Every year, on Saturday evening, on the stage of the Moscow Dive Show, as part of the Heroes of the Deep show, we honor the most-the—most divers, freedivers, underwater hunters, photographers, yachtsmen and divers — people from the water industry who have done something unusual and outstanding, something that people want to tell them that- something for which I would like to praise and present an award.
The year 2025 was rich in achievements, so almost all the nominations have already been closed and we are preparing to introduce you to the people who will take to the stage of the exhibition on February 21, 2026 to tell about their achievements.
However, if you know a candidate worthy of being awarded our trademark statuette of "Heroes of the Deep", be sure to let us know by email: pr@diveshow.ru We want to know about all our heroes.
In the meantime, we are preparing information about the heroes of the depths of 2026, let me remind you of the nominations and heroes of 2025.:
"The ultimate depth of complexity" — Valery Kondrashov
Valery Kondrashov is a man who has been involved in diving since 1977! The most difficult underwater tasks, the most difficult objects, the harshest conditions. Valery Ivanovich's path in diving is admirable: from a Class 1 diver to a Marine rescue instructor.
"Depth of field" — Alexander Akivis
Alexander is a man without whom no Russian freediving championship has been held for many years according to the rules of the Freediving Federation. Shooting from the shore, from the side, underwater, from the depths, from the bottom of the pool, in the thickets of the underwater forest, in the corals, at the competition rope, from the side, from above, from below – nothing is impossible for Alexander Akivis.
"Search and Find" — Divo Dive Club and Sergey Kulikov
The team of the Orel Divo Dive Club, both independently and jointly with the 1XPEDITION Scientific Research Center, has been searching for and finding underwater artifacts for 8 years that expand our knowledge of the past and preserve the memory of many people and events.
Horizontal Depth — X-WATERS team
Alexander Bazanov, the mastermind of Russia's largest X—WATERS swimming series, is a man who has changed everything for himself and for thousands of other people. Together with a team of like-minded people, he created a large—scale aquatic community, whose members are very happy to go into the water in the most incredible corners of our country and abroad.
"Depth without borders" — Denis Redkin
Denis Redkin, Russia's first tetraplegic diver who completed a diving course in Egypt with dives in the Red Sea, will present a nomination dedicated to inclusive underwater sports at the show. At the age of 14, he suffered a spinal injury after diving unsuccessfully. Most people in this situation would probably prefer to stay away from the water. And Denis went to Egypt to study diving.
"In one breath" — Maria Olshevskaya
Maria Olshevskaya is an international master of sports in scuba diving, the Russian record holder in freediving, the holder of the Guinness Book of Records for static breath retention in icy water without a wetsuit and the Russian record for diving into the depths in icy water without a wetsuit, instructor and freediving coach.
"The Way of the catch" — Ivan Kerbis
For revealing the topic of spearfishing in a unique region of Russia — the Republic of Tuva, for his active expedition activities, for his tangible contribution to the popularization of spearfishing and the creation of films revealing the beauty of the Tuvan lakes and the large pike living there, we are pleased to present an award to Ivan Kerbis, a video blogger and underwater hunter with 12 years of experience.
"The Icy Heart" — Eduard Smaglov
Eduard Smaglov is a third–class diver and rescuer of the search and rescue squad of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Russia in the Magadan region, an ambassador of cold-water diving and an organizer of dives in the Magadan water area for those who like him are in love with this land of permafrost.
"The ultimate depth of influence" — Vitaly Vinogradov
Vitaly Ivanovich Vinogradov is a big and respected name in the underwater hunting community. A well-known underwater hunter, a member of the Union of Journalists of Russia, an active defender of the rights of scams, a hero of the day who celebrated 65 years of personal experience in spearfishing in 2024, and continues to hunt both in summer and winter to this day.
"The Ultimate Depth of Influence" — D. Vinogradov Wild Underwater World Natural Photography Festival
The Wild Underwater World Underwater Photography Festival celebrates its 10th anniversary in 2024. For 10 years, starting in Moscow, the annually changing exhibition has been traveling through the cities of Russia and beyond. For 10 years, the organizers and participants of the festival have been "lifting the water's edge" for those who want to explore the beauty of the underwater world.
The Ultimate Depth of Influence — Neptune XXI Century magazine about the underwater world.
The year 2025 has become an anniversary year for the already legendary magazine.
You can watch the performance of "Heroes of the Deep 2025" in the video attached to this post, and very soon we will introduce you to the heroes of the deep 2026.
The Heroes of the Deep show will take place on February 21 at 17:00 in the Gostiny Dvor of Moscow as part of the water man exhibition — Moscow Dive Show. To become a spectator of the show and support the nominees, it is enough to buy a ticket to the exhibition.
