunity, even for 1-2 days. It is a productive show in terms of both understanding what is being talked about diving in the world, what kind of innovations there are, and establishing business connections. Even if you have a child or a nephew, bring them so they can have fun and instill their love of the sea.
Hope to visit Dusseldorf again next year...
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