The ninth exhibition for water people took place from February 8th to 11th at the historic venue of the Gostiny Dvor. In brief, there was more of everything compared to previous editions: more visitors, more exhibitors, more professionals, and even a record-breaking consumption of oysters. The increased presence of Chinese manufacturers, alongside contributions from the Far East and the Barents Sea, was notable. Additionally, Indonesia and the Philippines returned to prominence, while the Maldives sought to challenge Egypt's leadership.
* One-third of visitors attended the exhibition multiple times between Thursday and Sunday.
** The total number of visitors includes ticket purchasers, recipients of complimentary invites from exhibitors, professionals, press members, and guests.
*** Complimentary badges were issued to registered diving instructors, dive masters, divers, free diving and spearfishing instructors, and yacht skippers.
EXHIBITION PARTICIPANTS
A total of 235 companies participated in the Moscow Dive Show 2024, representing a significant increase compared to 2023. The geographical diversity of participants expanded as well, with exhibitors returning from China, South Africa, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, the Philippines, and other countries. While some missed the previous exhibitions due to the pandemic, the majority participated for the first time, underscoring the crucial development of the Moscow Dive Show.
This year, the exhibition coincided with the Chinese New Year, yet this didn't deter nine Chinese companies from showcasing their products to visitors. This understandably sparked cautious reactions from the Russian underwater industry, but the interest of factories from the Middle Kingdom in the rapidly evolving domestic market was predictable. So, lets watch over the process, since changes in the assortment on store shelves will benefit consumers, offering more options—both simple and affordable, as well as higher-quality products with familiar prices but a wider range of models. A similar situation is seen in the automotive market—some continue to drive their beloved German and Japanese cars, while others vote for the Chinese automotive industry.
Chinese manufacturers came to explore the Russian market
Since the onset of the pandemic, the number of innovations in the underwater equipment market sharply decreased, with most manufacturers merely changing colors and designs. However, this year, Russian and Belarusian brands introduced a considerable number of entirely new models across all segments. It's impossible to praise each one in this article (we'll release a special piece on this), but one participant certainly stands out. In terms of variety and range of announced novelties, DISKUS company outstripped all others, launching an entire line of affordable wetsuits and accessories under the Sargan Sport brand. For example, the Kalan 3.0 wetsuit for spearfishes will cost only 20,000 rubles, while the "NERO 2.0" wetsuit line for diving and surfing comes in 15 colors. And the cherry on top - BCD SARGAN "NERO 2.0" (ultralight wing). The season promises to be interesting; we'll keep an eye on the changes on store shelves.
Suunto, a cult brand for all divers and now represented in Russia by the company Navicom, introduced many new products this year. Headphones, swimming goggles with training parameter projection on the lenses, and other progressive gadgets were showcased, but the most anticipated new instruments for diving and freediving are expected to be available only in summer.
In the tourism segment, the friendly-to-diving countries' ministries maintained their official presence—Maldives, Malaysia, and Cuba. Interestingly, the Maldives took first place both in terms of the size of the national booth and the total number of exhibitors at the show. 19 liveaboards, resorts, dive centers, and guesthouses presented their ideas for the 2024 season. It's noteworthy that a similar situation was observed at the European diving exhibition EUDI Show 2023 (Italy, Bologna), where Maldivian participants also clearly dominated. However, American tourists are not commonly found in the Maldives. So, there is a clear distribution of world ocean destinations among diving enthusiasts by nations.
Maldives continues to increase tourist flow from Russia. Russian tourists once again took the first place in 2023.
Malaysia sees a growing tourist flow from Russia every year, and divers present a significant segment of it
Cuba is always prominently featured at the Moscow Dive Show. Direct flights, beautiful underwater world, and the romanticism of the revolution are the keys to success among Russian tourists
In the domestic segment, for the third consecutive year, the Far East remains the undisputed leader, offering tours to Sakhalin, Moneron, the Kuril Islands, Primorye, Vladivostok, and the Shantar Islands, presented by both well-known companies and newcomers to the Moscow Dive Show—an important sign of the development of both the tourist market and the exhibition. The Barents and White Seas took second place in the rating. The bronze was shared by participants from a wide geographical range—from the Moscow region to the Putorana Plateau and Lake Baikal. The participants from the Black Sea region closed the rating, with only a few dive centers from the Krasnodar Territory participating in the exhibition. Crimea still faces restrictions connected with military actions.
This year, Moneron Island won the beauty contest in all positions—booth, staff, promotion, and an incredible underwater photo album
And for some, luck smiled — an award trip to Moneron.
Choosing trips is an important part of shopping at the Moscow Dive Show. It's convenient to compare prices, bargain, and scrutinize tour providers. You can book your stay directly at the booths of hotels and liveaboards, or through Russian organizers, who have their advantages, such as Russian-speaking groups, assistance in logistics and payment, tour leaders, and more. Interesting newcomers in the tourism sector this year were guests from South Africa, Sri Lanka, and Palau.
In the above-water sector, along with yacht schools and organizers of sailing trips, the vibrant island-type booth of the Winboat company was notable. They offered unconventional folding zodiac-type RIBs—rigid-bottom inflatable boats that can be folded in half, a crucial feature for transportation. Additionally, for those in need of a RIB for an event, the RIBTOURIST project provided comfortable rentals. SUP boards continued to attract public attention, with the Sup Travel Russia booth even installing a simulator for anyone interested in practicing proper rowing techniques. Furthermore, the Seabike underwater cyclists not only presented improved models and accessories but also offered a wide range of training programs.
Folding and Classic RIBs from Winboat RIB Sharing from RIBTOURIST
Rowing Simulator from SUP Travel Russia Underwater Bikes and Boards from Seabike
The distribution of floor space among participants from different segments remained unchanged: 35% for underwater equipment, 30% for tourism, 20% for diving, freediving, spearfishing, and yachting training, 5% for boats and SUP boards, with the remaining portion allocated for clothing, books, souvenirs, and delicacies.
Summarizing the floor area by participants’ segments, 45% of the exhibition was dedicated to diving, 20% each for freediving and spearfishing, and the rest of the space was allocated for other water and related activities.
VISITOR PROFILE
The total attendance over the 4 days of the Moscow Dive Show exceeded 21,500 visits, marking a 7% increase compared to 2023.
A significant proportion of visitors, especially professionals, from outside Moscow, reflects the exhibition's quality. For entrepreneurs from the regions outside Moscow and nearby foreign countries, it's convenient to visit the capital city at least once a year before the season begins to address business matters. 58% of dive business owners stated that their goal for attending the exhibition was to meet with clients, while over 30% of all dive professionals planned to select tours for their groups at the show.
Traditionally, divers dominate among exhibition visitors; together with other underwater enthusiasts, they constitute over 80% of the total number of visitors. The gender ratio varies significantly among different segments, with freediving attracting more women, while spearfishing appeals more to men. Interestingly, among newcomers, there are even more women than men, indicating that the exhibition, initially industry-specific, has become of general interest. This 17% represents a significant opportunity for growth, as they become new water and diving enthusiasts.
The median age by segments ranges from 39 to 46 years. The youngest are surfers (39 years) and freedivers (41 years), while spearfishers (45 years) surpass divers (44 years). The oldest age group belongs to the patriarchs of underwater photography, with a median age of 46 years.
Saturday is traditionally the busiest day of the exhibition, featuring the peak of entertainment programs and the highest proportion of diver visitors, reaching up to 60%. Sunday, on the other hand, emerges as the most feminine day, with female visitors constituting up to 53% (on average, they're less than 40%), and it also witnesses the highest number of beginners, accounting for up to 21% of the total number of visitors. Friday experiences a surge in visitors from regions outside Moscow, reaching up to 22%. Lastly, Thursday boasts the highest number of spearfishers (up to 25%), the highest number of males (almost 70%), and the highest number of foreign visitors.
WHERE DO WE TRAVEL?
All Moscow Dive Show visitors are required to answer questions in a brief survey. While this may slightly complicate the process of entering the exhibition and prompt complaints, it's the only way to obtain important figures that reflect changes in the lives of water enthusiasts.
Here, we present a new ranking of countries compiled based on the travel destinations visited in 2023 by Moscow Dive Show visitors.
In 2023, 60% of the exhibition visitors traveled abroad, marking the highest figure since 2020. Turkey and the Maldives maintained their positions as the second and third most popular destinations, respectively. However, there was a notable shift in the rankings for the perennial leader. While 70% of Moscow Dive Show visitors went diving in Egypt in 2022, this number decreased to 56% in 2023. Apparently, the difference shifted to Indonesia (5th place, 7%) and the Philippines (8th place, 5%), which returned to the ranking. As we move through 2024, we expect to see further growth in underwater tourism to these key destinations for diving enthusiasts.
Sri Lanka rose from 7th to 6th place. The potential of this inexpensive destination has yet to be fully used. The most interesting diving locations are located on the east coast, where tourism is just beginning to develop.
The top 10 destinations cover 89% of all trips, with the remaining 11% spread across two dozen other destinations. Notable among these are Cuba, Greece, Israel, Cyprus, Malaysia, and the United States, which ranks last.
For domestic travel, the ranking remained almost unchanged. Almost every diver (95%) dived domestically in 2023, regardless of international trips, with 40% diving only in domestic waters and 33% in the Black and/or Azov Seas. The top 10 destinations cover up to 97% of all trips, with 3% for the remaining sites, including the Caspian Sea, Altai, the Urals with the Orda, and all of Siberia with Chukotka.
PROFESSIONALS AT THE EXHIBITION
Among the guests (excluding exhibitors), we observed 1710 professionals in the field of water and underwater activities, primarily consisting of owners and managers of dive clubs and dive shops, practicing dive instructors, divers, and yacht skippers. This sets a new record.
In the informal competition among training systems, there were no surprises; the podium is still shared by NDL, PADI, and CMAS. PADI maintained its share compared to last year's survey, while CMAS managed to take 1% from NDL.
BUSINESS PROGRAM
A prominent feature of the exhibition became the 6-hour-long briefing-show of equipment manufacturers and sellers, held in the conference hall throughout the first day of the exhibition. More than twenty companies and brands from Russia, Belarus, and China showcased their new products and bestsellers to a professional audience:
- Equipment and accessories for spearfishing, diving, technical diving, diving work, and freediving;
- Wetsuits and footwear for water sports;
- Underwater lights and lighting;
- Weight systems;
- Neoprene and drysuits;
- Portable breathing systems;
- Buoys and rafts for freedivers and spearfishers;
- Waterproof bags;
- Heated insulation;
- Underwater communication devices; - Regulators and rebreathers;
- Waterproof cases and accessories for underwater smartphone photography;
- Underwater metal detectors;
- Underwater caulking guns;
- Folding RIB boats.
Among the participating companies were the following: DISKUS (Sargan and Sargan Sport), Buni/Hammerfish, Winboat, Aquadiscovery, Divevolk, Suunto, Smartdive, Dive&Talk, Metascan, Divegruz, KF, Jiangsu Yiheng Sports Products Co., Kayuk, TDE, EDS, Frogman, ENJOYSCUBA (Shenzhen Rui Dive), Narwhal Technology (Dongguan) Co., Deep Water (Stribog), and Gefest.
The briefing saw the participation of representatives from distributor companies, dive clubs, and equipment stores, along with representatives from state agencies such as EMERCOM and the Ministry of Defense. Video recordings of the presentations are accessible for viewing on the exhibition's YouTube channel
https://www.youtube.com/@MOSCOWDIVESHOW
The exhibition organizing committee is ready to provide contacts of all briefing participants to discuss wholesale and retail equipment supplies. Please send your requests to
pr@diveshow.ru
DIVING PROJECT
This is a joint initiative of the Moscow Dive Show and the magazine "Neptun XXI century": civilian and military divers, diving doctors, rescuers, and specialists in ship lifting came together to showcase their arsenal on a dedicated site.
Let's highlight some of the novelties that were introduced by the project participants and had sales that began in 2023: "Dragon compressor" air compressors, underwater communication equipment by Akvairi, wetsuits by Depth, underwater hydraulic tools and electrodes by Hydraulic Pro, regulators by PTS, and a range of professional diving equipment from Ocean. The leading diving units of the Russian EMERCOM, "Leader" and "Centrospas", also demonstrated their equipment and provided consultations to exhibition visitors.
