Event Report: Scubafest Cornwall 2016

Published 10 years agoon May 3, 2016

Held on the early May bank holiday weekend at the coastal venue of Pentewan Sands Holiday Park in Cornwall, this year’s Scubafest has had some great weather for diving as well as the main attraction of the contributors tent at the back of the beach. With magnificent views across the bay, divers took to the calm clear water throughout the day, with dive boats ferrying their customers to and from dive sites. I didn’t have time to get in myself but was told the water was very clear with visibility around 15 meters on the slack tide.

In the main contributors tent, equipment stands held an array of eye catching ‘wish I had’ equipment and although not overly subscribed this year with companies, those who were there made guests feel welcome and were ready to expertly answer all questions about equipment and dive holiday destinations.

Being a bank holiday weekend the resort was busy with caravans and campers, giving a pleasant family feel to the entire festival but I do find the lack of younger divers at these shows to be interesting. There were a few teenagers in the ‘try dive’ pool which was good to see but I personally don’t see many young divers any more, unless at a warm sea holiday resort where they can do their basic training and hire gear to dive on tropical reefs. The incentive then, of coming home to the UK and donning a dry suit, seems to have very little appeal. I can understand that, but in reality these youngsters are missing out on some superb diving to be had around our own shores, with a fantastic array of underwater wildlife and geography.

Perhaps we as the diving industry should be pushing harder for the ‘home dive’ experiences and get more people involved in this fantastic sport.

Were you at Scubafest Cornwall this year? Tell us what you thought about the event in the comments section below.

Jeff Goodman

Jeff is a multiple award winning, freelance TV cameraman/film maker and author. Having made both terrestrial and marine films, it is the world's oceans and their conservation that hold his passion with over 10.000 dives in his career. Having filmed for international television companies around the world and author of two books on underwater filming, Jeff is Author/Programme Specialist for the 'Underwater Action Camera' course for the RAID training agency. Jeff has experienced the rapid advances in technology for diving as well as camera equipment and has also experienced much of our planet’s marine life, witnessing, first hand, many of the changes that have occurred to the wildlife and environment during that time. Jeff runs bespoke underwater video and editing workshops for the complete beginner up to the budding professional.