Bret Gilliam was a larger-than-life personality—dare we say, character—in the dive industry. Over a 50-year career, he was involved with several dive-industry firsts, holding a number of influential postings, including serving on the boards of NAUI and IANTD, as well as CEO of TDI. But he was most known for being a co-founder of what would become the largest technical diver training agency in the world, TDI.

It was an upbeat and vibrant edition, reminiscent of how it used to be in its heyday in the late 1990s, when it peaked and only got bigger from year to year. Even the social events and various parties were plentiful and back at full strength—at least, that was my impression. 

That is not to say that the show and the dive industry have not changed since DEMA was last held in the Big Easy (New Orleans’ nickname). More than two decades have passed since then, so of course, they have.