Divescapes Scuba Conference

09/06/2026

Speaker Announcement; Liz Parkinson

Liz Parkinson is a SAG-AFTRA stunt performer, Marine Conservationist, Member of the The Woman Diver’s Hall of Fame and dive professional based in Los Angeles, California, specializing in underwater work for film and television production. Her career encompasses both on-camera performance as an underwater stunt double and behind-the-scenes expertise as a dive trainer and safety diver, reflecting a rare combination of performance skill and technical dive training within the entertainment industry.
Her film and television credits include major productions such as Avatar: The Way of Water, Avatar: Fire and Ash, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, F9: The Fast Saga, Reminiscence, Night Swim, and Netflix's Thai Cave Rescue. Her contributions to these productions reflect a dual expertise in performance and technical diving, bridging the demands of narrative storytelling with the precision required for safe ex*****on of complex underwater sequences.
A PADI IDC Staff Instructor, technical diver, and cave diver, Parkinson has established herself within the entertainment industry, continuing to work across feature films, television series, and documentaries. She is regularly engaged as a speaker at diving and industry events, where she shares her expertise in shaping underwater sequences for major productions.

09/02/2026

Wow!
Divers Alert Network will be joining us this October 16/17.
https://world.dan.org/

08/31/2026

Get Wet with Dazzels, 2026 Exhibitor and Sponsor.
https://www.getwetwithdazzles.com/

08/31/2026

Divescapes October 16/17!
Early Bird Extended until Spetember 15!
Have you been busy all Summer and just realized that GOLD Pass Early Bird time is running out?
We got you, but act now!
You dont want to miss out!

Divescapes Scuba Conference in Edmonton, Oct 28, 29, 2022 at the River Cree Resort & Casino. Join us for exciting Canadian and International scuba presentations, plus Exhibitors, Sponsors, Workshops, Silent Auction, Prizes & more!

08/20/2026

Speaker Announcement

Nancy McGee
Underwater explorer/Filmaker/
Nancy McGee is a celebrated underwater explorer, filmmaker, and adventurer with over three decades of experience. A member of the Women Divers Hall of Fame and an Explorers Club Fellow, Nancy has piloted the Exosuit, scuba dived on all seven continents, and captured rare footage of extraordinary marine encounters, including snorkeling with whales, crocodiles, and diving with an elephant. The Explorers Club recognized her with a Fellowship for her explorations, which include filming in locations so remote that local natives have never before seen Western people. Nancy’s expeditions have launched several regions to responsible eco-tourism, including the Andaman Islands (India) and the Forgotten Islands (Indonesia). She has dived seven continents in a marine career spanning more than 40 years. Nancy attained the rank of PADI master instructor. Nancy produces, edits and films her own documentaries with a focus on conservation and education. She is a frequent contributor to dive journals and is a featured speaker and emcee for national and international shows, film festivals and schools. Known for blending scientific exploration with storytelling, her work promotes ocean conservation and has been featured in numerous documentaries, publications and exhibitions. In addition to her documentary work, Nancy has made notable contributions to the entertainment industry. She has lent her expertise to major networks such as NBC, Universal Studios, and Discovery, shaping captivating narratives that bring the wonders of the ocean to audiences worldwide. Through her writing, Nancy has graced the pages of numerous dive journals and publications, sharing her profound insights and experiences with fellow enthusiasts. Nancy continues to inspire others to explore and protect our planet’s most remote and fragile aquatic environments.

www.IslandTimeScuba.com

08/18/2026

Speaker Announcement!

Dr. Carmen Obied

Co-Founder, Explorers Photography | Underwater Cinematographer & Maritime Archaeologist, PhD

Dr. Carmen Obied is a maritime archaeologist, underwater cinematographer, and co-founder of Explorers Photography, whose work applies scientific methods to documenting submerged natural and cultural environments through cinematic storytelling. Born in Seville and raised multilingual between Lisbon and London, her multicultural heritage (Spanish, Egyptian, British) shapes her multidisciplinary approach bridging science, cultural heritage, and art for ocean advocacy.
A maritime archaeologist by trade, and trained as a scientific and technical diver (AAUS, GUE, TDI), Carmen began her career diving on ancient shipwrecks in the Mediterranean. She holds a PhD in maritime archaeology, specializing in photogrammetry and geospatial mapping of ancient maritime landscapes across the Mediterranean, Levant, and Red Sea. This foundation later expanded into underwater cinematography documenting wildlife and climate-related change in Antarctica, the Arctic, and California’s kelp forests around Catalina Island, now her primary dive environment.
Carmen’s work has been featured through partnerships with the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County (NHMLA), Honor Frost Foundation (HFF), the University of Southampton, the British Museum, the British Film Institute (BFI), and Blue Green Expeditions, with awards and recognitions from Dive Photo Guide, the San Diego UnderSea Film Exhibit (SDUFEX), United Nations (UN) World Oceans Day, and Backscatter. She also works as a professional model and voice-over artist, including editorial and commercial projects for Condé Nast, Vogue, Elle, and Visit Cayman Islands Tourism.
Carmen is a Gates Certified Underwater Camera Operator for the Blackmagic URSA Immersive camera and is currently developing a VR production with her partner Steven Lopez, tying together the relationship between kelp forests and the polar regions of Antarctica and the Arctic.
Through Explorers Photography, Carmen produces visual records that connect scientific and cultural research with living underwater environments, from kelp forests to polar seas.

Dont miss out get your tickets now!
www.Divescapes.ca

08/12/2026

Speaker Announcement!

Steven Lopez MSc.

Co-Founder, Explorers Photography | Underwater Cinematographer & Maritime Archaeologist, MSc
www.explorersphotography.com |
Steven Lopez is an underwater cinematographer, maritime archaeologist, and co-founder of Explorers Photography, whose work focuses on long-term documentation of marine environments. Trained as a scientific and technical diver (AAUS, GUE, TDI), Steven approaches image-making by returning to the same underwater systems over time to observe ecological change through habitat structure, changing light conditions, and how marine life uses these environments.
Steven has been diving Catalina’s kelp forests for over 17 years and considers them his primary field site. His work there centers on documenting how protected environments function and recover, with a particular focus on kelp ecosystems and Giant Black Sea Bass. This place-based approach extends to his work in historic shipwreck sites, remote river systems, and polar waters, having dived and documented the fragile underwater ecosystems of the Arctic and Antarctic regions.
With a background in maritime archaeology (UoS) and data science (MIT), Steven integrates photogrammetry and spatial documentation into his practice to complement visual storytelling. His work has been featured through partnerships with the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County (NHMLA), the Honor Frost Foundation (HFF), Blue Green Expeditions, the University of Southampton, the British Film Institute (BFI), and the British Museum, along with awards and recognitions from Dive Photo Guide, the San Diego Undersea Film Exhibit (SDUFEX), United Nations (UN) World Oceans Day, Shark Trust UK, and Backscatter.
Steven is a Gates Certified Underwater Camera Operator for the Blackmagic URSA Immersive camera and is currently developing a VR production with his partner Carmen Obied, tying together the relationship between kelp forests and the polar regions of Antarctica and the Arctic.
Through Explorers Photography, Steven produces work that functions as immersive, fine art, and field documentation, with photographs and films exhibited in fine art galleries and museum contexts alongside scientific and expedition-based projects; most recently exhibited “Across Oceans, Through Time: From Kelp Forests to Polar Seas” at TAG Gallery in LA.

Get your Tickets now!
www.Divescapes.ca

04/23/2026

Speaker Annoucement!

Yana Stashkevich
Technical CCR Diver, Motivational Speaker, Coach
UK-based Yana has an infectious amount of energy and enthusiasm and is a regular speaker and coach – she is passionate about inspiring people to push their boundaries and pursue their passion, whatever it may be.
Experienced technical CCR, cave, mine and wreck diver, she has dived in over 35 destinations across three continents. She was a member of the Vaggfjellan XI expedition exploring the cave system beyond the Arctic Circle and a rebreather diver on the Underwater Filming & Research (UFR) project team documenting some of the world's best-preserved wrecks in Greece last year. More recently she played the key role in a Bikini Atoll wrecks filming project; cave exploration in Iceland, and exploring flooded mines in the UK. Currently, Yana is actively involved in deep wreck exploration projects in the Aegean Sea, and promoting the maritime heritage of Greek waters, as well as exploring wrecks in the North Sea. Yana has presented at dive shows; including Boston Sea Rovers and ADEX.

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www.Divescapes.ca

03/29/2026

We were at the Underwater Archeology Society of BC talks this weekend. Our own Brian Nadwidny and Guy Shockey, Divescapes presenter 2022, were among the day time speakers.

03/16/2026

Finally had an opportunity to visit the Boston Sea Rovers International Ocean Clinic in its 72nd year. It was a great weekend of presentations, exhibits, and socializing as we met and vetted speakers to invite to Divescapes this fall. It was also great to see artifacts off the Andrea Doria from personal collections on display as it is the 70th year of the sinking of the vessel. Definitely a show to come to again!