ASIA DIVE EXPO 2009 CREATES A BUZZ AT MARINA AT KEPPEL BAY

SINGAPORE, May 15, 2009 ˆ Despite a change in venue, diving enthusiasts thronged the Asia Dive Expo 2009, Asia's longest running dive exhibition, which was held from April 23- 26, 2009 at Marina @ Keppel Bay. Held in conjunction with Boat Asia 2009, both events were attended by about 15,000 visitors this year.

Marine conservation once again took spotlight at this year‚s event which featured a stellar line-up of speakers including renowned Deep Sea Explorer and National Geographic photographer, Emory Kristof. Kristof engaged audiences with various presentations on his past work including the successful hunt for the Titanic at the EcoVillage. Many other exciting talks and activities including green-themed seminars and films showcased at the EcoVillage also had audiences captivated. In addition, the marine conservation efforts of corporate organizations including Keppel, six global NGOs such as WWF and Project AWARE as well as the students from SMU Xtremists Diving Club were also showcased at the Environmental Quest Corridor at EcoVillage.

Another key highlight of the event was the discussion of the Singapore Blue Plan by Farid Hamid, Chairman of the Blue Plan Sub-Committee, put forth by the IYOR 2008 Singapore Organizing Committee, which will be finalized, upon the public‚s feedback, and submitted to the government later this month.

Visitors to the show were not only treated to interesting talks, they were also thrilled by the demonstrations by the dive masters from Ren Scubaworx as well as the attractive dive related and lifestyle products on showcase.

Said Eddy Neo, Director, Ren Scubaworx, which was also an exhibitor at the event, „Despite the current climate, we were happy to see strong interest from both the diving community and non-divers alike. Visitors were captivated by the diving demonstrations we provided and were eagerly enquiring about taking up our courses. The event was a tremendous success and ADEX has indeed lived up to its reputation as the leading dive exhibition in the region.‰

„The atmosphere at ADEX this year was electric. Visitors were eagerly snapping up the promotional deals we had on offer, clear testimony of the growing interest in diving in the region. We are very pleased with the turn-out and the brisk sales at the event,‰ said Tom Ho, Owner, Oceanic Asia-Pacific Pte Ltd.

Added Gerosel Siquian, Tourism Attache, Philippine Department of Tourism, ASEAN, „Located within the Coral Triangle, The Philippines is considered one of the leading dive sites in the world. ADEX provided an excellent platform for us to share the wonders of the Philippine underwater world with the many dive enthusiasts who visited the show.‰

Visitors were also privy to a display of about 40 photographs which captured the most breath-taking compositions of the marine environment by shutterbugs vying for the „ADEX Photographer of the Year Award‰. James Wong from Australia emerged as the winner this year.

Said Herman Ho, Managing Director, TMX Show Productions, „With ADEX being held in conjunction with Boat Asia this year, many non-divers also visited the show. It was heartening to see the strong interest from the diving community as well as non-divers alike. We hope that the insightful talks and activities at ADEX 2009 will inspire both divers as well as aspiring divers to be more aware of the need to preserve the marine ecosystem and spread the word about marine conservation.‰

For more information on Asia Dive Expo 2009, visit http://www.asiadiveexpo.com

Contributed by Tim Hochgrebe added 2009-05-20