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Speakers 2025

At Diving Talks, we pride ourselves on offering a unique and innovative approach to curating our Speakers Panel. Unlike traditional selection processes, Diving Talks’ speakers are nominated by their peers, ensuring that the Diving Talks stage is graced by individuals who inspire and resonate within the diving community.

Curious who’s taking the stage at Diving Talks 2025? Dive in now and discover the incredible lineup of speakers who will inspire you in Lisbon!

Alex Dawson

Alex’s passion for diving dates back three decades to when he took his first breaths under water at the age of 19. He fell in love with the sport and quickly determined to become a dive master, which then led to his enlistment as a military diver in the Swedish Marines. During this period, Alex bought his first underwater camera and housing, and began experimenting with photography. Following his departure from the military, his career brought him to Egypt, where he worked as a dive master and guide for a live-aboard on the Red Sea. This opportunity only further strengthened his love for the underwater world and photography, and eventually led him to work in Sudan, the Canary Islands, and his native country of Sweden. He has since been honoured with the privilege to capture images for a variety of tourist organisations. “My style of photography is geared toward piquing the interest of non-divers, and giving them a window into worlds unseen. I always strive to create a “I wish I was there” feeling with my imagery. It is my hope that my shots of wide seascapes and the ability to capture divers in the moment will inspire a whole new generation of divers and photographers.

Andrea Murdock Alpini

Andrea Murdock Alpini is an Italian scuba explorer and researcher.
He is a technical trimix and advanced wreck-overhead instructor trainer based in Italy.
Murdock is fascinated by deep wrecks, historical research, decompression studies, caves, filming, and writing. He was awarded the Golden Trident as scuba explorer and researcher in June 2024. He was invited as speaker to Boston Sea Rovers Symposium.
Andrea is also the founder of PHY Diving Equipment. His life revolves around teaching scuba diving, conducting expeditions, developing gear, and writing  about his philosophy of wreck and cave diving.
Andrea Murdock Alpini published several books, Deep Blue: storie di relitti e luoghi insoliti (2018) and his next, IMMERSIONI SELVAGGE, was published in the fall of 2022. Recently he published a new wreck-historical book: ANDREA DORIA: UN LEMBO DI PATRIA (2023). The last issued book is: NOMADE DEL PROFONDO, with stories of cave/mine diving, wrecks and three American interviews to ‘the oaks’ of the pioneering contemporary scuba diving.
He runs explorations on deep south wrecks of Italy on board his Raffio.

Cathryn Castle Garcia

Cathryn Castle Garcia is a veteran scuba instructor and co-owner of C2G2 Productions, a multimedia company specializing in underwater and wildlife film production, editing, and publishing.
Cathryn has served as a magazine editor for more than 35 years and edits/publishes books for indie authors. Her business, ClearStoryCoach.com, coaches aspiring authors and creators, and provides branding and marketing consulting for businesses.
Cathryn and her husband Capt. Gui Garcia also work together as superyacht crew. They recently bought an oceanfront home on Faial Island in the Azores, which they are renovating as a holiday rental and film production studio for their new business, Hello Azores Multimedia. Both Cathryn and Gui are collaborators at Okeanos Institute of Marine Sciences on Faial and are members of the local tourism association.
Cathryn is an inductee into the Women Divers Hall of Fame and is an SSI Platinum Pro 5000 recipient.
The couple’s first book, Ocean Metaphor: Unexpected Life Lessons from the Sea is available in select retail outlets and on Amazon.com. They are available for speaking engagements, book signings and corporate events.

Damian P. Xuereb

Damian P. Xuereb has a multidisciplinary background and a track record in strategic management. He holds a degree in General Management (Maastricht), an MBA with Distinction (Grenoble), postgraduate qualification in International Regulatory Affairs (London) and First-Class BSc in Diving Safety Management (Malta).
Damian has held prominent IT and information security roles in the public sector, including diplomatic postings. From 2010 to 2013, he served as Chief Strategy Officer at the Malta Gaming Authority, leading a comprehensive restructuring of Malta’s gaming sector.
In the private sector, Damian served as Launch Manager at Methode Electronics (NYSE: MEI), spearheading projects for major brands such as Volkswagen, Audi, Continental, and McLaren. He subsequently took on the role of Head of Strategy at PTL (MT: C 3545), a leading technology integrator specialising in banking and border control systems.
Since 2018, Damian has been the Head of Strategy and Director of Management Consulting at Credence (MT: C 89172), where he specialises in business growth, M&As and turnarounds together with an expert team of lawyers and tax professionals.
Other Roles and Ventures
Damian is a Board Member of e-GO Education (Malta) Ltd. (MT: C 83113) and serves as Non-Executive Chairman for several sports-focused businesses. He is also an active entrepreneur, engaged in an automotive engineering startup.
A dedicated wreck OC/CCR Trimix Diver, Damian is a DAN Instructor, Diving Safety Officer, and a TDI/SDI Instructor.

David Caldwell

David has had a lifelong career in the scuba industry, beginning by working at a dive store while in high school. In 1987 he became an open water scuba instructor where his passion led him to Grenada West Indies leading dives to the noted shipwreck, Bianca C. Returning from the Grenada he became the co-owner and president of the dive store where he first learned how to dive. Following his tenure being a dive store owner David co-founded Northern Atlantic Dive Expeditions, Inc. NADE focuses on shipwreck diving, exploration, technical diving training and leadership development. Along with being the co-owner he is a co-captain of the dive charter boat Gauntlet and is the northeastern U.S. and eastern Canada’s regional manager for NAUI Worldwide.
David continues to follow his passions of cave and mine diving throughout the U.S. and Europe, he has had the privilege to dive some of the worlds notable shipwrecks off the eastern seaboard of the U.S., Canada, South Pacific, Red Sea, South China Sea, and the Mediterranean Sea. In addition, he has co-led shipwreck discoveries in his local waters, including the USS Nezinscot, Allentown, among many others, and has collaborated on research projects with NOAA in support of exploration in Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary.
Through his position with NAUI Worldwide, David is a Course Director Trainer and Technical Examiner, he is a fellow member of the Explorers Club, associate member of the Boston Sea Rovers. David is also employed as an Assistant Harbormaster for the City of Beverly Massachusetts and is a member of the board of directors for Salem Sound Coast Watch. Parallel to having a career in the dive industry, he’s had an industry career in global product management and application engineering.

Dawn Kernagis

Dr. Dawn Kernagis is Director of Scientific Research at DEEP. Prior to joining DEEP, Dawn was Vice Chair for Research at the University of North Carolina – Department of Neurosurgery, where her research focused on development of ways to protect the brain and nervous system in extreme environments. Dawn’s research has been funded by multiple agencies and organizations, including ONR, NASA, US Special Operations Command, and the Military Operational Medicine Research Program.
In addition to her research career, Dawn was selected as a crew member of the NASA NEEMO XXI undersea mission in 2016. Dawn has been diving since 1993, and she was involved as a diver and operations manager with numerous underwater exploration projects and organizations, including the Woodville Karst Plain Project cave exploration team and Global Underwater Explorers. Based on her background in underwater exploration and science, Dawn has been inducted into Women Divers Hall of Fame and named a Fellow of the Explorers Club.

Gui Garcia

Capt. Gui Garcia is a veteran scuba instructor and co-owner of C2G2 Productions, a multimedia company specializing in underwater and wildlife film production, editing, and publishing.
Gui is an award-winning photographer and filmmaker and is also a US Coast Guard-licensed master mariner with decades of experience as a superyacht captain. In addition to traveling for film work, he leads adventure tours and photo expeditions to remote dive destinations worldwide.
Gui and his wife Cathryn recently bought an oceanfront home on Faial Island in the Azores, which they are renovating as a holiday rental and film production studio for their new business, Hello Azores Multimedia. Both Cathryn and Gui are collaborators at Okeanos Institute of Marine Sciences on Faial and are members of the local tourism association.
Gui is currently filming historically important shipwreck sites in the Azores and is helping install moorings at popular Faial dive sites.
The couple’s first book, Ocean Metaphor: Unexpected Life Lessons from the Sea is available in select retail outlets and on Amazon.com. They are available for speaking engagements, book signings and corporate events.

Henry Jager

Henry Jager is an award-winning underwater photographer from Switzerland, known for capturing the hidden beauty and dynamic energy of the ocean. With an incredible sense for an unexpected view on the subjects, he creates pictures that both inspires and educates.
His work ranges from touching portraits of sea creatures to the bright life under water, highlighting rare behaviours and unique perspectives.
Henry’s photographs have been featured in national and international exhibitions, earning recognition from leading publications including Ocean Planet, National Geographic and the Ocean Geographic magazine. He has received numerous accolades, including the prestigious DIWA Award, a gold medal at the Trierenberg Super Circuit, and was a finalist at The Open photography contest. Henry served as Head of Jury for the well-known Deep Visions contest, where his expertise continues to inspire the next generation of underwater artists.
Henry shared his insights and underwater adventures on stages like the ADEX Show, engaging audiences with powerful visuals and compelling stories from the deep. As a speaker, Henry brings not only breathtaking imagery but also profound insight into the art and ethics of underwater photography.
His work stands as a tribute to the magic and fragility of our oceans.

Isidora Dekalo

Isidora is the founder of Dive into Life and the leading content creator in the scuba diving scene. Her videos reach hundreds of millions annually and she is known for charmingly showcasing top dive destinations around the globe and for her witty educational reels. Isidora is an AmbassaDiver for PADI, DAN Europe and on the Global Dive Team of SCUBAPRO. She’s a videographer, underwater model, blogger and social media consultant..

Marco Ali

Marco is a diving maritime archaeologist that works at Vrak – Museum of Wrecks, a new museum in Stockholm, Sweden. Marco is born and grown in a little town in siciliy. Hes been passionatet about diving and freedeivng since early age. He is part of the cultural heritage section of the museum and works with both commissioned archaeology and various research projects. One of them is “visualizing wrecks” a project that evaluates the different possibilities that exist to be able to document and visualize with digital technologies remains that are hidden below the water surface.

Paulo Oliveira

Paulo Oliveira was born in Madeira Island, Portugal, is 60 years old, is a biologist with a PhD in Biological Sciences from Metropolitan Manchester University. He has developed all his professional and academic activity in the area of marine and terrestrial nature conservation and biodiversity management. Currently, since 2008, is a member of the Board of Directors of IFCN, IP-RAM. He has worked transversally in operational areas, such as the recovery of species and habitats of small islands and the management and implementation of important Marine Protected Areas.
Regarding the theme of these Diving Talks, it is important to mention his role as coordinator of the projects for the creation of two artificial reefs, used for recreational diving, on Madeira and Porto Santo Islands through the sinking of two large ships. It can also be pointed out his role as coordinator of the efforts that, in 2022, led to the creation of the largest No-take MPA in the North Atlantic, the Selvagens Islands Nature Reserve.

Phil Short

Phil has been a professional diver and Explorer for over 35 years logging over seven thousand dive hours in the Recreational, Technical, Scientific, Media and Commercial diving communities.
He has been a diver, trainer, supervisor and operations manager on numerous Scientific projects for institutions including WHOI, the US NPS SRU and Lund University.
Specialising in CCR as an Instructor, IT, test diver and industry SME with over four thousand CCR dive hours.
Phil is a Fellow of both the Royal Geographical Society and the Explorers Club and currently works as Diving Research and Training Lead at DEEP Research Labs.

Susana Vallejos

Susana Vallejos is a maritime archaeologist and cultural heritage professional with over 15 years of experience in maritime museums. Susana works as a coordinator at Vrak – Museum of Wrecks, a new museum in Stockholm, Sweden, with a unique approach to presenting maritime archaeology and to creating meaningful and sustainable experiences of the underwater cultural heritage that rests at the bottom of the Baltic Sea – for everyone, including audiences that for various reasons might never be able to dive themselves. In 2024, Vrak garnered a nomination for the prestigious European Museum of the Year Award.

Tamara Adame

Tamara is a Mexican cave diving instructor and cave explorer from Quintana Roo, Mexico and she teaches full time in Tulum.
She has dedicated part of her career to scientific diving, which led her to dive in different countries for research projects such as the Marshall Islands, Alaska and the Maldives.
Tamara is passionate about teaching, mentoring young female technical divers, conservation and cave exploration.

Tiffany Duong

Tiff Duong is an award-winning explorer, storyteller, and public speaker. She holds degrees from UCLA and UPenn Law and is a WINGS Woman of Discovery and a member of The Explorers Club. Transformed by an epic dive trip to the Galapagos, she left corporate law to campaign for our planet. Now, she writes, speaks and creates across disciplines to help people connect to our oceans and live their biggest, boldest lives.
She co-founded (1) Tela Coral, a nonprofit exploring a rebellious coral reef in Honduras that nobody knows about; (2) The Seabirds, an all-women’s expedition team leveraging citizen science to build STEM literacy; and (3) Three Otters Media, a VR game development studio creating virtual reality experiences from scientific expedition data.
In all she does, Tiff is guided by her pursuit of “stoke” and joy and her desire to leave a legacy of impact. Through her varied work, Tiff gives voice to what’s happening in the natural world to inspire meaningful action and lasting change. When she’s not underwater, she can be found on her yoga mat or searching for the world’s best cheesy fries.

Speakers’ selection

At Diving Talks, we pride ourselves on offering a unique and innovative approach to curating our Speakers Panel. Unlike traditional selection processes, Diving Talks’ speakers are nominated by their peers, ensuring that the Diving Talks stage is graced by individuals who inspire and resonate within the diving community.

1. Peer Nominations

Each year, the speakers who take the stage at Diving Talks are given the opportunity to nominate others for the following edition.

The organization poses a single, straightforward question to our speakers: “Who is the speaker you want to see on the Diving Talks stage next year, someone whose presence would be a compelling enough reason for you to attend the show?”

2. A Community-Driven Process

By empowering our speakers to nominate others, we ensure that the Diving Talks Speakers Panel reflects the community’s interests, values, and evolving trends.

The process fosters a cycle of mutual respect and admiration, creating a vibrant and dynamic platform for exchanging knowledge and stories.

Through this peer-driven process, Diving Talks continues to deliver an unparalleled experience, bringing together the most exciting and influential voices in the diving world, year after year.

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Lightning Talks

Have you achieved something remarkable underwater? Do you hold a dive under your belt, worth sharing with the diving community? Would you like to share it in the Talks?

Diving Talks introduced the Lightning Talks in 2024 – Phil Short and Gareth Lock were the volunteers – a dynamic new format where speakers have just 4 minutes to deliver a powerful, focused presentation on their chosen topic. Designed to captivate, these concise talks challenge speakers to make every second count, delivering impactful insights in a brief, engaging format.

Reach out to the DIVING talks Organizing Committee and explain why there should be a Lightning Talk with your name in it.

To apply for a Lightning Talk slot at the 2025 edition of Diving Talks, applicants must comply with the following regulations:

1. Presentation Time Limit

  • Each Lightning Talk will have a strict time limit of 4 minutes.
  • Sound and image will automatically shut off at the 4.00-minute mark, regardless of the presentation’s status.

2. Eligibility Criteria

  • Only registered attendants of the event are eligible to apply.
  • A valid ticket must be purchased prior to submitting the application.

3. Submission Deadline

  • The complete presentation (slides, video, or any other required materials) must be submitted to the event organizers no later than two weeks prior to October 17, 2025.
  • Late submissions will not be accepted under any circumstances.

4. Review and Decision Process

  • All applications will be reviewed by the Diving Talks organization team.
  • The organization’s decision to accept or refuse an application is final and non-negotiable.

By applying, you agree to abide by these rules. Failure to comply with any of the above may result in disqualification from the Lightning Talk session.

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