Join Cousteau for a BIGGER splash

If we always seem to be telling you that successive Dive Shows, organised by Diver, are bigger and better than the last, that's only because it's true. For example, demand for exhibition space at Dive 2001 has been so buoyant that, unprecedentedly, almost all the stand-space had been sold out as early as midsummer.
     So you'll find no fewer than 220 exhibitors vying for your attention at the NEC, with offerings ranging from the latest diving equipment and accessories to destinations local and long-haul. And there will be a livelier atmosphere than ever - as in the CARIBBEAN VILLAGE, for example, where steel bands will provide that tropical ambience.
     You will also find all the training agencies, suppliers of specialist services, official bodies, environmental groups and historical organisations you would expect - the whole world of diving will be there.
     What's more, this year's Dive Show plays host to the biennial International Festival of Underwater Photography and Film, IMAGE 2001. Visitors will be able to see a permanent display of the entries chosen from thousand submitted worldwide, and enjoy the moving images as well, with the presentations being made on the Sunday.
     And whether you are professional or non-professional, there is still time if you wish to enter.
     There's another bonus for the downhill racers among you - Dive 2001 coincides with the Birmingham Ski & Snowboard Show, so for the price of a £2 crossover ticket you can enjoy two shows for the price of almost one!
     But this year's heaviest action will be in the conference halls. An outstanding line-up of speakers has already been confirmed, headed by none other than JEAN-MICHEL COUSTEAU.
     Last seen by Diver readers being propelled through South African waters by a great white shark (March, 2001), Cousteau is spending most of this year immersed in his Deep Ocean Odyssey project. Encompassing both scuba-diving and ultra-deep submersible activities, he is searching for strange creatures, pirate treasure, shipwrecks and submerged volcanoes, and should have plenty of new material.
     Cousteau, eldest son of the legendary Jacques, has dedicated his life to exploring the underwater world aboard the research vessels Calypso and Alcyone. As president of the Ocean Futures Society, which educates young people on marine conservation, he is a leading spokesman on environmental issues - ex-president Clinton took the unusual step of dubbing him an "Environmental Hero". The producer of more than 60 TV specials, his appearance at Dive 2001 as the guest of the Cayman Islands Tourist Board and Diver is not to be missed.
     Cousteau won't be the only guest talking about exciting marine-life encounters. JACQUIE COZENS was also featured in Diver this year, when in April she reported on her hair-raising encounters with those unpredictable "man-eaters" which lurk in Mexico's Sea of Cortez, the Humboldt squid.
     Nine-footers weighing 154kg have been recorded and they flash bright red when they move into attack mode. Experienced video documentary-maker Jacquie has thrilling footage to prove it, and has since moved on to film great white and Greenland sharks and sperm whales.
     JEREMY STAFFORD-DEITSCH is a leading champion of sharks, recently through his work with the Shark Trust. He has also been hosting trips to dive with bull sharks in the Bahamas. His presentation "Sharks In Trouble" will focus on the many species he has encountered and the continuing threat to sharks worldwide from the rapacious finning industry.
     HAL WATTS, who bills himself as "Mr Scuba", is the owner of a 70m-plus dive site called Forty Fathom Grotto in Ocala, Florida. This is the home of his brainchild, the Professional Scuba Association (PSA), which for 14 years has been training trimix and deep-air divers, including former Dive Show speaker, Britain's Mark Andrews.
     Hal claims to have carried out more than 15,000 dives during his 30 years in the sport, and has held several world deep-air diving records. The PSA teaches Extended Range Recreational Diving Courses based on its "golden triangle" of knowledge, safety and integrity. What exactly does that mean? The man himself will be at Birmingham to explain all.
     Britain's LEIGH BISHOP has also plumbed the depths. A passionate wreck-diver since 1988, he has visited some celebrated examples including the King Edward V11 at 115m on an expedition which he led, the Affray, the M1 and recently the Charybdis (see News).
     In 1999 he took part in an expedition to explore the rarely dived liner the Lusitania, which lies in 93m off Ireland.
     The wreck is littered with artefacts but rapidly disintegrating, and its US owner hopes to persuade the Irish government to allow them to be raised, restored and put on display.
     Bishop already has fascinating images of the Lusitania to show at the NEC but hopes to revisit the wreck between now and October, in which case he will be able to reveal the latest on its condition.
     Photo wizard MICHAEL WONG was born in Sarawak, Borneo, has been diving since 1982 and has won awards for his lavishly illustrated books on diving in Malaysia and Sipadan. His presentation is based around his first documentary film Secrets of the Turtle Tomb, delving inside that island's famous but deadly cavern in which many turtles and also some human divers have come to grief.
     Readers intrigued by last month's Diver feature on using mental techniques to overcome diving phobias will be interested in an unusual hands-on session at the show. Non-divers who want to indulge in the sport but are nervous of the water can undergo a little gentle mind-bending at the hands of a qualified Neuro-Linguistic Programmer and diver, BRENDAN O'BRIEN.
     Yes, we know it sounds far-fetched, but he assures us that their anxieties can usually be worked out with a little guidance. It's all in the mind, you see.
     A theme of safe diving for youngsters also runs through this year's show, and the TRY-DIVE POOL will as usual give them a chance to get a taste of scuba. Meanwhile bigger boys and girls will be able to play with grown-up toys in the DIVE TANK. The chance to sample various rebreathers on try-dives organised by the British Sub-Aqua Club is sure to prove a big attraction.


WIN TWO WEEKS IN THE CAYMAN ISLANDS!
     Head for Birmingham and, who knows, perhaps go on to the Cayman Islands or the Red Sea - for free!

     Every Show visitor can enter our Free Draw for the chance of a dream twin-centre Hayes & Jarvis holiday diving in the Cayman Islands, worth £5000.

     If you're the lucky winner you will enjoy the first week diving from an Aggressor Fleet luxury liveaboard, the second from the all-inclusive Spanish Bay Reef resort and diving on Grand Cayman. By the end of the fortnight you will have experienced the best diving this choice Caribbean destination has to offer.
     For further details on Hayes & Jarvis diving holidays in the Cayman Islands, call 0870 8928280 quoting ref: Dive BHX. For information about Cayman Islands diving, visit www.divecayman.ky