Baltictech is the largest diving event in Poland. It is held every two years. Each edition of Baltictech attracts hundreds of divers.
We get the impression that each successive edition of the conference attracts more and more people, more and more friends. Despite the crowds visible from afar, long queues in front of the entrance and undoubtedly record attendance, the organization and attendants rise to the occasion. Queues to the cash registers move smoothly, and in the corridors there is no squeeze or crowd, it is bustling, cheerful, friendly... with many people we meet after a long break, others we are just getting to know.
For us, the 9th edition of Baltictech was all the more special because we took part in it after switching to closed circuit (CCR). It was our first time as rebreather divers, both with a greater awareness and a greater appetite for knowledge in the area of CCR diving. It was also a great opportunity to meet Jan Petersen in person, the designer of the JJ-CCR rebreathers on which we have been diving for over a year.
Baltictech 2019 - Lectures
If I had to summarize the two days in a nutshell, we spent the first day (Saturday) mainly on lectures in auditorium A, while the second day (Sunday) on speeches in room D. It worked out so that we did not attend any of the presentations in hall E. This was a matter of our conscious choice and our focus mainly on closed circuit diving issues, with a particular emphasis on caves and deep diving.
I am convinced that the cross-section of issues presented by the invited guests was so wide that every diver found something that was in his area of interest. There was literally everything from safety, physiology, wreck diving, cave diving to end-of-the-world diving. Speakers shared their experiences and passionately talked about discoveries, achievements, actions or explorations.
It was impossible to attend all the lectures, and still visit the exhibitors, exchange a few sentences with acquaintances met every now and then, sometimes long-lost. The choice was difficult, time was running out inexorably - it was two intense days. And actually 2.5 days, because the conference adventure started already on Friday afternoon, before Baltictech as last time DAN Divers Day took place. In addition, diving conversations with friends stretched into the late hours of the night.
Many of the lectures attracted a full room of listeners. In our subjective assessment, Rick Stanton was the undisputed winner. A very cool speaker, vast experience and lots of stories to tell, of course with caves in the background. This time the main topic was an unprecedented rescue operation in a Thai cave, but for all Rick's stories, no doubt the entire 2 days of the conference could not be enough. They certainly provide material for a great book.
We also saw an interesting presentation and a beautiful video in Patrick Widmann's talk on the exploration of the caves of Madagascar. The description of the logistical difficulties and the effort it took to dive the Madagascar caves is impressive. Fortunately, the warm and clear water and the beauty of the underwater passageways and halls make up for any inconvenience, including food.
The person of Leigh Bishop probably doesn't need to be introduced, he couldn't talk about anything other than wrecks The approach to expedition planning he presented, however, was so universal that it can confidently provide guidance for any diving trip. From a weekend trip to a nearby quarry, to expeditions to inaccessible caves on the edge of the world, to expeditions to wrecks in the seas and oceans, excellent examples of which were part of the presentation. We regret that we did not attend Constantino Balestra's lecture on the latest discoveries in diving physiology, but in this clash of rooms Room D and Rick won.
Traditionally a strong highlight of this conference were the strands of diving medicine presented in two lectures by Dr. Jacek Kot. DCS (decompression sickness) at the end of the world along with the controversial topic of recompression in water, and HPNS (high pressure neurological syndrome).
The turnout for Jack Kot's first lecture was quite a surprise. The issue of HPNS, a phenomenon that occurs when diving at depths of 120m-130m and more, did not promise to be a topic that would fill the conference hall.
Baltictech 2019 - Exhibitors
Baltictech, is not just about lectures. Although for Rick Stanton's lecture alone (and Rick gave as many as two lectures) it was worth attending the ninth edition of this event. However, a great complement to the diving conference was a rich representation of exhibitors, not only from Poland.
An excellent opportunity, where in one place we could see, touch and easily compare the most popular units. There was our favorite JJ-CCR rebreather, as well as XCCR and Flex 2, Liberty CCR, Kiss and, of course, the Polish T-Reb design - currently the first and only side-mount eCCR rebreather with CE certification. It is interesting to note that the representation of exhibitors with side-mount rebreather designs dominated the traditional back designs.
Among the 31 exhibitors, one could meet not only rebreather manufacturers, but also manufacturers and distributors of lighting, diving suits, underwater scooters, wings, automatics and other diving accessories. Representatives of several diving federations, travel agencies and dive centers were also present.
It was quite a treat to see the bell excavated from the Steuben wreck. For the Baltictech diving team, finding the heart of such a ship underwater, and for other wreck divers the opportunity to see this class of artifact up close, is undoubtedly an unforgettable experience.
More about the dives conducted to inventory and document the wrecks of the Steuben, Goya'i, Wilhelm Gustloff, the circumstances of finding and extracting the bell could be heard during a lecture given by the Baltictech team. The speech was full of good news for all fans of Baltic diving. There were reminders of the lifting of restrictions and permits for diving on several wrecks, including the Georg Buchner. There was also the long-awaited announcement of the reinstatement of the possibility of diving on the Franken wreck. If all goes according to plan, we should be able to return to this wreck as early as April this year.
Finally, on Sunday afternoon, as at previous events so this time there was a contest with prizes. The prizes of each edition are very attractive and there are more and more of them. And as a result, the statistical chances of winning also increase. Although the contest prizes are not the reason for attending the Baltictech conference, you never know if in 2 years you will be the one to return from Baltictech richer with the latest diving equipment.
Source: www.jollydiver.com
