Abi Carnadie
Indonesia
Abi started diving in 1986 and becoming a PADI Instructor in 1996. He is the co-founder of Bubbles Dive Centre, Jakarta. He holds Instructor rating from various reputable training agencies, and is a member of Marine Tourism Development and Acceleration Team Ministry of Tourism of Indonesia. For more than 20 years as a diving professional he has been actively supporting the Indonesia diving industry. From 2016, he acted as PADI Industry Consultant, serving Indonesia, indisputable one of the worlds best diving destinations for marine diversity.
Alan Lam
Hong Kong
Alan Lam is MFI Co-founder. He committed to improving the safety of mermaid activities, and also promote marine conservation awareness through the mermaid education. Because of him, the mermaid industry in Asia had improved. Now the mermaids so do call him “mermaid god father.’’
Anika Wang
Hong Kong
Anika is not a fan of fairytales where princess and prince lives happily together. But Little Mermaid is another story of a strong lady, it is about love, compassionate, and sacrifices. With broad knowledge being an ocean lover, freedive and mermaid instructor, fitness trainer and yoga teacher, Anika devotes herself to professional mermaid education system, with vision of ocean conservation, underwater coherence and female affection.
Bill Ziefle
USA
Ziefle is President and CEO of Divers Alert Network (DAN). Ziefle first became associated with DAN in 1989 and served for 11 years as a volunteer before joining the board of directors. He has served as a director of various DAN affiliates including DAN, The DAN Foundation (Director Emeritus), IDAN, DAN Services, Accident & General Insurance Company and DAN Risk Retention Group. Over the years, he has provided legal counsel and fundraising support to several prominent ocean conservation organisations: Ships to Reef, American Academy of Underwater Sciences, National Marine Sanctuaries and Ocean Futures Society.
Brad Chen
Taiwan
Brad, founder of CREST, is a dive expert and enthusiastic ocean lover. He believes that if more people become as crazy as we do, the future of the sea will become clearer. As a product developer and designer, he cares about the quality of products very much, so each product is hand-made and tested. He hopes that he can make more people fall in love with the ocean because of his great products.
ChoCho Lee
China
Cho is Scuba Diving/Free Diving instructor, Doctor of Animal Medicine, Director of SMD Brand International Marketing. Former Executive Director of Diving Diamond Center, her professional experience in animal medicine research has given her more attention and understanding of underwater biology than ordinary people. At the beginning of SMD, in order to provide more accurate data feedback, she did the underwater testing for each product. At the same time, as a professional manager of SMD's marketing department, she is committed to the promotion and dissemination of Chinese original underwater clothing in the world.
Claire Wright
Singapore
Claire is a local student who enjoys looking at things with a new perspective. A newbie in the cosplay community and talented in drawing. Her creative outlook assists her in designing costumes as hobby as presented and made especially for this event. Also aware of this planet’s diminishing state, Claire strives to raise attention to helping the earth in every way she can. Bored of typical crafts found on social media pages, she explores unconventional was to reuse and upcycle old materials.
Join her as she feature her upcycled creations at the Marine Fashion Couture on Saturday, April 13 at 6.20pm onwards.
Corinna Davids
Austria
Born in Austria, Corinna Davids has been no stranger to the scuba diving industry since an early age. After cultivating her skills as diving instructor in Turkey and Egypt, she joined Scuba Schools International (SSI) as Regional Manager for the Philippines and Support Manager for the SSI operations in Asia Pacific. As SSI Instructor Certifier and International Training Director for SSI Swim, water safety has always been one of her passions. In 2017 Corinna was invited to be a leading developer for SSI’s Mermaid program. Being the first of its kind, the SSI Mermaid program is breaking boundaries and creating a whole new industry with an exciting prospective for growth. The Mermaid program has given her a much needed and wanted platform to not only promote water safety, but also to raise awareness on environmental conservation issues.
Dan Orr
USA
Dan Orr, President of Dan Orr Consulting, provides expertise to the global diving community. Retired from the position of President of Divers Alert Network, he has authored over 200 articles, books and manuals. He is the recipient of the NOGI Award and a member of the International Scuba Diving Hall of Fame.
Dr. Suchana Apple Chavanich
Thailand
Currently an associate professor at Department of Marine Science, Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University, Thailand, Dr. Suchana Apple Chavanich has a broad base of ecological research interests that involve the study of nearshore species from tropical to polar regions. Her research focuses on conservation and restoration of marine ecosystems particularly on coral reefs and polar regions. She has received the Explorer Award by National Geographic Magazine, Thailand in 2018, the UNESCO- IOC/WESTPAC Outstanding Scientist Award in 2014, and was chosen as one of the 100 Most Inspiring People in Thailand in 2013.
Dr. Voranop Viyakarn
Thailand
Dr. Voranop Viyakarn received his Ph.D. in Fisheries Science at Tokyo University of Fisheries, Japan. He is currently an associate professor and head of the Department of Marine Science, Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University, Thailand. His research interest include conservation and restoration of marine ecosystems and the impact of climate change and marine debris in both tropical and polar regions.
He is considered to be Thailand’s first scientist to go to Antarctica with the Japanese Antarctic Research Expedition in 2004. Later, in 2018, he is considered to be one of the 2 Thai scientists who conquer diving in both north and south poles. In addition, he is one of Thai researchers who first succeed in coral restoration using sexual propagation technique in Thailand. His research work on Arctic-Antarctica and coral reefs has been well known and has inspired Thai and young people on the value of polar and coral reef ecosystems.
Faisal Jawad Hassan
Iran
A diver with disability (paraplegia), Faisal overcame depression following his disability from a horrible car accident to start Alfaisal Universal Centre – the biggest health institute in the field of physiotherapy in terms of vision and concept. Faisal enjoys diving because he can feel free underwater. In August 2018, he became the Guinness World Record holder for the fastest 10 km scuba dive with an amazing time of 5 hours and 24 minutes in Hurghada Egypt. His triumph over his disability has rebuilt his confidence and made him a motivational speaker and trainer.
Fiona Merida
Australia
Fiona Merida is a marine biologist who has worked in marine protected area management, education and tourism for more than 15 years, specialising in the Great Barrier Reef. Fiona leads the Reef tourism engagement and education programs at the Australian government’s Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority. These programs include Master Reef Guides, High Standard Tourism Operators and Eye on the Reef. Fiona has presented a TEDx talk – The Great Barrier Reef – life’s wake-up call, which tells her personal story of exploration of the Great Barrier Reef.
Gary Stokes
United Kingdom
Born in the UK, raised in the Mediterranean but currently based in Hong Kong. Gary is best known for his work exposing the shark fin industry over the past 12 years. His images and videos have appeared on tabloids and news networks as well as in several movies. He is known for his no compromise, no BS approach to conservation issues. Until recently Gary headed up Sea Shepherd in Asia, however at the start of 2019 he established OceansAsia, a new not-for-profit based in Asia for Asia to directly investigate and address local ocean conservation issues in the region.
Gemma Thomas
United Kingdom
Gemma, has a PhD in Organic Chemistry and started diving after moving to Singapore in 2008 and was immediately hooked. She loves the sea and diving gives her the opportunity to travel and explore the world. Gemma decided to follow her real passion for teaching, not only she is a certified tech and cave diver, but she also became the first female GUE instructor in SE Asia. She has been actively introducing GUE recreational programs to Singapore and other parts of SE Asia for 3 years.
Gideon Liew
Singapore
Gideon Liew has been diving since 1984. He began his experience in awe of the diverse environments to be found in Southeast Asia, from pristine reefs to mysterious wrecks. In 1994 he began pursuing a career in the diving industry, working with different operators in the developing experience guiding and teaching from liveaboards and land-based centres. His desire to dive beyond the limits of recreational diving led him to seek further education, to explore new environments, especially deep wrecks in the South China Sea. The GUE approach opened up further experiences around the world.
Glenn Yong
Singapore
Glenn Yong is among one of Asia's frequently published photographers with publications with Asian Diver, Scuba Diver, Asian Geographic and many others and with a career with various prestigious manufacturers like Zeiss Camera Lenses, DJI and many others in the region. His love for the Oceans is what kept him going on and on, and through the years of diving in Asia, he has accumulated a unique set of stories featuring the best of diving in Asia and beyond. Glenn's professional photography career has seen him accepted into the prestigious Master Photographer's Association in the UK, and continues to work with various agencies and agencies in search of exciting content and stories to continue to inspire a generation of courageous dreamers like Glenn himself.
Hazel Oakley
United Kingdom
Hazel Oakley is the Managing Director of Tracc, the Tropical Research And Conservation Centre. Based on Pulau PomPom, Sabah, Malaysia, Tracc works principally on reef restoration, rebuilding the ecosystem shattered by bomb fishing. They also advocate widely for shark and turtle conservation, sustainable fisheries and alternative livelihoods. Hazel says "All waste leads to the sea. The diving community is united in its commitment to clean seas and that must extend to making low waste choices a way of life."
HRH Princess Zatashah
Malaysia
HRH Princess Zatashah received the French highest recognition award Chevalier de la Legion d’Honneur (Knight of the Legion of Honour) for civil merit in 2017. She is also an environmental activist in Malaysia with her campaign #sayno2plastic since 2016. She has been actively campaigning to the public and has shown tirelessly through her social media to #stopsingleuseplastic. She is also passionate about wildlife preservation and loves to dive; she is currently Sharksavers Malaysia Ambassador against no more sharks fin soup with #ImFINishedwithFINS. Furthermore, she launched her initiative #zerofoodwastage in 2016 getting hotels and supermarkets to channel their surplus food to Kechara Soup Kitchen to feed those in need.
Jean-Claude Monachon
Switzerland
Jean-Claude Monachon from Switzerland started diving at the age of 14 before moving to the Maldives and working as a diving instructor and dive centre manager. In 2014, he joined Scuba Schools International (SSI) Worldwide as Vice-President. The passion, vision, state-of-the-art programme developments and training convinced JC that this was the place for him. As an avid triathlete, runner and certified personal trainer, JC is also part of the driving force behind the newly-launched SSI Lifeguard program.
Lauren Sparks
Canada
Lauren Sparks is a conservationist, dive professional, and marine educator. She is the owner of Nomads Diving in Nusa Penida and founder of Indo Ocean Project and The Great Ocean Log, a marine conservation initiative in Indonesia.
Mark Messersmith
USA
Mark is the C.O.O. of Halcyon Dive Systems and a Board of Directors member of Global Underwater Explorers. He has nearly 50 years of dive experience and three decades of diverse business experience. As an avid cave explorer, he has “added line” to many systems in both Florida and Mexico. He is an accomplished entrepreneur creating and leading companies in locations around the world. He has contributed to articles and photographs in assorted publications such as Avian Biology, Time/Life and National Geographic magazine. Mark now lives in North Florida with his wife and dogs, where he continues to teach cave diving and jump out of perfectly good airplanes when given the opportunity.
Markus Davids
Germany
Markus Davids, SOC specializes in underwater cinematography as well as underwater photography. He has worked for ESPN, FOX, NBC, USA Network and has done camerawork for directors such as Willi Bogner (James Bond), Robert Peters (Ocean's Eleven), and David Staiton (NBC Heroes). He recently completed the feature film "BoardRoom" as the underwater cinematographer and director.
Michael Pettersson
Sweden
One of the co-founders of Kasai Village Dive Resort and Kasai Village Dive Academy in Moalboal , Philippines. His passion for diving started from the early age of six. He has been a scuba diver since 1982 and started his diving instructor career in 1990. Michael is an SSI Technical Extended Range Instructor Trainer and SSI Instructor Certifier. Today, he spends most of his time sharing his passion, teaching technical diving such as mixed gas diving, cave and closed circuit rebreathers CCR up to Instructor level. Aside from teaching technical diving, he is also passionate about helping disabled people explore the underwater world. When Michael is not teaching, he organises different kinds of dive expeditions and promotes the Philippines as a dive destination around the world.
Mikko Passi
Finland
Mikko has been the owner of the first dive center on Koh Tao, Thailand, Koh Tao Divers, for the last 18 years. He has expanded his diving business to Malta, Europe and works in both places seasonally as a CCR Technical diving instructor and organising technical expeditions. In the last 10 years, he has been mapping World War II deep sea wrecks around the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia waters and exploring new over head environments. Over the years he has found dozens of Japanese war ships and other vessels lost in seas, run tech liveaboards and trained people to tech dive and find wrecks. Mikko is currently a member of Suratthani rescue and was one of the key rescue divers on the Thai Cave Rescue operation.
Mitali Dutt Kakar
India
Co-founder of Reef Watch Marine Conservation, prolific ad-film producer Mitali Dutt Kakar, has been actively involved in creating awareness in the marine conservation scene through initiating education programmes, documentaries and research. An avid diver, she has also logged more than 5000 dives and has also trained both local and international students over 2 decades. In 1998, she produced the award winning film “Troubled Waters” to highlight the effects of global warming on coral reefs in the Lakshadweep islands and has also been involved in several environmental television film series. Combining her passion for films, marine conservation, photography and scuba diving, Mitali is focused on educating the younger generation to be socially conscious individuals.
Narinthorn Na Bangchang
Thailand
Narinthorn Na Bangchang is a professional singer and actress. Regularly love to help with social work. She has a personal group , named Rock for Life, which is a concert project to bring in income to help charity over many years. When 13 wild boars event occurred, she volunteered to help SEAL because she has a connection with press, airline and cave divers.
Patty Lee
Taiwan
A rising star in the Taiwan TV scene, Patty Lee is a seasoned traveller who spent her childhood in New Zealand and studied in Sweden for a short spell to broaden her horizons during her college days. Starting out as a 19-year-old model, she is now a popular actress, and has been seen in many popular idol dramas such as Mermaid Whispering, Midnight Food Store and one of Taiwan’s latest virtual reality films, Mechanical Souls. A versatile artiste, she has also been hosting her own travel diving show UnderWater 30 Meters, for the past three seasons since 2016. Besides accumulating more than 500 cyclinders, her unique hosting style has seen her nominated by Taiwan’s Golden Bell Awards for Best Presenter, Best Live Programme in 2017.
Paul Tanner
United Kingdom
Paul Tanner, affectionately known as Tosh, is the Territory Director for PADI Asia Pacific. Paul started his career in the Dive Industry over 20 years ago as a PADI Dive Instructor. Since then he has been a PADI Examiner, PADI Course Director and a PADI Regional Manager. Throughout his career he has worked in several exotic locations in the Caribbean and Asia.
Pichamon Changkwanyuen
Thailand
Pichamon Changkwanyuen is a professional photographer, TV producer and also Narinthorn’s assistant. She has a personal group with Narinthorn, named Rock for Life, which is a concert project to bring in income to help charity over many years. When 13 wild boars event occurred, she volunteered to help SEAL because her brother is a cave diver who has connection with many cave divers and people with diving equipments.
Prahlad Kakar
India
Founder of India’s first Scuba Diving school – the Lacadives Diving School in the Lakshadweep islands, Prahlad Kakar, an advertising film professional, discovered his passion for the deep seas by accident after a nerve wrecking dive in Mauritius. That experience led him on a journey to become a pioneer of recreational scuba diving in India. He has since gone on multiple diving escapades as a certified CMAS Master Level diver to several islands and together with his diving school, Prahlad has trained and certified more than 6000 divers, many of whom have went on to establish their own diving centres.
Puri Hiranprueck
Thailand
Ocean has been a part of Puri’s life for as long as he can remember. His father often took him to the islands off the coast of Thailand, and he would spend his days, from sun-up to sundown, playing in the water. Naturally, scuba diving became one of his passions since he started over 20 years ago. He created Viewfinder Thailand, a television program to further explore that passion. With over 15-year experience in underwater videography, Puri wanted to share his love of the underwater world with his audience. But more so, he wanted to spread awareness of the plight of our oceans, and the impact of global warming and pollution on arguably the world’s most important natural resource.
Robert Scales
Canada
Robert Scales is a Canadian living in Bali since 2011. He is the co-founder of Ceningan Divers and Ceningan Resort, a Green Fins eco-friendly PADI 5 Star Dive Resort based on a small island located on the east coast of Bali. Scales is a former media executive and college professor. He is passionate about sustainable development and conservation. Robert is a repeated ADEX speaker, over the past years he has shared his sustainable tourism and best business practices knowledge with our audience. He is the co-founder of the Trash Hero Ceningan chapter, they conduct weekly street, beach and mangrove clean ups. He describe himself as a simplicity expert, resort owner, scuba diver, dungeon master, renaissance man & bon vivant!
Ronny Roskosch
Germany
Ronny Roskosch is a Diving Professional, deep sea commercial diver with almost 9000 working hours, sports diving professional pioneer as dive center owner, course director, examiner and handicapped diving with more then 30 years of experience and serves today as business consultant to mayor players and is committee member of the DEMA Association.
Rox Liu
Hong Kong
Rox is a professional mermaid instructor from Hong Kong. She is uniting all mermaids in the world and founded Mermaid Federation International (MFI), which vows to promote and support the integrity and diversity of living mermaids through high-standard education and code of conduct. Rox developed the MFI professional mermaid training system. She believes the spirit of “Heart in The Ocean”, and that the mermaid concept encourages women's independence and their pursuit of self-awareness, to discover the power of love and personal growth.
Sherry Li
Hong Kong
Sherry was born in an island surrounded by sea. She is a feminism mermaid who loves films, music, sports and sunbathing.
Terry Cummins
Australia
Terrence (Terry) Cummins is President of Dive Queensland and a prominent figure in the global dive community. He is known as a diver, photographer, writer, and educator, and as a senior executive of diver training agencies. He sits on several Australian Government, NGO and business advisory committees relating to diving, tourism and business sustainability. Terry has a long list of prestigious awards and accomplishments, including an ‘Order of Australia Medal’ for his contribution to scuba diving.