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The opening ceremony saw guests-of-honor and Australian icons Rodney Fox and Valerie Taylor join ADEX CEO John Thet for the ribbon cutting
 

I am typing these lines just a few hours after the conclusion of the ADEX OZtek Australia 2025 dive show, which took place in Sydney from March 15–16. As the name implies, this show united two well-known diving events into one. ADEX—short for Asia Dive Expo—has been organizing dive shows across Asia for years, the most famous of all being ADEX Ocean Festival in Singapore, which has been running since 2010. The OZTek Advanced Diving Conference, a bi-yearly Australian celebration of technical diving since its inception in 1999, is now managed by the Underwater360 Group, organizers of the ADEX events.

The combination of the technical-oriented OZTek and the recreational-diving ADEX resulted in a plethora of talks and panels: Around 30 on the main “UW360” stage as well as 36 tech talks in the two OZTek theaters. As one visitor told me: There are so many interesting talks, I wish I could clone myself! It was great to meet ADEX CEO John Thet and his team, as well as all the key figures involved in OZTek over the years: founder Richard Taylor, and former organizers David Strike and Sue Crowe.

Among the 30 exhibitors were resort and liveaboard operators, non-profit organizations, technical diving equipment retailers and service providers, and ocean artists, to name a few. In this report, I will focus on brands related to underwater imaging, but I’ll also include a number of other stands that I had a chance to visit.
 

The OZTek Advanced Diving Conference component of the event saw attendees packed into two theaters at the back of the hall. Tech speakers included David Strike, Mikko Paasi, Patrick Widmann, and John Garvin
 

My panel discussion on “Animal Behavior Photography” featured (left–right): Richard Fitzpatrick, Vanessa Mignon, Mike Scotland, Nicole Miller, Matty Smith, Scott Portelli, and myself

Imaging Booths

Three underwater imaging equipment manufacturers were represented at the show, along yours truly: DivePhotoGuide and The Underwater Club.
 

Scubapix (Nauticam Australia)

Scubapix sells imaging equipment online and from their store in Cairns, Queensland. Owner Peter Mooney had a several Nauticam housings on display, plus a range of wet lenses and water-contact optics that visitors could see up close. There were also external monitors, Keldan lights and Backscatter strobes, which Scubapix also sells in Australia.
 

Peter Mooney (right) shows off a Nauticam rig equipped with dual Backscatter Mini Flash strobes
 

Nauticam’s housing for the Nikon Z6 III, with the Nauticam WWL-C, a wide conversion lens compatible with full-frame Canon and Nikon cameras, as well as some compact cameras
 

The Nauticam Sony Alpha 1 housing with the newly released SMC-3 wet diopter for super macro. The Nauticam MFO-1 (Mid-Range Focus Optimiser) was also on display
 

The Nauticam Canon EOS R5 Mark II housing with the Nauticam FCP-1 mounted. Make sure to check out my comprehensive review of the Nauticam FCP
 

Besides seeing the latest gear, show visitors had the opportunity to meet Nauticam CEO Edward Lai, who gave a fascinating talk about his journey in designing the company’s wet optics

Sea&Sea

Next, I met with Kaz Okada from Sea&Sea, who had on display the company’s universal housing for Sony, as well as Sea&Sea strobes, video lights, and other useful accessories.
 

Kaz Okada holding the Sea&Sea universal housing
 

Mounted on the left handle of the housing was a remote control, capable of controlling up to two Sea&Sea video lights via optical signals
 

Sea&Sea’s LX-4000SW FS video light offers wide (100°) and spot (30°) beams, which can be further shaped with the company’s range of snoots. With the ability to fine-tune the light intensity via the remote, this makes for a convenient macro setup
 

Sea&Sea’s pistol grip and new light mount offer an innovative way to attach any action camera right under the company’s video lights. This makes for an interesting alternative to the “light-on-tray” approach, widespread with action camera shooters
 

Sea&Sea’s latest YS-D3 Duo strobes are available in different colors

Dive Lantern

Next, I paid a visit to Dive Lantern, an Australian company based in Perth that manufactures a range of video lights under their own brand, and distributes the DiveVolk smartphone housings and accessories in Australia and New Zealand.
 

Dive Lantern founder Nik Johnson (left) took me through the company’s range of lights
 

Dive Lantern’s dive torches are available in a range of colors to match your dive gear. Pictured here are the Core 1000 and Beacon 2000 models (respectively, 1,000 and 2,000 lumens), the latter coming with a magnetic charger. The DiveVolk smartphone housing is in the background
 

The company’s video lights include the range topping V7000, boasting a 7,000-lumen, 120-degree beam and white/red/blue light modes

DPG and The Underwater Club

Your favorite resources for underwater imaging news and education—DPG and The Underwater Club—shared a booth, and we had a great time chatting to visitors and industry members about all things underwater photography and video.

DPG is the leading underwater imaging media by reader numbers, offering a wealth of equipment news, reviews and dive destination reports. The Underwater Club is the first online underwater photography school and community, with members from 18 countries. Members enjoy access to self-paced e-learning courses, live and recorded masterclasses, live Q&A sessions and support forums.
 

Left: Yours truly, Right: Léna Remy, my partner in life and in business

Other Booths

Besides covering the photography-related booths, giving a talk on the main stage (“Rebreathers for Photography”), and moderating a panel on animal behavior photography, I managed to visit several of the exhibitors present at the show. I caught up with a few dive operators, resorts and liveaboards who take good care of underwater photographers and videographers. I also met with two artists who create products inspired by the ocean, as well as a thriving Sydney-based online diving community.

Manta Lodge

Located on Stradbroke island, a short ferry ride away from Brisbane, Manta Lodge and Scuba Centre is one dive center that I have been closely following since my first visit in early 2020.

Not only do they have immediate access to manta rays, leopard sharks and turtles (seasonal), the once recreational dive operator is now catering very well to rec-tech and tech divers, offering training and rental on the Mares Horizon rebreather, the rEvo rebreather and, very soon, Halcyon’s new Symbios rebreather. They have different experiences on offer for suitably certified divers, such as two-hour shark drift dives and access to rarely dived sites. Expect a forthcoming DPG article where I’ll share more on the unique experiences they have to offer.
 

Combine a great location with full rebreather facilities with a show like ADEX OZTek Australia 2025, and you get a stand that rarely got quiet!
 

The lightweight Halcyon Symbios rebreather isn’t available to purchase yet, but Manta Lodge had two units on display, with which they will be offering SSI training in the near future

Mike Ball Expeditions

Next, I caught up with Craig Stephen from Mike Ball Expeditions. The well-known liveaboard operator offers three-, four- and seven-night cruises covering various itineraries in the Great Barrier Reef, including special trips like minke whale swims and a few cruises to the world-famous Yongala wreck. Their boat Spoilsport also offers freshwater rinse tubs for photography gear, as well as two camera stations with air guns.
 

One thing I really like about Mike Ball—and this would be enticing for the tech divers visiting OZTek: They cater for rebreather divers!

Master Liveaboards

Next I caught up with Alexander Whitley-Wilson, the general manager of Master Liveaboards, a company with a fleet of vessels covering a range of exciting destinations, such as the Galápagos, Bikini Atoll, Solomons Islands, Palau, and Myanmar.
 

Master Liveaboards are currently running some specials on select Indonesia and Egypt cruises

Wakatobi Resort

Tucked in a remote island off the southeast of Sulawesi, Indonesia, and at least 100 miles away from the nearest dive operation, Wakatobi Dive Resort offers a luxury experience and takes very good care of underwater photographers, with an air-conditioned camera room. They also operate the luxurious Pelagian liveaboard, for those who want to explore even further afield.
 

Wakatobi’s Linda Cash (left), busy discussing the wonderful diving they have on offer

Aivymaes Divers

I caught up with Mark Gromley from Aivymaes Divers, a resort and dive center located in Dauin—one of the Philippines’ best macro regions. They offer affordable dive packages and can take wide-angle photography lovers to nearby Apo Island.
 

Aivymaes Divers is one of the organisers of the Dive Dauin photography festival, which includes an in-person photo competition

Benni Marine Designs

Tasmania-based underwater photographer and artist Benita Vincent was exhibiting her latest collection of eco-friendly apparel, inspired by the marine critters featured in her photographs. To browse her catalog and order online, visit www.bennimd.com.
 

A choice of buffs, scarves and neoprene pouches

Wildcard Sue

Sydney-based diver Sue B-Doobie Liu draws and paints the marine life she encounters on her dives, and offers a range of products derivated from these, including postcards, key rings, T-shirts, and more. Browse Wildcard-Sue’s website to check out her work and order online.
 

Sue’s beautiful drawings adorn a wide variety of products and make perfect gifts for underwater enthusiasts

Sydney Viz Group

Viz is a growing Facebook community of 17,000-plus ocean enthusiasts from the Greater Sydney region, who exchange insights on local visibility and diving conditions. It’s an excellent resource for local and visiting divers to help plan your next dive.
 

From left to right: local photographer Pete McGee, Viz founder Marco Bordieri, and group admin Adam Were
 

Marco and Adam were exhibiting their collection of old bottles, found underwater while exploring the Sydney coastline with their underwater scooters. Some are over 100 years old!

The Decompression Party

Right after the end of the show, exhibitors, industry members and speakers had a chance to meet and network in a relaxed atmosphere, with a drinks party organized by Underwater360 in the nearby Pyrmont Bridge Hotel. There was even a concert with some OzTek speakers playing! It was an awesome night, the perfect opportunity to catch up with old friends—and make some new ones!
 

ADEX OZTek’s happiest attendees: The lucky draw winners!
 

About the Author: Nicolas Remy is an Australia-based pro shooter and founder of online underwater photography school and community, The Underwater Club, with members in 18 countries. A DPG Field Editor, Nicolas serves as an ambassador for Mares and Nauticam, and chairs the jury of the prestigious DPG Masters Underwater Imaging Competition. Nicolas’ images have been widely published in print and digital media, and have won over 40 international photo awards. To see more images by Nicolas and his wife Léna, visit their website, www.nicolaslenaremy.com.
 

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