Event info

Date

January 26 & 27, 2019

Location

Vancouver Aquarium

Price

Included with admission to the Aquarium

Overview

Two full days of expert panel discussions, incredible activities, presentations and displays

Join us for the 20th annual celebration of diving. From riveting dive shows to compelling exhibits to informative presentations, divers and non-divers alike will be further inspired to explore our vast oceans. Plus, don’t miss the Trends in Diving Safety panel, where experts discuss current issues in diving safety.

Feature Events Include:

Saturday only – Trends in Diving Safety panel discussion. (See more information below.)
Sunday only – Diving presentations on range of topics. (See more information below.)
Heritage diving equipment demonstrations.
Exhibits by public service divers, diving clubs, organizations and businesses.
Fun activities for the kids.

The Ocean Wise Vancouver Aquarium’s dive team is supported by Shearwater Research

Speakers Panel

Trends in Diving Safety Panel

Taking place on January 26, 2019, 10:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. in the 4-D theatre.

To celebrate 20 years of Divers’ Weekend we have convened a panel of industry experts to discuss trends in diving safety. Headlining this panel discussion will be Dan Orr, former President of Divers Alert Network, member of the International Scuba Diving Hall of Fame and author of over a dozen books on diving safety. Panelists also include Dr. Neil Mclean (VGH Hyperbaric Unit), Cameron Knight (Diving Safety Officer, Canadian Coast Guard), Dr. Gary Ladd (sports psychologist, Project Abacus), Jonathan Chapple (Vice-President - Aqua-Lung Canada), Tom Beasley (Underwater Council of BC) and Kelly Korol (DiveSafe International). A question and answer session will follow short presentations by each panelist.

Tickets are limited - only 120 seats. A no-charge ticket is required for entry to the panel, but entry to Aquarium must still be purchased (50% off if you show your c-card at Admissions).

Remaining tickets will be available at the door.

Seminar Schedule

Divers’ Weekend Seminar Series

Taking place on Sunday, January 27, 2019 in the Barker Interactive Learning Lab.

All are welcome.

10:30 – 11:30 a.m. ~ Reef Creatures, a presentation for children aged six to twelve

Ann Donahue, Underwater photographer, educator and author. Aimed at children ages six to twelve years old, this presentation will highlight the amazing powers of reef creatures. Ann will share anecdotes, photos and videos captured all over the world about her encounters with these creatures.

3 – 4 p.m ~ Diving Canada’s High Arctic

Jeremy Heywood, Diving and Boating Safety Officer - Ocean Wise Vancouver Aquarium. Jeremy will recount the joint Ocean Wise–One Ocean Expeditions scientific diving pilot project that took place in August 2018. For the first time, scientific divers used the expedition tourism ship Akademik Ioffe as a dive base to explore previously un-dived waters in Canada’s High Arctic. (There will be polar bears.)