Diving Talks lining up a stellar list of presenters
Are you looking for an interesting diving event that is also social and enjoyable? Look no further than the upcoming Diving Talks
My 28 years as a dive industry professional have taken me to 130-140 dive shows, events and conferences. So perhaps it is understandable that I sometimes feel a little jaded or unenthusiastic about heading out for yet another one. Many of the dive shows become same-same-ish and the dealings routine.
There are but a few left that I genuinely look forward to and the upcoming Diving Talks, held in Portugal in October, is one of them.
And why is that?
I went to the inaugural event in 2021 and truly enjoyed it for a nice change, which you can read more about in my 2021 event report. But if I have to sum it up it was the blend of interesting presentations, a pleasant and relaxed ambience and the venue was nice and comfortable. That we were treated some really good food also scored a lot of points.

The venue is in a resort area, Troia, south of Lisbon but the transfer from the airport was easy and painless too as we were greeted in the airport and taken directly to the hotel and venue

My expectations?
A replication of last year, just with different presenters, would be good - and enough to entice me back. But knowing Arlindo Serrao, the organiser and his ambitions the already good event is going to be bigger and better. The announced list of presenters so far surely is. There are some repeat names on the list but they are coming with new presentations but the list is much more comprehensive this year.
I don't mean to be lazy about it but as you can see below the list is already comprehensive so just click on the image to see the various presenters' bios on Diving Talks website. Upon closer inspection, you will find several X-Ray Mag regular contributors on this list so here is your chance to meet them in person. I suspect that this list will be amended with some more names in the foreseeable future, so stay tuned.

Debates, wine tour and Brands day
From the latest information I have received, I also understand that there will be staged debates with PADI, SDI and SSI representatives who will discuss the future of teaching diving. That's going to be interesting.
Among other planned improvements or expansions are giving supporting brands more space to exhibit their goods and offer their services. Granted, it was a little tight last year so it is good that better circumstances are being arranged for.
Then I noticed something interesting on the page where you buy tickets: There are no details as of I post this but there will be a tour of a winery on the evening of 7 Oct. This is just a perfect example of how the organisers understand to make this event enjoyable and varied.
While we may all be dedicated divers there is so much more to life and people in Southern Europe just seem to grasp this much better than most.