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The 32nd Asia Dive Expo (ADEX) in Singapore—aka ADEX Big Blue Legacy 2026—took place from April 10th to 12th and saw almost 53,000 attendees over three action-packed days of talks, panels, and events, concluding with live judging of the show’s signature competition, ADEX Voice of the Ocean.

Regular attendees would have noticed a few changes compared to previous years. The inaugural Blue Legacy Awards, featuring a fundraising gala dinner, took place on the Friday evening, with ADEX recognizing both individuals and organizations involved in the diving industry. Among the awardees were Ipah Uid Lynn, Tobias Friedrich, Álvaro Herrero (Mekan), and Kirin Sekito, who were all named “Underwater Photographer of the Year,” while Cristian Dimitrius, Aaron Gekoski, and Doudou received “Underwater Filmmaker of the Year” awards. On the Saturday evening, the new ASIAN Geo Ocean Tribes Festival replaced the traditional networking party for exhibitors and speakers. The event started with a fashion show and continued late into the night with various music performances and visual experiences.

The other significant change was a dedicated—and separately ticketed—event specially for technical divers running alongside the main show. Housed in a specially built theater within the exhibition hall, organized by David Strike, and featuring Mark Tozer as an emcee, TEKAsia by OzTek and ADEX offered talks by a lineup of illustrious speakers from the technical diving community.

As usual, underwater imaging brands had a strong presence, with pro video light manufacturers KELDAN taking part for the first time, joined by repeat exhibitors Backscatter, Nauticam, SEACAM, Marelux, SUBNOX, AOI, SEA&SEA, and DiveSea. There was plenty of exciting new gear to check out, as well as some interesting prototype equipment on display. Let’s get into it!
 

ADEX CEO John Thet congratulates Micaela Ochoa from the Tourism Promotions Board Philippines as the Philippines is named “Dive Destination of the Year” during the inaugural Blue Legacy Awards
 

ADEX Voice of the Ocean 2026 live judging event. Back row, left–right: Cristian Dimitrius, Tavi Castro, Tobias Friedrich, Ian Bongso-Seldrup. Front row, left–right: Doudou, Renee Capozzola, Ipah Uid Lynn, Scott “Gutsy” Tuason, and Jim Decker

 

Imaging Booths

Backscatter

I first caught up with the team from Backscatter, the U.S.-based retailer of all things underwater imaging. CEO Jim Decker—who was also on the ADEX Voice of the Ocean judging panel—gave me a tour of the products on display, with a focus on the newest releases.
 

From left to right, CEO Jim Decker, Operations Manager Becca Boring, and Marketing Manager James Emery, surrounded by Backscatter’s own strobes, snoots and other lighting modifiers
 

We talked about their Atom Flash (AF-1), a strobe the company released at DEMA that sits between the company’s Mini Flash (MF-3) and Hybrid Flash (HF-1) models. The new strobe is significantly smaller and lighter than the Hybrid Flash, but Jim told me that its light beam is very similar in appearance, only a few degrees narrower. From a power perspective, the Atom Flash is rated to reach the Hybrid Flash’s “F” level (two clicks below that strobe’s maximum), which makes it sufficient for most wide-angle scenes.

The Atom Flash features an LCD that displays flash settings, shots remaining, and battery life, and a rotary dial for power levels. A button press cycles through the various modes, and interestingly, it’s possible to configure which menu items are in the “favorites.” Say you don’t need high-speed sync (HSS)? You can disable it from the options. Nice.
 

The Atom Flash mounted on the Backscatter Octo housing for the Olympus OM-D E-M10 IV, which felt like a coherent setup in terms of form factor and balance
 

The Atom Flash has its own set of color diffusers as well as its own dedicated snoot, the OS-2. With this snoot, the strobe is meant to produce a light output similar to that of a Mini Flash 3 paired with an OS-1 snoot—since they use the same aperture cards—albeit with the benefit of much faster recycling.

We also looked at the OS-3, a new dedicated snoot for the Hybrid Flash. Since it’s designed for a wide-angle strobe, Jim explained, the OS-3’s minimum working distance is signficantly larger than that of the OS-1 or OS-2, which helps when snooting bigger or shy subjects.
 

The OS-3 for the Hybrid Flash: Using a rotating aperture dial (located inside the snoot), the light beam can be cut down as far as resembling the OS-1’s mid-range snoot beam (when mounted on a Mini Flash)
 

Finally, we looked at Backscatter’s new compact Octo 3500 video lights, which offers an output of—you guessed it!—3,500 lumens. Despite being significantly smaller than Backscatter’s MW-4300, they actually produce a wider beam (100° as opposed to 85°). They have a color temperature of 5000K and are compatible with Backscatter’s color filter system.
 

Backscatter’s GoPro housings and wet lenses: On the right is a pair of Octo 3500 video lights, which I was told are a great match for the very wide field of view of a GoPro with a wet wide lens like the Backscatter Sharp Wide Lens Pro

 

Nauticam

At the Nauticam stand, I caught up with CEO Edward Lai, General Manager Phoebe Lu, and Scubapix/Nauticam Australia owner Peter Mooney, and we discussed the products on display and recent innovations.
 

Nauticam CEO Edward Lai (right) and General Manager Phoebe Lu with a range of housings and optics on display
 

Recent housings, such as the NA-R6III for the Canon EOS R6 Mark III, come with a new port lock mechanism, distinguished by a blue lever, as opposed to the red one that previous housing models have been known for. With this new system, you can simply push the port in when attaching it—no need to operate the latch manually
 

Nauticam had lined up a number of housings, ranging from the most affordable NA-CV1 (for the Canon PowerShot V1 vlogging compact), through the NA-Z50II (for the cropped-sensor Nikon Z50 II), and all the way to a NA-R5II for the full-frame Canon EOS R5 Mark II. These housings can all be fitted with the same bayonet mount, allowing photographers to keep using their Nauticam macro and wide wet lenses as they upgrade from compact to mirrorless or change camera brands, and not bear the cost of multiple ports and lens upgrades.
 

The Nauticam WWL-C is a wet wide lens that gives a camera with a 24mm equivalent lens a 130° diagonal field of view. Nauticam recommends this optic for their entry-level NA-CV1 and NA-Z50II housings, but it still works well with flagship full-frame mirrorless cameras—I’ve personally had great results using the WWL-C with the likes of the Nikon Z8, Nikon Z9 and Canon EOS R5 Mark II!
 

Nauticam also showed a prototype of the “arch”, an ingenious system that allows the housing to rotate vertically while keeping the strobe arms fixed in position
 

New to ADEX was Nauticam’s Mid-Range Focus Optimizer (MFO-3), a wet lens that converts your 90mm/100mm/105mm macro lens into a 60mm macro, from a field-of-view perspective
 

Perhaps the most intriguing product in Nauticam’s booth was the company’s recently released housing for the Insta360 X5 camera. As I reported in this article, the image quality of 360° cameras underwater when using Insta360’s Invisible Dive Case is significantly lower than the footage you can obtain on land. Image sharpness can be improved with significantly bigger dome lenses, but Nauticam went with a different approach, using smaller domes that are both water-contact optics in their own right, with three distinct elements (in two groups). (Look out for my review of the NA-X5 housing in a forthcoming DPG article.)
 

The Insta360 X5 camera and the NA-X5 housing side by side: The Insta360 X5’s native lenses are removed (by the user) prior to the camera being fitted in the housing

 

SEACAM

Next up, I visited the SEACAM booth, where I caught up with owner Harald Hordosch to discuss his company’s latest optics, strobes and housings.
 

Harald Hordosch at the SEACAM booth—easy to recognize from its distinctive silver housings and stunning photographs gracing its walls, all by ambassadors of the brand
 

Harald showed me their new Optical Precision Port, or OPP, an innovative product taking a radically different approach to wide-angle wet lens design. Instead of expanding the lens’ native field of view, the OPP maintains it, like a dome port, but optimizes the image quality better than a dome port can. Indeed, a dome creates a curved virtual image that then causes sharpness issues in the corners, whereas the OPP projects a flat virtual image, maintaining corner sharpness and allowing the user to shoot at wider apertures.

Interestingly, the front optic is flat rather than curved like a dome. Harald explained this makes polishing easier, should the optic ever get scratched. You’d still need this done professionally, but the machinery involved is simpler than that required to rejuvenate a glass dome.
 

The three components of the OPP (left–right): the outer optical port, a Nikon 16–35mm lens with SEACAM’s correction lens attached, and the extension
 

The SEACAM correction lens will be available with threads of various diameters to suit a range of lenses
 

The extension positions the outer optical port at the right distance for the native lens—again, various lengths will be available. Harald pointed out that this modular system makes the OPP particularly travel friendly
 

On the lighting front, SEACAM has started production of their new SEAFLASH 320 strobe. Slightly bigger than the SEAFLASH 160D, this high-energy (320Ws) strobe is geared towards professionals and will only be produced in SEACAM’s “Offshore” flavor, that is with a depth rating of 200 meters (650 feet). Impressively, the strobe is only slightly bigger than the 160D, and it is compatible with the same lighting accessories. Harald noted that it takes two batteries for maximum performance, but interestingly, it is designed to work with one as well. The company expects to start shipping at the end of May or the beginning of June.

Finally, I was told that SEACAM is working on a housing for the Nikon’s RED-powered cinema camera, the Nikon ZR, developed in partnership with ambassador Laurent Ballesta. The first 10 housings will be used in Ballesta’s upcoming exploration project, and will then be available to purchase as a limited edition. Collectors and fans of Laurent’s amazing work, take note!

 

Marelux

I then visited the Marelux booth, which is always easy to spot as the walls feature their many well-known ambassadors. I was shown their new Apollo Y strobe, which comes with a built-in video light.
 

Portraits of ambassadors—Shane Gross, Robert Stansfield, Pietro Formis, Scott Portelli, and Ipah Uid Lynn among them—are a recognizable feature of the Marelux booth
 

The Marelux Apollo Y’s straight flash tube and LEDs for video are visible behind the strobe’s sophisticated-looking built-in diffuser
 

A new, more-compact version of Marelux’s SOFT snoot has been designed to pair with the Apollo Y. The snoot comes with an integrated adjustable mask and a neoprene cover for extra protection and buoyancy
 

The company’s newest housings are for the Canon EOS R6 Mark III, Nikon Z6 III, and Nikon ZR, and there were a number of housings on display at the booth. Marelux were also showing off their Flexibuoy, a innovative mouth-inflatable pouch that attaches to strobe arms and provides an adjustable amount of lift. If, for whatever reason, you need to reduce the lift, simply squeeze the pouch and air will be expelled from the same two-way valve that was used for inflation.
 

Marelux’s Jonathan Lin demonstrates the Flexibuoy

 

SUBNOX

You may have first heard of SUBNOX from my ADEX 2025 report—or as a sponsor of the show’s Voice of the Ocean competition. Last year, the brand, founded by underwater cinematographer Kay Burn Lim, had just announced some innovative video lights, and it was good to see production samples of this flagship SUB10KEF at this year’s show, as well as a couple of brand new products.
 

The SUB10KEF light is now shipping. The video light offers three modes (all rated at 10,000 lumens): white light, ambient light (6–13m) and ambient light (12–20m), the latter two being accessed by rotating a dial, without the need for external filters
 

The SUB10KEF ships with a light head optimized for blue waters, while SUBNOX are working on two other light heads—for blue-green and green waters.

The newly announced SUB5KW, a 5,000-lumen wide-angle video light is more compact than the SUB10KEF but still offers a powerful wide-angle (120°) beam. For macro subjects, an optional optical snoot significantly cuts down the beam angle. Conveniently, the snoot clips above the lens and attaches magnetically.
 

Kay Burn Lim (left) showing the new SUB5KW compact video light to booth visitors
 

With its snoot attached, the SUB5KW seems well suited to filming small subjects
 

SUBNOX also had two dive torches on display—the SUB400LEP and SUBLZT. The former produces a lightsaber-like beam that would be interesting for underwater modeling. It uses Laser Excited Phosphor technology (hence the name), which penetrates in water much further than traditional LED torches. The smaller SUBLZT torch, which includes a green laser, is another new product that is now shipping

 

KELDAN

Next, I caught up with Daniel Keller, founder of the well-known pro video light manufacturer KELDAN, who was exhibiting at ADEX for the first time this year.
 

Alexis Bataillon (left) and Daniel Keller presenting the iconic Swiss-made purple video lights
 

KELDAN offer both ambient-light color filters for mounting on their white lights and video lights that produce an ambient blue color natively, such as the 8XR Ambient, rated at 18,000 lumens
 

Daniel talked me through the advantages of the company’s remote control system, which uses ultrasound and lets you control the brightness of your lights remotely. The beauty of using ultrasound, Daniel told me, is that there is no need for direct light of sight, which is particularly helpful for lighting wrecks and caves. Their RC1 remote control has an impressive range of up to 50 meters (160 feet).

KELDAN were also displaying a prototype of their forthcoming variable-color light, whose temperature can be adjusted during the dive to match the ambient light at the user’s depth.
 

The prototype variable-color light has two blue and two yellow LEDs which, when combined, can produce light of different color temperatures
 

These variable-color lights were first announced at DEMA 2022, and Daniel explained that KELDAN have been refining the technology since then. He is expecting the light to become available by the beginning of 2027.

It was exciting to hear that users will be able to use a new KELDAN remote control to not only dial in the brightness remotely (an unlimited number of lights on two separate channels, as with the RC1) but also adjust the lights’ color temperature via a third control.
 

The prototype remote controller, whose top dial is dedicated to controlling color temperature. The icing on the cake? If you select the “A” position on the remote, it will automatically pick the color temperature for you, using a built-in depth sensor. Impressive!

 

AOI

I then caught up with Nick Khoo from AOI, who had quite a few new products to show off at the booth. Nick showed me their new Universal Housing for Action Cameras (UH-ACT), which is able to accommodate 16 different action cams, including popular models from GoPro, DJI’s Osmo series, and Insta360’s ACE series. This is made possible by the slightly larger-than-normal housing in which you then install the relevant camera adapter for your particular model—meaning you only change this adapter when upgrading to a different model.
 

Top: The housing, depth-rated to 60 meters (200 feet), comes with a grip, an extended shutter release, and a bayonet mount that can accommodate AOI’s macro and wide wet lenses for action cams. Bottom: Inside the housing, the yellow component is the part that needs to be swapped when you switch to a new camera
 

AOI also showed off a lighter-weight version of their fully-featured UH-GPx housing for GoPros, aptly named UH-GPx Lite. This housing features its own internal battery that powers a built-in 5-inch Full HD monitor, and comes with a vacuum check system.
 

The UH-GPx Lite is made partly of aluminum, partly of polycarbonate, reducing its overall weight
 

Next, I was shown a snoot newly released for the company’s compact Q1 RC strobe, which Nick said was one of the lightest optical snoots on the market. Interestingly, the size of the light beam can be continuously adjusted via an internal rotating iris, rather than a traditional mask with a limited number of apertures.
 

AOI had an OM System TG-7 connected to a monitor, letting you experiment with the snoot and see the results immediately
 

In addition, AOI showed off a new snoot for the UIS-P1 strobe—larger than the one for the Q1-series strobes. AOI also demonstrated what looks like external “armor” for the strobe, which doubles as a float to make the strobe close to neutral underwater
 

AOI also had a range of new carbon float arms on display. All feature a ball mount attachment in the middle of the arm, providing extra mounting points for lights and accessories. These will start shipping next month
 

AOI’s upcoming compact housing for the Canon EOS R50 was showcased behind glass. It features a fixed flat port to lower the asking price. A 67mm thread ensures compatibility with the brand’s macro and wide wet lenses
 

Another new product on display—this time in prototype form—was a new smartphone housing. Expected early 2027, the housing comes with an innovative “trackpad” (visible here on the left), while the glass port is positioned so the phone’s lenses can get as low as possible to the seafloor
 

Finally, AOI are working on a powerful new video light rated at 23,000 lumens. I was told it will be more travel friendly than products of similar brightness by virtue of a lighter-weight battery pack

 

SEA&SEA

My next port of call was the SEA&SEA booth, where I caught up with International Sales Manager Kaz Okada as well as underwater videographer and SEA&SEA ambassador Kirin Sekito. Kaz showed me the company’s universal housing for Sony cameras, the MDX-α7RV U, which can be adapted for a small cost when upgrading to a different Alpha-series model.
 

Kaz Okada (left) and ambassador Kirin Sekito brandish SEA&SEA’s latest housings
 

The MDX-α7RV U universal housing is available in black or silver. (Apparently, most shooters opt for the black version, so if you want to stand out from the crowd, you know what to do!) SEA&SEA also make a universal Nikon housing (MDX-Z7II U), which can accommodate a range of Nikon mirrorless cameras with minimal adaptations
 

We spent most of our conversation discussing the newly released YS-D130R, which speaks to the rich list of the features and enhancements introduced in SEA&SEA’s latest flagship strobe, some of them rather unique.

Notably, the YS-D130R features a circular tube (departing from the company’s tradition of straight flash tubes), which promises to deliver enhanced quality of light at a color temperature of 5600K, as well as accommodating a central aiming light. SEA&SEA’s engineers have also improved the battery cap design with an O-ring that stays fixed on the main strobe body, which minimizes the chance of water droplets getting inside.
 

SEA&SEA have paid particular attention to the YS-D130R’s ergonomics, with responsive clicks for the mode and power dials, and all key settings clearly presented on an easy-to-read LCD screen. That screen flips when the strobe is upside-down, while the power dial rotates endlessly. Interestingly, the user can choose whether power dial clicks denote 0.3-stop or 0.5-stop increments
 

According to the specs, with its proprietary Li-ion battery pack, the YS-D130R recycles in just 0.8 seconds after a full-power dump, and delivers 230 shots at maximum output. The strobe can also be used with a battery holder for four AA batteries, offering a backup/alternative to the Li-ion battery pack—although with the expected reduction in performance

 

DiveSea

For Singapore-based divers, DiveSea is their go-to underwater imaging store. They stock a wide range of brands, ranging from action camera housings all the way to flagship mirrorless camera housings, lights, and all sorts of imaging accessories. I asked owner Fairuz for an example of a product that is currently trending, and he named AOI’s Universal Housing for Action Cameras (see details in the AOI section above) as being very popular since its launch.

Note that DiveSea’s Singapore shop recently moved: You can now find them at 178 Paya Lebar Rd for your next in-person gear purchase—but they do also ship overseas.
 

Backscatter, AOI and SEA&SEA are among the many brands stocked by DiveSea
 

DiveSea also had the complete range of Insta360 cameras and accessories available at their stand
 

Ben Sarinda (center, wearing red DiveSea hoody) is known for the stunning images he captures with a smartphone, and is well placed to explain the merits of DIVEVOLK’s smartphone housings, also sold by DiveSea

 

Around the Exhibition Hall

The imaging booths were by no means the only source of entertainment at ADEX Big Blue Legacy. The following images should give you an idea of just how much went on over three intense days (and nights) in Singapore!
 

The exhibition hall was really buzzing during peak periods
 

The ever-popular ADEX360 Dive Tank saw breathtaking performances and competitions
 

Danny Charlton, Julia Sangi and team members from Lembeh Resort and Murex Resort, which offer easy access to North Sulawesi’s diving hotspots
 

Papua Diving, who operate two resorts on Raja Ampat’s beautiful Kri Island, had a big, eye-catching booth
 

Mike Ball Expeditions, one of Cairns’—and Australia’s—best-known liveaboard companies offers three-, four- and seven-night cruises, visiting the best spots on the Great Barrier Reef
 

Renowned environmental photojournalist and film producer Aaron Gekoski was among the many speakers giving captivating talks at this year’s show
 

Nicolas Remy (far right) moderates a discussion on blackwater photography with panelists (left–right) Ben Sarinda, Olivier Martinoo, Imran Ahmad, Scott “Gutsy” Tuason, and Renee Capozzola
 

The Friday night’s Blue Legacy Awards featured a gala dinner raising funds for environmental non-profit The International SeaKeepers Society
 

The Blue Legacy Awards recognized the industry’s finest, including members of the technical diving community. David Strike received the Lifetime Achievement Award while Explorers of the Year were Mikko Paasi, Liz Parkinson, and Yoshitaka Isaji
 

One of the highlights of the Saturday night’s ASIAN Geo Ocean Tribes Festival was seeing the work of Shanghai-based fashion designer Grace Chen
 

For underwater image-makers, the Sunday’s ADEX Voice of the Ocean live judging was the main event. The pictured portfolio entry by American photographer Boz Johnson went on to win the competition’s top prize, a US$10,000 SEACAM housing
 

There was spirited debate among the ADEX Voice of the Ocean judges, including (left–right) Tobias Friedrich, Ipah Uid Lynn, Doudou, Renee Capozzola …
 

… Jim Decker, Cristian Dimitrius, Tavi Castro, and Scott “Gutsy” Tuason. Check out the winners, runners-up and honorable mentions on UnderwaterCompetition.com
 

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Once again, the ADEX team pulled off a fantastic show, with great networking opportunities and an incredible number of talks. But if you missed this one, don’t worry: The 33rd edition is scheduled to take place in April 2027. See you in Singapore next year!
 

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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. He serves as an ambassador for Nauticam and Mares, and chairs the jury of the prestigious DPG Masters photo competition. Nicolas’ images have been widely published in print and digital media, and have won over 40 international photo awards. www.nicolaslenaremy.com.
 

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