Impressions from the exhibition halls 3 & 4

What is striking this year at boot is that it is more colourful again. Since the colourful 90s the trend has always been towards muted colours. Nowadays the divers in their completely black suits and jackets look almost like camouflaged combat swimmers who don't want to be seen by the enemy in the dark. Therefore I am glad that this year the booths of the manufacturers are much more colourful than in the last years. Pink wings, yellow fins and green masks. Suits in many different bright colours or with coloured applications replace the black look. Your own favourite colour is certainly included in the selection of colourful equipment.

Sport divers have also discovered these wing jackets in recent years. The light and functional designs are inspiring more and more recreational divers, especially the low weight and the low volume of the products convince divers who travel a lot. This year, in my opinion, there are a lot of wings in all forms and colours. Large and small manufacturers offer these practical and versatile products and thus open up a new range of products for recreational divers that guarantee a very special diving experience.

As every year, parts of Hall 3 and Hall 4 will be devoted to the topic of travel. The travel part of boot seems to be home to more and more sellers, next to well-known booths I have discovered some new faces and booths. Long-distance travels take up a large space at boot 2019 again, prominent and eye-catching appearances such as that of Indonesia or the Philippines show that exotic destinations are still popular with us divers. Destinations in South America lure with big fish and exclusive liveaboards, there are the absolute dream destinations like Galapagos and Cocos Island of which one can dream here.

Egypt on the rise

But it is not only long distance journeys that make divers dream. For the medium range, Egypt is represented with a large joint booth but also with individual booths of travel agencies, hotels and diving ships. After some difficult years the country at the Red Sea is trendy again, even if the divers never really left. Destinations in Europe like Madeira, the Canary Islands or the Azores lure with an exciting underwater landscape and diverse dives.

Diving in domestic waters

If you want to explore the local waters, you can also find out more about diving in the North Sea, Baltic Sea or Austrian mountain lakes at the booths. This diversity, concentrated in one place, is what makes boot so special to me. I can inform myself in peace about everything that interests me and be personally informed by the people who work there. It is just the best!