The Blue Wild Ocean Adventure Expo founder Sheri Daye sat down with DeeperBlue.com as the 12th edition of the popular South Florida fundraiser event drew to a close and shared her thoughts on this show compared to last year and what she sees for the future.
Sheri started the expo as a fundraiser for the Twin Palms Center for the Disabled 12 years ago. As the President, she saw that they were underfunded and needed help and brought her love for the Ocean and ocean-related sports together with her friends and associates in the water-sport industry together to raise funds and awareness.
A National-Record holder for spearfishing and host of the Outdoor Channel’s popular show “Speargun Hunter,” Sheri had the “street cred” to kick off this annual event, which has grown into a destination expo for divers and vendors from over 20 countries.
“Each year sees more diversity in attendees and exhibitors. This year, we have more new exhibitors…more fishing and boating-related vendors.” Sheri Daye
The show, held annually at the Broward County Convention Center, Ft Lauderdale, Florida, had about 5,000 attendees last year and Sheri expects the numbers will be comparable this year. “The weather is certainly a factor“, she remarked. Sunny, clear skies and calm seas had many potential visitors enjoying the clear, warm waters of South Florida.
Sheri notes that the “energy at the show has been really good…freedivers, spearos…it’s a tight-knit community and they bring real positive energy and vibe.” She advised that she wants to see an increase in participation from exhibitors and visitors from all different ocean sports and ocean-related activities. “We would like to continue to grow and diversify….people who are passionate about the ocean are all connected.”
For more information about the show, please visit the website at www.thebluewild.com and for more information about Twin Palms visit www.twinpalmscenter.org.
