The Nation’s Largest Consumer Scuba Expo Returns to Long Beach on June 23-24, 2018; Posthumous California Scuba Service Award to Honor Lloyd Bridges on 60th Anniversary of “Sea Hunt”
As spring turns to summer and southern Californians flock to the beaches, the 2018 Scuba Show invites all adventurous spirits to discover a world beneath the aquatic surface at the Long Beach Convention Center on Saturday and Sunday, June 23rd and 24th . As a special highlight of this year’s show and in celebration of the “Sea Hunt” television series’ 60th anniversary, the 2018 edition of the annually bestowed California Scuba Service Award will honor actor Lloyd Bridges, who passed away in 1998.
An iconic, must-see TV series of its time, “Sea Hunt” is largely credited within the industry as bringing a new awareness of the oceans and the sensation that is scuba diving to the mainstream zeitgeist of the United States. The posthumous honor will be accepted by Lloyd Bridges’s daughter (and sister to actors Beau and Jeff Bridges) Lucinda Bridges alongside pioneer scuba diver, actress/stunt double and previous California Scuba Service Award recipient Rosalia “Zale” Parry, who worked on the original series alongside Bridges.
Now in its 31st year, the Scuba Show connects divers of all skill and experience levels with the spirit, magic and adventure of marine environments through diving. An ideal event for anyone who has ever considered taking up this inspiring water sport, the Scuba Show is the ideal place to get information on how to get started – or in the case of the more experienced divers, to network and continue one’s journey. Throughout the weekend, attendees will have access to hundreds of enthusiastic scuba diving experts and the passionate diving community, all of whom are excited to share their knowledge and adventures.
For those looking to further an already established relationship with diving, the Scuba Show will feature dozens of seminars, clinics, workshops and classes on various specialized, educational and entertaining topics such as foreign travel, history, underwater photography, local dive spots, diving physiology, weather forecasting, marine conservation and more.
Each year, thousands of attendees interact with 300+ exhibitors, vendors and diving experts from around the world at the Scuba Show. Attendees can celebrate the show’s 31st year by learning how to get scuba certified, browsing hundreds of diving products and discovering the hottest trending diving destinations. Scuba Show activities include seafood cooking demonstrations, interactive art projects, themed photo booths, a new products showcase and a pool where attendees (10 years and over) can don full scuba gear and try out the sport.
The much anticipated Saturday night party for attendees and vendors will be held inside the Aquarium of the Pacific’s Great Hall (across from the convention center) for the first time, which means that this year’s party bears the distinction of doubling as an evening spent amongst the diverse marine life of California coastal waters. The party will include a silent auction and raffle benefitting No Kid Hungry, an organization that strives to raise the critical funds needed to ensure that all children in America get the healthy food they need each day, and for whom Lloyd Bridges’s son and End Hunger Network founder Jeff Bridges serves as National Spokesperson. In addition, over $40,000 in door prizes will be given away throughout the show.
“Southern California is home to one of the strongest markets of scuba divers in North America,” said Scuba Show producer, Mark Young. “It always pleasure to see this very special and very passionate community of divers come together every year to share their experiences, knowledge and passion.”
The 2018 Scuba Show will take place on Saturday, June 23, from 10 AM to 6 PM, and Sunday, June 24, from 10 AM to 5 PM at the Long Beach Convention Center, located at 300 E. Ocean Blvd., Long Beach, CA 90802. Tickets are available online at scubashow.com/attendees/tickets. Full price tickets will also be sold at the door. Single day advance tickets range from $12 (single day exhibit hall) to $32 (single day exhibits plus seminars), and two day passes are $62 (includes exhibit hall and seminars). Kids 13 and under are free.
For more information, please visit www.scubashow.com.
About Scuba Show
Since 1987, Scuba Show is the largest consumer scuba diving show in the country and the most anticipated diving event of the year. The Scuba Show’s goal is to bring together and support the local dive community and to fuel passion, inspiration and love of nature in the strongest market of divers in North America.