Malaysia International Dive Expo 2009 - Malaysia International Dive Expo 2009

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Author: Matt J. Weiss / July 29, 2008 12:00AM MDT Category:

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MIDE, KL, Dive Expo

Kuala Lumpur has been my hub for diving. Many choose Singapore, Bangkok, Hong Kong or even Australia, but I chose KL. Kuala Lumpur is often visited by tourists lured by its diversity of cultures, world class shopping and, perhaps above all, international cuisine. Lying at one of the vertices of the coral triangle, for divers, it’s the perfect place to spend a dry day or two, off gas, or explore Asia’s topside culture that we sometimes miss when only underwater or in the camera rooms. On my recent editorial trip I was in KL on 4 different occasions. So, in my mind there is no better place for a dive expo. Enter MIDE. In its third year, MIDE is one of Asia’s biggest dive shows. Located in the heart of KL’s business district at the Putra World Trade Center, crowds poured into the venue that housed 90 booths from 40 countries. How many from America? 1. Who was it? You didn’t think DPG would miss it, did you?

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A little tired, but all is ok during set up of DPG booth

Being new to the industry, I must admit that dive expos like MIDE actually induce little kid in a candy syndrome. From the moment you walk into the brightly lit hall, you are surrounded by like-minded people all of who are interested in talking about things from whale sharks to nitrox to mm thickness of your wetsuit. It’s a haven for underwater enthusiasts-only its on land. However, what sets MIDE apart is its accessibility-its openness and willingness to cater to not just the professionals and very enthusiastic hobbyists, but also the inexperienced or casual diver. Not all of us can sit around and talk about the percent of helium in our 12 l aluminum tanks or watch pictures of an eating pipefish for 4 hours. For the more casual hobbyist, a dive expo can sound intimidating. MIDE, however, welcomes all. It starts with the fact that entrance is free, enticing a totally different group of valuable divers that might not give up a weekend afternoon to pay for a dive show. It does not stop there though, MIDE fosters a welcoming environment by offering environmental seminars, children’s drawing competitions and many other interesting opportunities that might not only interest the hardcore diver, but the laymen as well.

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Crowds poured into the third annual Malaysian Internation Dive Expo

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It was an honor to present the awards to the children of the drawing competition. Another example of how MIDE goes above and beyond just Diving.

Of course dive shows are also a great time to catch up with old friends and meet new ones. I was able to put many faces to email addresses, and just mingle with great people.

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Ketut at the AquaMarine Diving - Bali booth. After a week of excellent diving with Ketut, it was great to see him out of his wetsuits and on dry land!

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Clement Lee of Borneo Divers and Sabah Tourism accepts an award from Padi. It was the first time I met Clement, but I enjoyed some meals with him at Borneo Divers the following week.

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It was great to meet the people behind some of the operators that I have seen on DPG-like Dive Vietnam.

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Tim Hochgrebe and Neville Coleman of Underwater.com.au had the booth next to us, so I was able to spend a lot of time with them. Not one second was dull.

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Here are the boys from OceanExplorers.com.my. Edvin Eng, next to me, is a winner of one of our competitions and now leads trips to the Malaysian Islands. The trips focus on photographers of all levels. Edvin and Jeff, to the right of him are excellent photographers and great guys. There booth was the only other photo booth in the show.

One of the best ways to do this was at the MIDE/Scuba Diver Australasia cocktail party. Located at a hip bar in the heart of KL, free flow beer and soft drinks accompanied finger food and a wild dance floor. VIP, marine naturalist and nudibranch expert Neville Coleman started the party with some dance moves that shocked even Tim Hochgrebe of Underwater.com.au.

Play that funky music white boy!

SDAA and MIDE also presented prizes to the winners of their Through the Lens photo competition. As with most other competitions he enters, newest DPG editor Keri Wilk took home a 1st prize. Because I am much prettier than him, I was there to accept it.

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Here I am with John Thet, Publisher of SDAA. Thats Keri's winning picture.
(Photo Credit: David Espinosa)

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Show organizer Kenny was always running around during show hours making sure everything went smoothly. At the party, it was great to catch him for a few minutes and have a chat.

The party went on until the late hours of the night (or early hours of the morning) and was good time enjoyed by all who attended.

However, what makes MIDE stand out the most in my mind is, as mentioned, its location. KL is hard to beat for a gateway into Southeast Asia. I dragged myself away from the booth long enough to enjoy some local foods and the view from the Petronas Towers Bridge (which unfortunately is only half way up the towers and, of course, surrounded with very reflective glass that makes photo ops a little disappointing). However, KL means more than the Pertronas towers, it means more than interesting museums and a diverse array of delicious food, it means good diving is ahead. KL is a city in the heart of the worlds richest marine biodiversity, so in my opinion there is no better place to have a dive expo.

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The Iconic Petronas Towers. One of KL's biggest (literally) attractions

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Sometimes when I am visiting South East Asia, I spend so much time underwater and in dive resorts I forget I am a long way from home and in Asia. KL's convientent location makes it a great hub for exploring the islands, buts its much more than that. Its a great place to experience South East Asia outside of the resorts.

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Delicous food is always a highlight of visiting KL.