Skip to main content
✕

Subscribe to our newsletter!

Dive deeper into the world of underwater exploration. Join our newsletter for fresh stories, gear insights, and event updates.

Join Our Newsletter

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.

Baptista Pereira CAP

Captain Nuno Baptista Pereira was born on 16 July 1970 in Lisboa. He was admitted to the Navy in October 1989.
As Junior Lieutenant served onboard patrol boats and in 1996 he became Commanding Officer of Fast Patrol Boat.
After Patrol Boat Force he joined the Navy Communications School for specialization in Communications and Electronic Warfare and then served on board a frigate. Afterwards he joined the Submarine Force having received his Dolphins in 2000. He was then a Submarine Officer on board submarines Daphne Class and June 2005 he attended the “Diesel Submarine Training Program” in the US Navy Submarine Base of Groton, Connecticut. In 2005/06 he attended the Portuguese Naval War College and afterwards to the Portuguese Submarine Commanders Course for three months of intense submarine training. In December 2008 he was appointed Commanding Officer of the Submarine “Barracuda”. During his 20 years of intense operational activity in the Submarine Force, Captain Baptista Pereira took part in several missions and exercises which led him to 20000 hours of submarine navigation. He was the first Commanding Officer of 209PN Class Submarine “Arpão” starting in 2010 to January 2013, afterwards he became Chief of Staff of the Submarine Force until August 2016. From 2016 to 2019 he joined the Joint Force Command Naples as a J5 member and from 2019 to 2022 he was the Navy INTEL Head. He has been the Subsurface Squadron – submarines and divers – Commanding Officer and Portuguese SUBOPAUTH – CTG 443.10 since November 21 and promoted to Captain in 22. During his military career awarded with several recommendations and military medals. Captain Baptista Pereira is married to Dr.ª Vera Pereira. The couple has three daughters and lives in a small countryside village near Sintra.

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.

Filipe Martinho

Filipe Martinho is an Assistant Professor at the Centre for Functional Ecology (CFE) and at the Department of Life Sciences, University of Coimbra, and co-Principal Investigator of CFE’s Marine Resources, Conservation and Technology research line. He holds a PhD in Biology (Ecology, 2009, University of Coimbra). His research focuses on the impacts of climate change and human pressures on marine and estuarine organisms, particularly fish and plankton. He has a strong interest in the role of estuaries as nursery areas for marine fish, and applies otoliths and other natural markers to study fish migrations, habitat use, stock structure, and growth. He is also engaged in assessing artisanal fisheries catches to better understand sustainability challenges.
At the international level, Filipe Martinho collaborates widely with researchers from multiple countries, and is a member of the Portuguese node of the European Marine Biological Resource Centre (EMBRC; UC-ACOI) and of the ICES Working Group on the Value of Coastal Habitats for Exploited Species (WGHVES). Alongside academic work, he is committed to science communication, regularly contributing through lectures, workshops, photo exhibitions, and social media outreach.

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.

Jason Legatt

Jason Leggatt is the Chief Executive Officer of Shearwater Research Inc., a global leader in dive computers and underwater technology. Joining the company in January 2023 and appointed CEO in May 2023, Jason brings more than two decades of progressive experience in the marine and aviation safety manufacturing industry. His career spans engineering, R&D, business development, marketing, and senior leadership, including serving as President of Mustang Survival, part of the Wing Group.
A mechanical engineer by training, Jason is passionate about engineered solutions and the way technology can enhance safety, comfort, and user experience. He thrives on challenge, never satisfied with “how we did it before,” and is known for turning complex inputs into visionary plans while inspiring high-performing teams and cultivating strategic partnerships.
Outside the boardroom, Jason is an avid outdoorsman and water-sport enthusiast—scuba diving, boating, wakesurfing, surfing, or paddling, he simply loves being on the water. He believes that effective people and teams are purpose-driven, and he dedicates his leadership to activating full potential, fostering positive culture, and driving both individual and corporate growth.
Jason lives in British Columbia with his wife, Jai, their three daughters, and two energetic Australian Labradoodles.

Kaila Krack

Kaila Krack, 15, is the daughter of Kirk and Mandy-Rae Krack. Her father, Kirk, is a multi-disciplined diver, founder of Performance Freediving International (PFI), Human Performance Diver Lead at DEEP, and a performance advisor with the Liminal Collective. Her mother, Mandy-Rae Cruikshank Krack, is a seven-time world record–holding freediver, co-founder of PFI, and former PADI Course Director. Both appeared in the Academy Award–winning documentary The Cove. To say Kaila comes from a water-based family would be an understatement.
Introduced to the water from birth, Kaila has traveled widely, freediving and scuba diving throughout the Caribbean, Hawaii, Indonesia, and the Mediterranean. She holds Advanced Open Water, Drysuit, and Computer Assisted Nitrox Diver certifications, along with PFI freediving credentials, and also competes with her local swim club. Recently, she completed her National Lifeguard and Swim Instructor certifications and plans to work as a lifeguard through high school.
At age eight, Kaila joined her father on the set of Avatar: The Way of Water, training alongside the cast and preparing to double for actress Trinity Bliss (Tuk). This unique experience led to speaking opportunities, including presenting with her father to an audience of 1,200 at the 2024 Boston Sea Rovers conference.
Kaila embraces her family’s ethos of giving back and sharing a love of the water. She plans to expand her training in recreational, freediving, and eventually technical diving, with the goal of becoming an instructor.
Now entering Grade 10 in Campbell River, BC, Kaila is already planning her gap years between high school and college. She envisions working as a dive instructor on superyachts or contributing to volunteer research projects. In the meantime, she looks forward to summer internships with DEEP Research Inc., Scuba Diving International, and dive shops in the Cayman Islands and locally.

Kirill Egorov

Kirill Egorov graduated from Moscow State Pedagogical University as a teacher of Physics in 1999, and attended a course of archaeology at Moscow State University. These two specialties allowed him to participate in a multiple scientific research programs, including an archaeological and textile research project at the Moscow Kremlin Museums and Viking Age textile research at the Russian Natural and Historical Heritage Institute. After his first try-dive in 2000, Kirill was totally amazed with the underwater world, and made it his hobby first, and a profession later. He became a PADI recreational and technical instructor in 2003-2004 and joined GUE in 2005. Since that moment he has concentrated on two main passions: diving and teaching diving. Kirill is currently teaching for GUE at Cave 3 and Tech 3 and CCR 2 levels and was recently appointed as GUE Director Of training. He resides in High Springs, Florida which allows him to cave dive as much as possible while pursuing his hobby, underwater photography. Over the years, he took part in a number of diving projects:
– Sailing ship “Agnes Blaikie”, Crimea, Ukraine, 2004
– USS Perry, Palau, 2010-2011
– USS Atlanta, Solomon Islands, 2011
– Mars the Magnificent, Sweden, 2015,2016, 2018,2019.
– Cave project Morpheus, Croatia, 2014,2015,2016
– Project Baseline, Bahamas, 2014
– Project Baseline Mediterranean, 2014
– GUE/NOAA project “Battle for Atlantic” 2016
– Karst Underwater Research 2015-present
– Wrecks of the North Red Sea – 2018-2019
– Battle of Egadi – 2017
– MCEP/CINDAQ – 2021, 2022, 2024
– Mato Grosso, Brasil – 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025

Kirk Krack

A multi-disciplined diver who started his professional diving career in 1988 in his home in Canada, by mid-90’s had specialized in mixed-gas technical diving working in 170m / 550ft range with his business in the Cayman Islands. January of 2000, he started Performance Freediving International (PFI) creating the world’s first complete instructional system eventually training seven athletes to 23 world records. Developing the ‘Advanced Freediving Research Program’ at Simon Fraser University and co-authoring several scientific papers, Kirk also developed the protocols of Technical Freediving, using differing oxygenated mixtures. Innovating, Kirk developed the first Breath-Hold Survival Program and eventually Breath-Hold Special Operations where he currently works with 9 different special operations groups from three different countries. In 2016 Kirk was awarded the DAN Rolex Diver of the Year for his focus of breath-hold safety
Kirk is a ‘Performance Advisor’ with Liminal Collective, world leaders in the human performance space working with corporate and high performing teams and athletes. Eventually working within the documentary and movie industry, Kirk was part of the Academy Award Winning team for the documentary ‘The Cove’ and ‘Racing Extinction’ with the Oceanic Preservation Society (OPS). Training Tom Cruise and Rebecca Furgeson for ‘Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation’ and then Margot Robbie in ‘Suicide Squad’, Kirk was tasked by James Cameron to train the cast and crew for ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’.
Now working with DEEP Research Inc based in the UK and US, Kirk is the Human Performance Diver Lead working towards develop a focus on the ‘multi-disciplined human performance diver’. Additionally, he supports business development and strategic relations.

Laura Marroni

Laura Marroni is a trailblazer in the world of diving. A seasoned technical diver and rebreather diver, Laura is the current CEO of DAN Europe (Divers Alert Network) — one of the world’s leading organizations in dive safety, research, and emergency response. With a background in environmental science and human factors, she has spent over two decades promoting safe diving practices and advocating for a more educated, aware, and connected global dive community.
Laura’s passion for diving started early, evolving from recreational diving into deep and technical exploration. She has participated in numerous scientific and environmental diving missions, combining her technical skills with a mission-driven focus on sustainability and diver well-being.
In recent years, Laura has played a pivotal role in reshaping the safety landscape of diving in Europe and beyond, pushing forward innovations in dive education, risk assessment, and the integration of wellness in dive culture. A frequent speaker at international conferences, Laura is known for her ability to deliver complex safety topics with clarity, empathy, and an eye on real-world solutions.
In 2025, she joins Diving Talks to deliver a powerful Lightning Talk aimed at changing the way we think about dive safety — in just four minutes.

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.

Maria Bollerup

Instructor and Technical Diver | Co-founder of Nixie Expeditions | CEO at Blue Venture
Maria Bollerup is a technical dive instructor, a rebreather cave diver and an explorer who has traversed the world as a professional diver since the age of 18.
A passion for science has led her into a range of underwater research projects, from tagging hammerhead sharks to coral transects in some of the most remote areas of the Pacific Ocean.
The Xunaan-Ha Expedition in Mexico in 2021, a Rolex Perpetual Planet Initiative supported project, resulted in research-based expeditions becoming a more professional passion.
Maria is the co-founder of Nixie Expeditions, an organization that combines diving exploration with scientific research. In October 2024, she was project co-manager and team diver on Expedition Buteng in Sulawesi, Indonesia, focusing on cave exploration, eDNA and the conservation of a unique and isolated cave system.
To inspire the next generation of underwater ambassadors, Maria founded Blue Venture Diving, a B2B dive travel agency for European backpackers. She also runs a dive training program through Thin Blue Line Denmark, where she supports police officers with PTSD by offering peace through diving and breathwork.
As a female technical diver and an advocate for exploration-based diving, she is a Fourth Element Team Diver, member of The Explorers Club and Flag Carrier for WINGS Women in Discovery.
.

Mark Powell

Mark had his first experience of diving at the age of 10 when he did a try-dive in a local pool. He was hooked from that point onwards. He learnt to dive in 1987 and has been diving ever since. He has dived in the Red Sea, Costa Rica, Sri Lanka, California, Gulf of Mexico, Middle East, Truk Lagoon, Bikini Atol, Caribbean and the Mediterranean. However he is most at home in the waters around the UK where there is some of the best wreck diving in the world.
Mark became an instructor in 1994 and has been actively instructing since then. In 2002 Mark set up Dive-Tech, a dedicated technical diving facility, with the intention of providing the highest quality technical diving training.
Mark is a TDI/SDI Instructor Trainer Evaluator, Director of Global Development and a member of TDI/SDI’s Global Training Advisor Panel. He also represents TDI/SDI on a number of international standards groups such as BSI, ISO and RSTC. He is a regular contributor to a number of diving magazines and a regular speaker at Diving conferences around the world.
In 2008 Mark published Deco for Divers, a widely acclaimed overview of the theory and physiology of decompression. This has quickly become the standard text on the subject and is recommended reading by a number of the technical diving agencies. In 2010 Deco for divers was awarded “Publication of the Conference” at the EuroTEK.10 technical diving conference and in 2014 it won the Media Award at TekDive USA. In 2019 Mark followed this up with a new book Technical Diving – An Introduction.

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.

Rui Zambujo Madeira

Commander Rui Manuel Zambujo Madeira was born in Lisbon, on January 3, 1976.
He joined the Naval School in 1994, having completed the Naval Military Sciences Course in 1999.
During his career he served on several naval units, between 1999 and 2004 as operations and executive officer, and, more recently, between 2018 and 2021 as commanding officer, mainly participating in search and rescue, diving support, and public service missions.
However, his main career has been with the Portuguese Navy Divers, which he joined in 2004, having served as Explosive Ordnance Disposal Technician, Mine Warfare Staff Officer, and Salvage and Search and Rescue Diver.
Between 2011 and 2013 he was appointed as chief of the logistics and divers training and evaluation department, and between 2015 and 2018 also as Technical-Pedagogical Director of the Portuguese Navy Diving School.
From 2021 until the end of 2022, he served at the Chief of Defence Staff Office as an adviser for NATO, European Union, and Innovation.
On December 2022, Commander Rui Madeira assumed the command of the Portuguese Navy Divers Group.
Rui Madeira is a recreational and technical diving instructor.
He is married to Mrs. Sandra Madeira and has 2 daughters and 1 son.

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.

Join Our Newsletter

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.

Submit