B oot Düsseldorf 2026 signals more than the opening of the world’s most influential watersports event: it brings a sharpened commitment to a sustainable diving industry, supported by Bauer Kompressoren and framed through one of boot’s most forward-looking initiatives – the boot Dive Award.
Launched in 2023, the Dive Award honours the organisations, technologies, destinations and personalities pushing diving toward safety, climate responsibility, scientific progress and long-term commercial viability. The prize now enters its third year with five heavyweight categories – INNOVATION, CLIMATE, DESTINATION, PRODUCT and PERSONALITY – each with three international nominees selected by a jury of leading media editors (PLONGEZ!, TAUCHEN, taucher.net, VDSTsporttaucher and WETNOTES).
Public voting is live until 7 January 2026, with winners chosen through a combination of audience ballots and jury ranking. The awards will be presented 23 January at the Dive Center in Hall 12, during boot Düsseldorf.
As official Media Sponsors of the show, The Yachtbook highlights the landscape of nominees shaping what responsible diving will look like in the decade ahead.
INNOVATION – building the next era
Innovation is treated here not as gadgetry but as infrastructure for diving’s future. Three nominees approach the challenge from three different technological angles:
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Divevolk – SeaLink Underwater Smartphone Data Transmitter
Full touchscreen smartphone access underwater, enabling apps, live communication and livestreaming at depth – breaking an old analogue barrier. -
NautiTrack – Sport Tracker
Real-time GPS for nautical users, including divers at the surface, with minute-by-minute location tracking and emergency SMS alerts. -
Scubapro – Hydros Pro 2 Weight Pocket System
A redesigned monorail locking system allowing one-handed weight management and safer handling – a practical evolution rooted in usability.
Innovation here means friction-free communication, traceability, and smarter safety engineering – the kind of detail that rewrites standards.
CLIMATE – science, advocacy and the fight for water
This category reflects a non-negotiable truth: climate change is the diving industry’s existential threat.
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Angel Shark Project – “Count the Angels” (Canary Islands)
Citizen-science monitoring of critically endangered angel sharks, tracking habitats, populations and migratory patterns to guide conservation. -
aquatil – Education and Research Underwater
A non-profit combining scientific diving, biodiversity mapping and citizen-science education to democratise marine ecology. -
Hannes Jaenicke – actor, activist, environmentalist
A public voice for wildlife protection, documentary advocate and founder of Pelorus Jack Foundation, supporting frontline environmental defenders.
This is climate action through research, media influence and participatory science.
DESTINATION – the places where diving thrives
A reminder that diving is an economic engine as well as a leisure pursuit:
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Curaçao – 65+ coastal dive sites, warm waters and year-round visibility across wrecks and reefs.
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French Polynesia – the benchmark South Pacific landscape: mantas, sharks, macro biodiversity and pristine coral networks.
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OmniSub Elba (Italy) – small-group Mediterranean training, emphasising personalised tuition over mass tourism.
This category demonstrates how geography, management and local culture shape responsible, high-value tourism.
PRODUCT – equipment that changes behaviour
Not about the biggest or flashiest — but the smartest leap in engineering:
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Garmin – Descent S1 Buoy
Tracks up to eight divers with live tank and depth data; sends messages underwater; extends diver-to-diver communication to 100 metres. -
Halcyon – Symbios TriSense Analyzer
O₂, He and CO measurement in a compact ultrasonic unit — Bluetooth documentation and future-proof reliability for fill stations. -
Mares – Planet 88X TBP Regulator
A regulator without springs: Airmatic pneumatic valves remove mechanical resistance for natural breathing — a genuine industry shift.
These are the technologies that keep divers safe, connected and data-literate.
PERSONALITY – the individuals who push diving forward
Legacy, education and public impact define this shortlist:
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Antonio Cressi – who industrialised fins, masks and regulators from a handmade niche into a global market, still active at the factory floor in Genoa.
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Dieter Heinz – Safer Shorelines
A universal safety code across watersports to reduce accidents, backed by education and digital tools. -
Dr. Angela Ziltener – Red Sea dolphin research via scuba; grassroots education, protected zones and sustainable tourism frameworks.
PERSONALITY here means stewardship, system-building and cultural change.
Voting
Public voting is active until 7 January 2026 at:
https://www.boot.de/diveaward2026
The ceremony unfolds 23 January, Dive Center – Hall 12.
As boot Düsseldorf prepares again to become the world capital of watersports, the Dive Award underscores something essential: innovation without sustainability is irrelevant. The future of diving will belong to communities that engineer safety, protect ecosystems, and educate travellers — not as a trend, but as obligation.
The countdown has begun.
