Post DEMA Show Reviews & Comments

[DiveNav]

This is the coolest thing I saw this year: Diver Flare

Alberto (aka eDiver)

 

[HowardE]

I was at the DEMA Show, with the Palm Beach Dive Association. We had a great time, and met hundreds of shops during the show.
I was hoping for the "toy-store" aspect of DEMA to be more the way it used to be.....the "New Products" showcase was close to irrelevant in my mind, more of the new color or new pocket kind on nonsense that none of us needs.

• There was a new sunscreen product that was far superior to anything Sandra had ever used before ( she already tested it on a bike ride) , and it is safe for the reefs, and healthier for your skin.
• There was a new and better lionfish polespear
• there were two new offerings in 365 day per year, content driven Ipad and mobile phone format dive magazines...one by Diver Magazine, one by Sawyer Media Group...both were interesting, and it will be interesting to see if they can actually create more than advertorial content ( asn they promise) for each day of the year
• there was a new neoprene sock for full foot fins that has a bottom you can walk on without destroying.....
• There is a new suit with zero bpuyancy shift that could replace wetsuits down to maybe 72 degrees..so pretty awesome for Florida...Sharskins. Sandra got one, and will use it with a 4th Element Thermocline under it....When the storm passes, I will offer a report on it ( she normally needs a Drysuit on when the water is colder than 77 degrees)

Really not much of anything else...nothing really that cool in the Freedive booths, Halcyon was absent, DiveRite had a space the size of a phone booth, many of the manufacturers I had looked forward to seeing, were just not there.

Destinations were a larger percentage of the overall mix than in years past---at least that is what I went away with...any of you guys see this any differently?

With the advent of Social Media... Manufacturers don't have to wait until DEMA to share new products and show off their stuff like in the "old days"

However... The vibe I got from most of the people I spoke to (major equipment manufacturers) was that it was a great show, very successful.

 

[tangfish]

Hello SBers,

I just got done publishing a piece on the highlights from DEMA in Orlando this year, you can find it here.

I also suggest checking out the coverage from the folks over at Dive Photo Guide, who did a bang up job covering the show.

 

[tangfish]

You are right in that the show seems to keep shrinking. I still think that it's the main place for industry people to gather, and a lot of important stuff happens outside of the actual convention center.

I'm really looking forward to hearing about that new wetsuit material. Do you have a link or a name for it? I'm down here in Costa Rica right now and the water was 72F today. I'm diving a 7/6mm Xcel and the buoyancy swing has me lugging around 18lbs of lead

 

[mutt2jeff]

At the GoPro booth, were they showing a diver specific case? Something with a flat lens to fix the underwater focus issue?

 

[danvolker]

You are right in that the show seems to keep shrinking. I still think that it's the main place for industry people to gather, and a lot of important stuff happens outside of the actual convention center.

I'm really looking forward to hearing about that new wetsuit material. Do you have a link or a name for it? I'm down here in Costa Rica right now and the water was 72F today. I'm diving a 7/6mm Xcel and the buoyancy swing has me lugging around 18lbs of lead

The link is Sharkskin | Technical Water Sport Garments | Australia and New Zealand and it is advertised to be equivalent to a 3 mm wetsuit, with zero buoyancy swing..Since Sandra already has a 4th Element Thermocline top, she will try wearing this under it...hoping for the equivalent of a 5 mm suit without bouyancy shift ( http://www.fourthelement.com/wet_thermocline.php).....when it gets too cold for this, she will switch back to her DUI drysuit

 

[danvolker]

EXACTLY, I did not want to lead the witness... Although I am a skeptic and would want to ensure it has enough power and most importantly the spring can handle the corrosive environment, but it was defintely different and interesting.

I think your exactly the right guy to test this for us

When this crappy weather pattern is over, please post your observations ( assuming you bought one or a friend did).

 

[danvolker]

With the advent of Social Media... Manufacturers don't have to wait until DEMA to share new products and show off their stuff like in the "old days"

However... The vibe I got from most of the people I spoke to (major equipment manufacturers) was that it was a great show, very successful.

I really enjoyed the show as well, and it was huge for Palm beach.
But remembering back to the 90's, the show was so enormous then, it could take 2 days to see all the booths...this one more like 3 hours of steady, non-stop walking

 

[mselenaous]

Mod Post

Same topic threads have been merged into one discussion.​

 

[Thiad]

Agree with a lot of the previous posts! Here are the ones that seamed to be busy or new products that stood out to me:

SANTI - Awesome Drysuits - Heated undergarments
Shearwater - name says it all - best rec/tec computer on market
rEvo Rebreathers - Paul launched his RMS system
DiveRite - Nitek Q Computer
Eezycut - Awesome emergency cutting tool

I bought an Eezycut at the Long Beach Show. I have to say I am darned impressed with it - at least above water. It's not been pulled out underwater (and I hope to keep it that way). And, after about 30+ dives, it's holding up nicely attached to my BCD. No corrosion on the blade and the body looks clean. Good purchase for the price.