DEMA 2003 Advance

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DEMA 2003

What a toy store...??? DEMA's evolution into a Global Thinking....

~Over the years there have been many changes to the DEMA Convention. They have reflected some of the changes in Global thinking, and some of the changes in the participants in the industry. Even moreso, they are reflecting the changes in the way we dive, and why we dive.

~Having been diving for over 30 years now, I have seen the changes in the industry from the inside, and tried to keep up as best as possible, even gotten past the curve a few times, and have seen many ideas blossom into leaps of safety and comfort.

~Lets start with the timing of the convention. Used to be a spring thing, but it was rotated into the fall. Look at the Divers now. More of us, and we are diving differently. We used to be ready to buy up some new gear and gadgets in the spring, getting the equipment ready for the first sign that the water was tolerably warm from it's state of having been frozen over. Now, we are not waiting for the thaw, but doing more diving into waters of extreme clarity, in exotic places, with fish in colors, body shapes, and sizes far from the bass, bluegills, and catfish that we would have ever seen in the lakes and ponds of home. The Diver of today is a traveling diver, and not surprisingly, the industry has embraced this, and the DEMA focus has also shifted.

~Look at the booths. I remember long ago, the focus was the equipment, the toys, the latest in gadgets for the diver to know the extent of his travels, and his capacities for enduring the depths. The focus now is the travel; where to go, what to expect and experience, and the beauty of the lands that are host to the waters so inviting to us all.

~The e-mails are coming in, to taunt the mind, and make one think. Everything from announcements for devices to allow a diver to listen to MP3's while diving--- [??? I guess the sound of bubbles and silence is not as musical to some as it ever was to myself. I ENJOYED the lack of sounds, except for the sounds of the bubbles, or hearing the crunch of a coral being scraped by a large jawed fish, and possibly the sound of sand being swept by the lobster trying to escape my gaze. And ocassionally we are blessed with the sounds of dolphins and whales. Why cover that up???] --- to the announcements of special packages on travel to the latest hot spots in dive travel, announcements on new advanced gear to film or photograph the sights with, and even to come by and try some rum from an exotic island paradise [breathalyzers will be posted at the doors for exiting attendees]. Attendees can even pick up a cigar at one booth [I love Maduro's].

~Celebrities of the Dive Industry will be there. The Dive Assosciations and Organizations will all be there. Resorts small and large will represent their islands and countries in the ever expanding global thinking of the dive industry.

~With one common thread though through the whole convention. Diving. That has not changed. The flavor of the diving industry has changed, but not the one focus. So while the toys are being pushed into a second chair by the travel aspects, it is still diving, and it is still fun, an experience unique to each diver, and each dive, and it is still the best fun under the water.