Post DEMA Show Reviews & Comments

[danvolker]

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?

 

[Jim Lapenta]

Nope. My impressions were along those lines with some exceptions. We were slammed all week at the HOG/Edge Gear booth. The GoPro camera booth was always busy when I went by. What surprised me was the DUI booth. I didn't see any suits. None. Just a table with different materials for them on it. Lots of chinese neoprene mfg. Including one who offered me a no minimum order deal on shorties for my girl scout programs! I'm keeping that one on the top of my pile of resources. I have 44 kids this weekend. Between now and next fall the program could involve as many as 250 plus kids. That's a nice little chunk of potential sales of those for the programs as well as camp offerings in open water we are working on.

A number of mfg seem to be seeing the benefits of offering independents, like me who are underserved in their areas, the chance to become dealers and distribute products. As more shops are finding it hard to keep the doors open I think we will see more of this.

 

[north florida divers]

I agree ! I found DEMA this year "uninteresting" to say the least. Once I paid for three days of parking (13.00 a day) plus the attendee fee of $155.00 then the additional price for courses, food, and lodging it was not worth it. Especially in this economy. I found nothing that really stood out this year in the product line, booths were also considerably smaller then the previous shows. I will wait another five years. However, the atmosphere is always fun to see everyone come together in one place.

 

[dumpsterDiver]

So Dan, what was the new and improved and innovative lionfish spear? I saw a lot of different ideas, and only one seemed to stand out as unique, but i wonder if it is what you saw?

 

[Thiad]

Do tell about the sunscreen, too! Badger's not working as well as I'd like!

 

[danvolker]

So Dan, what was the new and improved and innovative lionfish spear? I saw a lot of different ideas, and only one seemed to stand out as unique, but i wonder if it is what you saw?

This one.....Do you agree ?

 

[dumpsterDiver]

View attachment 107618
This one.....Do you agree ?

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.

 

[danvolker]

Do tell about the sunscreen, too! Badger's not working as well as I'd like!

This one....
Tropical Seas — Reef Safe Sandra used the spf 30 sample on 2 bike rides so far ( 35 miles along the ocean on A1A each ride....)..Our Florida sun mixed with the workoad of a 25 mph av pace ride, and few sunscreens do the job...prior to this she looked like a Geisha girl with white all over her face...this new stuf does not show, and does not feel greasy and nasty...And when she got back from the rides, no redness on her face from the sun !

Pura Vida saw this at DEMA and picked it up for their shop on the spot.

 

[Splitlip]

Thanks for posting guys. I had hoped to attend this year, but had a conference in Phoenix.

 

[Wayne at DiveSeekers]

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
Hollis - Explorer recreational rebreather, small compact travel Side-mount rig
Liquivision - Recreational AI Computer coming soon???
Light & Motion - Improved handles on Sola lights and a new 800
Oceanic - New sharp OCS Dive Computer
Sealife - DC1400 Camera
Analox - CO Analyzer
AcuSpear - mini pole spear - wack those Lion Fish!
Fourth Element - 1 piece Arctic

GoPro was exciting but, not from a dealer perspective ....Any one who is a Dealer will NO Longer be one Jan 1st....BEST BUY is going to be the exclusive GOPRO Dealer!

Other than that, SOS and a tone of Japanese knock off gear!

That's all I can think of at the moment!