Moscow International Dive Show “Golden Dolphin” had gone at 14-17 February 2008 in the “Gostiny Dvor” palace just in 150 meters from Red Square the historical center of Russian capitol. “Golden Dolphin” is the specialized trade show-exhibition devoted to scuba diving, spear fishing and water-based recreation, the biggest dive show in Eastern Europe and Video & Photo underwater creation festival.                                                                                                                        More than 230 exhibitors collected in Moscow this year. Here were visitors, guests and participants from 33 countries of the World: USA, Australia, France, Canada, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Norway, Philippines, Malaysia, Lithuania, Indonesia, South Africa, Egypt, Turkey, Micronesia Микронезии, Palau, Holland, Denmark, Israel, Papua New Guinea, Great Britain, Spain, Sweden, Russia, Latvia, Belarus, Ukraine and others.

World wide diver’s equipment manufactories, distributors of diving and spearfisihing gear, photo & video underwater equipment; diving schools, diving travel agencies; tourism authority representative from different countries; photo & video studios, filmmakers and photographers from all world; famous journalists of leading diving editions became the participants of this unique exhibition.

The exhibition of 2008 became interesting not only for professionals, which got here a possibility to know and to have the newest dive equipment from world wide leaders, but and for amateurs and beginners, which have found here many offers of diving education programs of PADI, SSI, PDA, IANTD, NAUI, CMAS.

About 150 journalists from more than 90 word wide media agencies were accredited on the show.

The show was starting from a morning press-conference. Favorite of Russian people Yana Churikova famous TV show woman, Stefan Michl vice-president of Mares, Gennady Grutsya president of “Golden Dolphin”, Sindia Norton deputy of the minister of Philippines tourism and other VIP guests smiled glaringly under flashes of cameras, talked and   joked cheerfully with the public and journalists. In common it was interesting for everyone in contrary to “genre laws” for such kind of events.

The official inauguration ceremony started on the main stage of the palace. The stage was converted into the Sea port with white yacht was coming. The chairman of the Russian Federation National Sea Politics department saluted of all guests, participants and exhibitors. 

Golden Dolphin show program 2008 was very saturated but the most exciting of great success key events were:
There was the round table with participants of North Pole deepwater “Mir” apparatus expedition. Arthur Chilingarov, Anatoly Sagalevich, Eugeny Chernyaev and Vladimir Grudzev – the world famous names of the persons which arrived down to North Pole Ocean’s bottom on the 4000 meter depth. They became the proud and the legends of Russian Federation and the meeting with them was very interesting for many Russian divers. 

110 years birthday celebration of word famous Italian diver Lodovico Mares, the father-founder of Mares Company was organized here in Moscow with great noisy success exactly at February 2008. There were daily presentations, fashion show of women dive gear collection, Miss Mares Show, quiz, competitions and great number of prizes didn’t leave anybody indifferent from participants and visitors.

“Aquanaut” – one of the oldest Moscow dive club together with Germanika company made happy all the show visitors were giving them a chance to make intro-dives for all beginners. There was special equipped pool for non-stop diving program. Each visitor could listen a short lecture and to make first in his life a dive together with skills experience dive instructor. 

Word famous diving records men come to the biggest in Easter Europe dive show. Stefane Mifsun five time free diving world champion (his record apnoe is 10 min 04 sec and didn’t broken till today); Pascal Benabe – world records man in Scuba diving (his record is 330 meters, well known Florida’s cavediver Jarod Jablonsky and our Russian proud– Natalia Molchanova were found very simple and accessible on the meeting of guests, visitors and journalists with alive underwater world legends.

The show visit by Sylvain Redoutey (the phenomenal successful French cavediver, very well know in exploration diving community and the inventor of new rebreather’s conception) was gone almost unnoticed between a noise and a storm of applause. He had meeting just with few professionals, gave a short interview, demonstrated his rebreather in the show pool and congratulated Russian divers with great show.

65 year celebration of the Aqualung invention happened in this memorial leap year. “Golden Dolphin” has taken the “Cousteau Odyssey” flag for the great deal of Jacques Ives Cousteau commander’s continuation. The theme of underwater films has stitched all festival’s creative content by a golden thread. There was everything looks like on the real film’s shooting area – famous Russian artists: Andrey Makarevich, Yana Churikova, Valdis Pelsh, Alexey Kortnev & World sport stars. All of them became of legislature establishment for the new creative project “Golden Dolphin Stars Avenue”.

In the exhibition frame VII Moscow International video-photo festival “Golden Dolphin” has gone. The best underwater images 100 movies and 480 photos from 17 countries took part in the competition. And only 23 authors won Golden Dolphins – prestige awards after the final competent jury expert’s resume.

Two new nominations “The best underwater photographer of the year” and “The best author’s photo gallery” were established this year!

Sony became the primary partner of U/W video festival. It presented new High definition Sony camcorders adapted for u/w shooting. The visitors had a chance to test all these examples in practice and to check an unbelievable quality on the HD Sony screen. Here were seminars, presentations and many prizes from Sony.

Olympus became the primary partner for U/W photo festival, and the company demonstrated on the show new 2008 u\w cameras. There was the great interest from Russian amateurs and professional u/w photographers.

The presentation from Nimar & BS Kinetics famous European housing manufactories didn’t‘t leave an indifferent no one form the visitor of them booth. 

There was special exhibition “Underwater Rarity” the old stile u/w housings from 50-60 years.

The awards ceremony of Russian national prize for the underwater science researches collected many famous. Achievements of Russian scientists, underwater researches, sportsmen, physicians, commercial divers were celebrated with this prestige award. Segey Ivanov the first vice-chairman of Russian Federation government congratulated of the laureates of this Russian premium. 

The primary automobile partner of the show Germanica Company presented the most convenient car for divers and the show of Bruce Hlebnikov – from Guinness record’s book.

Official the show ferryman – Qatar air lines presented a special bonus programs for often traveling divers, and the Ministry of Tourism Philippines invited everyone to visit the unique in biodiversity and attractive underwater World of these islands. 

Spearfishing is incredibly popular in Russia, therefore the offer from Norway Tourism Department offers were so interesting for many the show visitors. 

In the evening all participants of the show had a possibility to enjoy of real rock music on the performance of famous Russian rock group “An incident” under leading Alexey Kortnev. 

The gala ceremony of the show ending, the presentation of Golden Dolphin statues to all 23 winners the creative diver’s elite were wedding the show final. Champions were coming up on the main stage on the red color strip of carpet one by one under loud ovation.

Four days of the show gone like a one breath for the public by the firework of bright celebration events and it leaved a lot of positive emotions for everyone from more than 23000 visitors of the show. It becomes clear than diving as new prestige kind of sport and leisure come in Russian very quickly, doesn’t leave indifferent nobody at least once dived underwater and saw the unique beauty of Blue World of the Silence.

Welcome to the next Golden Dolphin celebration, at 12-15 February 2009! Don’t miss yours chance to touch with the beauty and became a diver – an explorer of underwater world!     

«Grand-Prix»:
Olga Kamenskaya

Nomination «Man and underwater world»:
I place: Andrey Bizyukin
II place: Olga Kamenskaya
III place: Natalya Chervyakova

Nomination «Underwater inhabitants»:
I place: Olga Kamenskaya
II place: Denis Palbiani
III place: Mikhail Vedekhin

Nomination «Fresh water»:
I place: Svetlana Nosova
II place: Torresan Patrick
III place: Jiri Reznicek

Nomination «Wide Angle»:
I place: Denis Palbiani
II place: Denis Palbiani
III place: Nacho Gil

Nomination «Macro»:
I place: Boccato Silvia
II place: Wahrmut Sobainsky
III place: Volker Lonz

Nomination «Black-and-white photo»:
I place: Denis Palbiani
II place: Denis Palbiani
III place: Elena Azarova

«Photographer of the Year»:
Sergey Ilin

Grand-prize:
Danny Van Belle «The windows of life»

Nomination «Profi-film»:
I place: Guy & Anita Chaumette «Beyond the blue»
II place: Elena Konstantinova «The blue hole of Dahab»
III place: Tim Hochgrebe «Marine Passon»

Nomination «The best операторская работа»:
I место: Danny Van Belle «The windows of life»
II место: Eduard Poroshin «Gold triangle»
III место: Dean Burman “Lair of the Water Wolf”

Nomination «The big journey»:
I place: Sergey Gluschenko «I want come to Mavrikiy»
II place: Dmitri Balakirev «Philippines»
III place: Oleg Yanovsky «From the North to the South»

Nomination «Film about animals»:
I place: Rafa Gonzales «The last journey»
II place: Leonardo Sergiani «Habitat»
III place: John Boyle «Klin Warra»

Nomination «Diving in Russia»:
I place: Valery Skvortsov «Two steps in the ice abyss»
II place: Andrey Yakovlev «Forgotten world of Kaidy»

Nomination «Wreck»:
I place: Oleg Bozjok «Titanic of Red Sea»
II place: Andrey Lagutin «On the edge of desert»
III place: Somogyi Gyula «Closed spaces» -

The best video clip:
I place: Leandro Blanco “One for all”
II place: Natalia Molchanova “Illusions”
III place: Igor Efremov “And I love her”

Special prize of Jury:
Yakovlev Andrey «Forgotten world of Caidy»

Special prize from radio station “Kino FM”:
«The Call of the sea» Victor Lebedinsky