Visitors booking tickets for LIDS 2011 before the end of February will be automatically entered into the special ticket promotion, which will see one booking selected at random to win the Suunto Vyper Air advanced dive computer, which offers three dive modes and gas-switching capability.
Packed with the latest dive gear, plus a vast choice of holiday destinations, divewear, and training courses, LIDS will also feature a host of new show features.
In addition to the popular British Isles Experience, the Caribbean Village, and the Red Sea Zone, there will be a new PhotoZone, a Project AWARE Charity Auction, a new Asia-Pacific Showcase, and a new PADI Theatre in the PADI Village.
LIDS 2011 will also exclusively feature the NoTanx Freedive Simulator which, offering visitors the chance to test their breath-hold skills, proved a big hit at DIVE 2010. Other attractions will include two dive pools – Beginner and Technical.
There will also be an exceptional programme of presentations by top diving speakers. These will include John Garvin, one of the world's most experienced technical divers, who not only co-wrote the script for "Sanctum", James Cameron's 3D follow-up to "Avatar", but who was also diving coordinator and acted in the film.
TV presenter Monty Halls has joined the LIDS speaker line-up, which now includes two marine-life experts based in southern Africa making serious waves in the world of big animals, as indicated by their nicknames – "Queen of the Mantas" Andrea Marshall, and "Shark Warrior" Lesley Rochat. Also on the LIDS stage will be Paul Rose, who will also be describing his second BBC Oceans series, record-breaking cave diver Jason Mallinson, and underwater photo gurus Alex Mustard and Martin Edge.
TEK 2011, the Advanced Diving Conference, will be running at ExCeL alongside LIDS and will have its own programme of speakers. But technical diving will also be a major theme at LIDS, and there will be a free "Intro to Tek Diving" talk on the main programme. In addition, dive gear on display in the New Gear Showcase will have a technical twist.
* See what to expect at the dive shows on this video