MOSCOW DIVE SHOW 2025 — Show Results and Survey Findings

01 Mar 2025

We did it ten times! Five years in a row at Gostiny Dvor, and before that, five years in Sokolniki - Eastern Europe’s largest industry exhibition has never skipped a year. What has changed over the past decade? Pretty much everything. Here’s what we bring into the new diving season.

As a poet once said, water keeps flowing. Over the past ten years, the event has developed a solid structure and built strong traditions. On one hand, there’s steady attendance and a reliable range of exhibits. On the other, each year brings new debuts. The waterman strides forward.

The exhibitor lineup featured 232 companies from over a dozen countries and 27 Russian regions - matching the record-breaking 2024. Over the four days, Moscow Dive Show once again surpassed 20,000 visitors (20,800 including professionals and invited guests). Any lingering effects of the pandemic and post-pandemic years have completely faded, and 500 more paid tickets were sold than last year - a particularly rewarding figure for the organizers.

Visitor flow naturally aligned with the holiday calendar: on Saturday, we welcomed both those who attended men’s corporate events the night before and those planning to celebrate Defender of the Fatherland Day on Sunday, 23th of February.

As the season approaches, regional and neighboring entrepreneurs continue to find Moscow a convenient place for business. 65% of diving business owners attended the exhibition to meet with clients, while over 30% of dive professionals planned to select group tours during the event.

Exhibition space distribution followed traditional patterns: more than a third was dedicated to diving equipment, about a quarter to training, and another quarter to tourism. Purely diving-related exhibits occupied half of the space, with the remaining half evenly split among freediving, spearfishing, and other water-related activities.

One of the standout surface-level premieres was the X-Waters open-water swimming series, created by bold innovators from Nizhny Novgorod. The 2025 calendar now includes 30 events, and the exhibition helped swimmers establish valuable international connections to expand their reach.

A key sign of support and recognition for both the exhibition and the dive community was the official participation of tourism ministries from diving-friendly nations. Cuba and Malaysia proudly displayed their flags. Additionally, this year, the Moscow Dive Show ran simultaneously with the DRT Show in Kuala Lumpur.

The current focus is on domestic waters and regions. For the third year in a row, Moneron Island Natural Park built the largest and most eye-catching booth at the exhibition. Other prominent underwater travel destinations included Lake Baikal, the Altai region, the Barents and White Seas, Sakhalin, the Kuril Islands, the Shantar Islands, and the Sea of Okhotsk region, along with rare, exclusive routes known as "author’s journeys" - a highly valuable niche that makes Moscow Dive Show the ideal place to explore such options.

The equipment segment saw a noticeable increase in Chinese companies. Leading manufacturers from China showcased everything from basic swim caps to regulators and drysuits. Many of these products are already available in Russia, while even more will soon hit stores and online marketplaces following the exhibition.

Key players in domestic production were gathered at Moscow Dive Show as part of the Diving Project initiative. Both large and small Russian manufacturers presented their products for recreational diving as well as professional underwater operations, including compressors, underwater work equipment, drones, underwater communication devices, regulators, and more.

PEOPLE AS THE CORE FOCUS

In generational terms, the exhibition’s audience was dominated by Generation X (45%) and Millennials-Y (35%). Boomers and Generation Z each made up less than 10%. The emerging Generation Alpha, now turning 14 and becoming eligible for passports - and for diving - was not reflected in the statistics, as only adults filled out the surveys. However, the data collection methodology remained consistent.

As in all previous years, divers formed the majority of visitors, with over 80% involved in underwater activities. For the first time, freedivers (25%) surpassed spearfishers (less than 20%). The oldest visitors were spearfishers (median age 45), while the youngest were board riders (kite, surf, SUP), with a median age under 40. Gender distribution remained stable: kiting, surfing, and SUP were the most female-dominated activities, while spearfishing remained the most male-dominated. Newcomers tended to be younger, with more women than men. The exhibition has long evolved beyond a niche industry event, becoming widely popular. The 17% of first-time visitors looking for a new activity represent a crucial growth potential for the community. They are the ones who will become the next generation of water sports enthusiasts.

Additionally, two out of five divers (40%) also practice freediving, while 27% of freedivers and 31% of divers also engage in spearfishing. Even among yachters, surfers, and board riders, 79% reported an interest in diving, freediving, spearfishing, or underwater photography.

Saturday saw the highest traffic, coinciding with the festive days and the peak of cultural and entertainment programs, attracting over 70% of divers. Sunday had the highest female attendance (47%, compared to the 43% average) and the most beginners (21%). Friday saw the most visitors from outside Moscow and Moscow Region (26%), while Thursday had the highest number of spearfishers (25%), male visitors (63%), and international guests. The median visitor age was 42, with men averaging 45 (57% of attendees) and women 40 (43% of attendees).

The exhibition also drew a significant number of visitors from outside Moscow, including those traveling from St. Petersburg and other cities and countries. Moscow Dive Show is now an internationally recognized event, widely known and scheduled into travel calendars well in advance.

Professional attendance remained high. Over 1,500 professionals registered and received a "Professional" badge, slightly fewer than last year. More than 1,400 came from the diving business sector, including nearly 1,000 at instructor level or higher. The median age for professional women was 42, and for men, 48. The need for generational renewal in the dive community remains a well-known challenge.

SHOWCASING AND CELEBRATING

The cultural program included over 30 hours of underwater and sailing-related video screenings, excluding repeat showings.

A record-breaking 73 events took place on the main stage and in the conference hall, featuring 40 prominent speakers, including world record holders.

Special attention was given to divers with disabilities. Divers with disabilities felt comfortable at the show, with instructor Dmitry Knyazev overseeing their participation. A dedicated section of the Underwater Image Gallery focused on this kind of diving, reinforcing the exhibition’s humanitarian mission.

The gallery itself expanded, featuring 200 works, including paintings and photography from the "Wild Underwater World" festival, which, like Moscow Dive Show, celebrated its 10th anniversary this year.

There was also traditionally a kids' area, where marine biologist Konstantin Neverov showed samples of underwater microfauna under a microscope, which fed and reproduced to the delight of the young audience. For the most energetic young talents, a tabletop gaming area was set up, and it was constantly in use.

Following a new but already beloved tradition, the Underwater "Oscars" were awarded to outstanding water enthusiasts. These ceramic statuettes were created six years ago by artist-potter Maria Matyu, and several dozen have been awarded since, with no one receiving the honor twice so far. Among the 11 winners were divers Valery Kondrashov and Eduard Smaglolv, freedivers Alexander Akivis and Maria Olshevskaya, spearfishers Ivan Kerbis and Vitaly Vinogradov, diver Denis Redkin, Orlel Dive Club Divo and Sergey Kulikov, as well as the Wild Underwater World nature photography festival, the Neptune XXI Century magazine, and the X-Waters open-water swimming series.

NOW’S THE TIME TO EAT!

The traditional gastronomy sector, as always, occupied an entire exhibition wing. It was a delicious map of the world - and a particularly detailed one of the country, where honey rivers flow between gingerbread banks, herds of hearty snails and oysters graze, and sausages and cheeses practically beg to be placed on whole-grain sandwiches. Among the newcomers was the rising star of aquaculture, Vasily Grebennikov, who opened a scallop farm in the legendary Vityaz Bay. The delicate aromas filled the entire Gostiny Dvor.

ROW, DRIFT, TAKE IT SLOW

Moscow Dive Show is like an iceberg: the underwater part is important, but it's only part of the story. The title of the exhibition as the "Water Enthusiast's Show" comes with expectations, and water sports enthusiasts are increasingly joining the divers, to mutual benefit. The traditional showstopper is the SUP trainer: it requires some skill, but there's always a line to try it out. You can easily hop into small boats and other floating items for a test run. Additionally, river and sea skippers are a separate class of professionals, registered annually at Moscow Dive Show.

TOP 10 DIVE DESTINATIONS

This is the annual exhibition statistic that everyone eagerly awaits. In the past, they would say, "What’s diving without tourism?" That’s still true, though not entirely unconditional anymore. Overseas trips fluctuate with the political climate. Convenient and accessible flights are needed for traffic. Divers seek them out and find them.

In 2024, five out of six divers traveled abroad to dive, with 52% of those who traveled going to Egypt. More than half of them (an absolute 28%) didn’t go anywhere else besides Egypt. The top 10 destinations cover three-quarters (77%) of all trips, with the remaining 23% spread across two dozen niche locations. The top 10 still include Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, and the UAE. Cuba has made a comeback, followed by notable mentions like Italy, Greece, Israel, Cyprus, the Seychelles, and South Africa.

Egypt truly remains unbeatable: direct flights to Sharm El-Sheikh and Hurghada are available from several Russian cities. Some said the Maldives would be the second Egypt, but they’re now on par with Turkey and Thailand, which aren’t exactly dive-centric destinations. It’s possible that divers flew to Turkey or Thailand just to sunbathe, not necessarily to dive.

In 2024, almost every diver (92%) dived locally, regardless of overseas trips. Of these, 40% only dived in local waters and practically nowhere else, while 33% dived in the Black and/or Azov Seas - and three-quarters of them (an absolute 23%) also didn’t dive anywhere else. These top 10 destinations (plus local waters) cover at least 92% of all trips, with the rest spread across the Caspian Sea, Altai, the Urals with Orda, Siberia with Chukotka, and the Sea of Okhotsk with the Shantar Islands. There’s plenty of room for domestic diving to expand.

Moscow Dive Show 2026. Coming Soon!

The dates for the 11th Moscow Dive Show 2026 have already been set: February 19–22, from Thursday to Sunday. The location remains the same: Gostiny Dvor, with the same 10,000 square meters of space. It will be even brighter and more festive! As usual, the layout will be updated in the summer, after which unconfirmed booths will be opened for free booking.

More photos in the photoreport. You can and should book booths for Moscow Dive Show 2026 by emailing info@diveshow.ru — and stay updated with the latest exhibition news on the website diveshow.ru

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Moscow Dive Show 2025. Итоги и результаты опросов