Divers and nature lovers can experience the untouched south of Oman with Extra Divers Mirbat! This region has become a true hidden gem. Just about an hour from Salalah Airport, two Extra Divers dive centers—located at Alila Hinu Bay Resort and Wyndham Garden Hotel—offer the perfect base for a variety of exciting dives. The south of Oman captivates visitors with its idyllic bays, oriental charm, and pristine dive sites, far from mass tourism.

More than 20 diverse dive sites await exploration, including colorful reefs, wreck dives, and encounters with turtles, rays, and even the rare dragon moray eel. Most dive sites are shallow (up to 25 m), providing ideal conditions for divers of all experience levels. From December to February, during the winter months, lucky visitors may even spot dolphins, whales, and occasionally orcas on boat trips.

The modern dive centers offer comprehensive services and organize daily boat dives with short travel times. Snorkelers are also welcome to join the dolphin tours.

Info & Booking:

mirbat@extradivers.org

Extra Divers Mirbat

By Dave Alexander

Mark Evans… you’ve created a monster.

A monster of a dive show, that is. It’s hard to believe just how fast the GO Diving Show has grown since its inaugural outing back in 2019. Mark and his team have done something the previous UK dive show organisers never did; they’ve listened to the industry and have taken on board what their exhibitors want, and hat’s off to them – they’ve delivered.

Carpet, for example. I know, I know – having a carpet down doesn’t seem like that much of a big deal. But aesthetically, it really elevates the professionalism of the show (and your dogs won’t be barking quite as much as they would have been had you been traipsing around on a concrete floor all day; many of the exhibitors I spoke to were extremely grateful for that). There were black drapes on the walls which hid the sterile-looking breeze blocks the building is made of. These simple additions make a real difference, both to exhibitors and the show’s visitors. It just looks better.

As usual, the Go Diving Show 2025 featured an army of speakers who entertained, educated, and inspired the show’s visitors across several stages. TV presenters and adventurers Steve Backshall and Andy Torbet were among the highlights. Backshall, known for his passion for wildlife and adventure, captivated the audience with his talk, sharing his thrilling experiences and diving expeditions. Torbet, renowned for his adventurous spirit, delivered a compelling presentation titled “Technical Diving on the Telly,” where he explored the challenges of showcasing technical diving on television and the unique perspectives it offers. Monty Halls, known for his conservation work, introduced his “Big Blue Bag” citizen science project, encouraging the audience to contribute to marine conservation. Meanwhile, Dr. Dawn Kernagis spoke about the future of human subsea habitation, giving an insightful look into the advancements in underwater living. In the photo and inspiration sessions, Ellen Cuylaerts shared her incredible adventures from remote locations, emphasizing the importance of dive safety with DAN membership, while Jane Morgan wowed the crowd with her stunning photography of wrecks in “Supermodels of the Sea.” Jane, who is the Dive Safety Officer at Falmouth University, also introduced 10 students to the stage to present their own UK supermodels which they had shot since being at Falmouth Uni. These speakers, among many others, contributed to a diverse and inspiring lineup that offered something for everyone.

In addition to the speakers, other entertainment over the weekend included a Mermaid pool, which proved very popular with families, breath-hold workshops, virtual reality diving, an on-land wreck survey, and more.

If you went to the show to book a dive holiday, you had plenty of options. There were dive centres, resorts, and liveaboards from all over the world exhibiting at this year’s show, with dive specialist tour operators offering full packages at some great dive show prices. The Caribbean, in particular, had a strong presence, with the Bahamas, Saint Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, British Virgin Islands, Grenada, and Cuba all with stands in close proximity to each other (reminiscent of the Caribbean Village at the old dive shows in Birmingham. Who remembers the steel band that rocked up to do their thing every year?). It was good to see Gibraltar there too, and as ever, Malta and Gozo were there in force.

New kids on the block, DYNAMICNORD, were in attendance to show off their full product line for the very first time. For those who were impressed by the new company’s offerings, all they had to do was walk to the next stand, where the Scuba Dive Store team were selling DYNAMICNORD products. By all accounts, they had a great weekend, so congratulations to both parties.

While on the subject of manufacturers, it was great to see Cressi exhibiting at Go Diving. I can’t remember the last time they exhibited at a UK show! XDEEP were there showing off their customisation system for their wings (which is seriously impressive – check it out), and Sea & Sea were on hand to present their endless line of products (do you guys even sleep?!?), including Huish brands like Oceanic, Hollis, Atomic, Stahlsac, and Zeagle. Otter Drysuits had a great weekend – JJ and his team were rushed off their feet measuring divers up for drysuits, while Peter and the rest of the Miflex team, who were sharing a stand with Otter, were there previewing the latest offering from Miflex, KUBI, and the simply adorable reg bags from Oceanarium. Other manufacturers and distributors at the show included Mares, Fourth Element, AP Diving, Garmin, Hammond Drysuits, Custom Divers, and more. Suunto didn’t have a stand themselves, but their team could be found on the Andark Diving stand to assist divers with any questions about their products. Noticeably absent this year were industry giants Scubapro and Aqua Lung, who hopefully will return to the fold next year.

There was a great showing from the training agencies this year too, with PADI, SSI, BSAC, RAID, NAUI, and SDI/TDI all in attendance. I, like many others in the industry, hope they all had the chance to get together and discuss how they can work together to get more young people into the sport. Because it became quite apparent over the weekend that we are an aging industry, with very few young people coming through to carry the torch. There were so many familiar faces, but their hair had changed… everyone’s going grey! Someone needs to tell the kids that diving is cool, and the general consensus seems to be that it’s the responsibility of the training agencies to at least lead the charge on this. But that’s a conversation for another time.

In terms of crowd numbers, the show seemed packed on the Saturday, and most of the exhibitors I spoke to said they had an excellent day. Sunday was quieter in the morning, and like every other dive show I have ever been to (and over 19 years, that’s a LOT), it kind of died off in the afternoon, which was a shame as the last talk of the day, with an impressive lineup of the show’s speakers all on the stage together – including Steve Backshall and Monty Halls – had one of the smallest audiences of the whole weekend.

All in all though, Mark and the rest of the Go Diving Show team did themselves and the rest of the UK dive industry proud this weekend. The show had a fantastic vibe and judging from social media today, a lot of the show’s visitors had a great time. There’s a lot of love out there for GO Diving Show, and it’s well deserved.

Well done, Mark. We’re all looking forward to what you and the team cook up for us in 2026.