Yesterday, my wife and I drove down to Ft. Lauderdale. The reason? It was time for OceanFest 2006, the largest dive show in South Florida. Set right on the beach, the location is perfect: it really makes you want to jump in the water and go for a dive.

So how was OceanFest 2006? While it was awfully similar to last year's show, there were a lot of new vendors showcasing a lot of new things. Plus, the weather was great; the people staffing the booths were friendly and knowledgeable; and I learned about lots of great stuff. All in all, I'm glad I went, although I arrived too late to hear either Marty Snyderman or Sir Robert Marx . Grrrr.  On the other hand, I did get to sample a Dive Bar!

The first thing I noticed upon arriving was the divers. They were everywhere. And I'm not talking about the divers wandering among the vendors. No way. I mean real, live, actual divers!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You see, at OceanFest, The Scuba Tour comes to town. The Scuba Tour gives non-divers the opportunity to do a test dive and see what the fuss is all about. There were people in the pool all day long. I think it's a very cool idea. Moreover, they have a live band playing right behind the makeshift pool, so you can rock out as you're going under!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I took the above photo, and then took the following photo...without moving my feet. OceanFest is right on the beach.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Looking at people diving in a portable pool isn't what motivated us to come to OceanFest, though. So we quickly moved inside the exhibition area. Our first stop -- even before we bought a ticket! -- was the beer truck. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After we made it past the beer vendor, we purchased our tickets ($9 per person). Immediately, we were greeted with booth upon booth of diving goodness. Unfortunately, OceanFest is oriented in a long, skinny rectangle, so photo ops do not abound. Believe me when I say the event was packed, and that people were everywhere.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Some of the booths showcased dive destinations; others were staffed by eco-friendly non-profits; some were local dive shops trying to drum up business. However, most of the booths were staffed by people who had traveled a long way to sell their products. These women were going crazy for Scuba Doo's do-rags!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I poked around and saw lots of interesting things. As I sift through my bag of literature, business cards, nick-knacks, and promotional items this week, I'll mention the highlights. During the day, I tested some of the equipment, to see how it fit.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The highlight of the afternoon was meeting Michael Ange, author of Diver Down: Real-World Scuba Accidents and How To Avoid Them. He even signed my copy of the book! You may know Michael as the writer of the "Lessons for Life" features in Scuba Diving magazine. I'll read the book soon and post a review. I expect it'll be great. I think he was surprised that I asked to have our photo taken.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After a day looking through the booths and talking to vendors, I was exhausted, so we decided to relax and enjoy the scenery for a while.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As I mentioned, over the next few days, I'll look through the brochures and pamphlets that I collected and highlight some of the most interesting or unusual things.

Oh -- about the Dive Bar. When I was a Peace Corps Volunteer, I ate all sorts of weird things, including fried caterpillars. I am NOT a picky eater. On this earth, there is only one thing, however, that I absolutely can't stand: coconut. And the Dive Bar contains this vile, wretched, nausea-inducing wonderful, all-natural substance. If you like coconut, you should check it out. My wife loved it! In fact, she even took one to work today.