For those who don’t know me, my name is David Strike and I’m sorry to not be there with you at ADEX2025, an event that has now firmly established itself as one of the world’s great dive shows.
My own association with Singapore’s ADEX Dive Show stretches back to its very beginnings and includes that period in the history of recreational diving that has been one of its most exciting; the growth and development of what is often referred to as, ‘Technical Diving’; a frequently misunderstood term regarded, by so many, as a badge of dubious distinction.
Technical diving is not a stand-alone activity. It encompasses all of diving’s many and varied facets, including: underwater photography, marine biology, maritime archaeology, oceanography, conservation, and exploration. Frequently tasked with pushing the boundaries of existing scientific knowledge, Technical Divers are what early sailors and navigators like Columbus, or astronauts like Neil Armstrong, were to all exploration firsts, personalities prepared to take a step that lifted them above the average.
Nowhere was this more apparent than in the Thai Cave Rescue drama of several years ago; one in which technical divers drawn from around the world – many of whom had first met at Tek Diving Conferences – successfully effected the rescue of a young Thai football team trapped in a flooded cave. A success story that highlighted the value of specialised forums, symposiums and conferences in creating networking opportunities and the pooling of knowledge.
Having had a lengthy association with two leading Tek Conference events (Singapore’s, ‘Tek Talk Asia’ Conference, and Australia’s, ‘OZTeK – Diving Technology Conference’) I am looking forward to next year when both events will join forces to produce the first of an annual series of presentations featuring many of modern diving’s most accomplished personalities.
Presented by, Richard Taylor (founder of Australia’s original OZTeK) and myself, Singapore’s first, ‘TEK:ASIA Conference’ – running in conjunction with Singapore’s annual ADEX Show – will be a game-changer that’ll put the region’s burgeoning technical diving community on the map.
And, if you’re viewing this video clip (edit: as shown at ADEX2025 Opening ceremony on 04/04/25) and still wondering if Tek Diving is for you? It can be! And today, with a full year in which to plan, take the plunge and make the decision to begin the learning process NOW. Talk to Training Organisation members and exhibitors here at ADEX2025. Ask them what is involved in their Advanced/Technical Diving training programmes? Sign up to learn. And then, having done so, make plans to join us next year at the inaugural ‘TEK:ASIA’ event where you can rub shoulders with, chat to, learn from, and socialise with many of the giants of modern exploration diving.
I look forward to seeing many of you there at an event that promises to be several steps beyond the ordinary. 😊
—ENDS—
Categories: General
NEKTONIX 