Working draft. Tier pricing now benchmarked against real comps (FinCon, IRONMAN, niche conference $/attendee formulas). See council/research-pass-2-economics.md. Still verify with actual dive-industry partnership directors before any sponsor pitch.
Sponsor partnerships · Year 1 + beyond

The brand that backs diver safety when it matters most.

Rescue Diver Ready is a festival-format Rescue Diver certification event. The first of its kind. Founding sponsors get the audience, the activation, the lead capture, and the story of being the brand that showed up first.

Confirmed founding partners

Three brands that show up where it counts.

Diver Ready works because the brands diving most depends on chose to be there from day one. Each partner holds a specific named position aligned with what they contribute.

Named partner position

PADI

Training Partner

The certification engine behind every cert issued at the event. Curriculum alignment, instructor coordination, eLearning integration, the global standard that gives Rescue Diver Ready its legitimacy in the dive community.

Contribution: in-kind training infrastructure, eLearning access for every diver, co-marketing reach across PADI's global member base, post-event member newsletter feature.
Named partner position

DAN

Safety Partner

Divers Alert Network is dive safety. Their on-site presence means real medical resources, real protocols, and the credibility that comes from the organization the entire industry calls first when something goes wrong.

Contribution: on-site safety oversight, oxygen administration training support, content + PR amplification, social media + traffic generation, member discount distribution.
Named partner position

Garmin

Technology Safety Partner

The dive computer in every diver's hand and on every wrist. Garmin's Descent series is the technology layer of modern diver safety. Their gear demos let attendees feel the difference between watching tutorials and actually using the equipment.

Contribution: on-site Descent series gear demos for all attendees, technology safety briefing, sponsor pavilion presence, branded content production.

More named partner positions opening for Sept 2026: Insurance Partner · Travel Partner · Hydration Partner · Photography Partner · Vehicle Partner. Inquire below.

The audience you reach

High-intent buyers. Right at the moment they're ready to spend.

2.59M
Active US scuba divers
The US TAM you reach indirectly through the platform's content + community.
$747
Per-diver annual gear spend
Core US divers. They buy gear yearly. They buy what they touch.
$4,620
Per-diver annual trip spend
Accommodations + airfare for dive trips. Travel + gear partners win.
100
divers per event
Hands-on activation, lead capture, gear demos with every attendee.

Sources: US active diver count via DEMA 2024 Fast Facts (sourced from Sports & Fitness Industry Association). Per-diver spending from Business of Diving Institute / InDepth Magazine 2023 spending survey, n=925, supported by Shearwater + DAN Europe + GUE. "Core divers" defined as 25+ dives/year US-based.

Why sponsor this and not the next thing

Five things sponsors actually get.

01

On-site activation that matters

Equipment demos at the dive site. Not a folding table at a trade show. Divers try your gear in the conditions you designed it for. They remember.

02

Lead capture from a high-intent audience

Every diver opts in for prerequisite emails. Founding sponsors get the contact list. These are buyers, not browsers.

03

Documentary content with rights to use

A pro photo + video team is on-site. You get the footage of your gear in action. Your social, your campaigns, your sales deck.

04

The safety-aligned story

Your brand backed diver safety when it was uncomfortable to talk about. PR rides this for years. Trust compounds.

05

Right of first refusal as we scale

Founding sponsors get first call on every future market. Phoenix. Seattle. San Diego. Charleston. You hold category lock as the platform grows.

06

Pre and post-event content series

Sponsor-branded training tips, gear reviews, athlete-style features. We produce. You distribute. Your audience grows on the back of ours.

Tier structure · 2026 inaugural

Four tiers. Real deliverables. No vanity placements.

Platinum
$12,5003 slots · cross-category
  • Co-presenter placement on signage
  • Premium pavilion footprint
  • Lead capture · opt-in list
  • 2 sponsored content pieces
  • Right to use event photo + video
  • Full attendee swag inclusion
Request deck
Gold
$6,0006 slots
  • Logo on all event materials
  • Standard pavilion footprint
  • Lead capture · opt-in list
  • 1 sponsored content piece
  • Photo + video usage rights
Request deck
Silver
$2,000community + dive shop tier
  • Logo on event website + signage
  • Pavilion presence (shared booth)
  • Recognition during opening
  • Photo usage rights
Request deck

Year 2-3 outlook: Founding renewals price up to $50K-$75K once the inaugural proves the format. Future multi-market expansion (Phoenix, Las Vegas, San Diego, Seattle, Charleston in partnership with local dive shops) could open additional sponsor inventory. The Year 1 numbers above are intentionally accessible to land the first 3-4 Founding partners.

Named underwriting · add to any tier

Own a moment. Not just a placement.

Underwrite a specific part of the event. Your brand owns it on signage, in the program, in announcements, on social.

$2,500

Hydration Bar

Branded water + electrolyte station. The bar everyone hits between every dive. Maximum impressions.

$3,500

Lunch + Coffee

The food everyone talks about. Naming on the menu, the tent, the post-event recap.

$5,000

First Aid + O2 Station

The most aligned naming opportunity in the whole event. For DAN, for AED brands, for medical sponsors.

$5,000–$7,500

The Scholarship Fund

Underwrite training for divers who couldn't otherwise attend. The most reputation-positive sponsorship in the program.

$7,500

Gear Demo Pavilion

Headline the equipment showcase. Try-before-you-buy at scale. The whole event stops here.

$10,000

Photo + Video Capture

The brand attached to every shareable image and reel from the event. Massive earned-media tail.

For partnerships directors at brands like yours

Your brand on every diver's regulator on June 14th, 2026.

Rescue Diver Ready is a category creation. A festival-format Rescue Diver certification event, with the proven format ready to license to dive shops in other markets. Founding sponsors are the brands that get to be part of the origin story before the playbook gets repeated.

The 2026 inaugural is a 100-diver event in South Florida. The 2028 footprint is six events across the country. By 2029 we are a national platform.

Request the founding deck
Suggested sponsor pitch opener · [draft, in our voice]

"Hi, Natalee van Staden from Divers Cove. We're building Rescue Diver Ready ... a 100-diver, festival-format Rescue Diver certification event in South Florida this September, with the long-term plan to license the format to dive shops in other markets. We have founding sponsor slots open for the inaugural. Garmin would be the dive-tech anchor. Worth a 20-minute call?"

This is our drafted opener for Natalee to make her own. She'll personalize it for each brand based on who she knows there.

2026 sponsor roster · in conversation

The brands we've talked to. The slots that are still open.

Pencil status. Confirmed status. Let's-talk status. Here's the truth about where the roster is right now.

PADI
GARMIN
DAN
ZEAGLE
SCUBAPRO
SUUNTO
MARES
AQUALUNG
ATOMIC
CRESSI
+ open category
+ open category

All brands shown are in discussion, not yet confirmed. Page only displays signed sponsors at launch. Founding tier closes April 1, 2026 or when sold out.

Next step

Request the sponsor deck.

You'll get the full pricing sheet, the deliverables matrix, the Year 1 to Year 3 audience model, and a 20-minute calendar slot with Natalee.