Happy PADI Women Divers Day!
Nine years ago, PADI had a simple idea, to encourage more women to get into the dive industry. With such a tight-knit community, divers everywhere planned events and encouraged women all over the world to get into SCUBA diving. In the first eight years, women all over the world put together events to create coral nurseries, perform underwater clean-ups, fundraise, and even set world records!
Women Divers You Should Know
Women have been a part of SCUBA diving history since its early origins. The women featured here are some of the most important women in the history of SCUBA diving:
Dr. Sylvia Earle
A diving icon, hands down. As a marine biologist, she is a hero to me and an absolute inspiration. Sylvia is one of the most famous oceanographers in the world and naturally also one of the most well-known women in diving. Sylvia has broken records for diving and become well known for much of her research. Back at the Joint Meeting of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists meeting of 2016, Sylvia was the keynote speaker. I remember sitting in the conference hall, listening intently and hanging on her every word. Even after her riveting speech, she stood at the doorway and shook hands and hugged everyone on the way out the door. I couldn’t believe that I got to hug one of the most prolific oceanographers in history. If you have never listened to her speak, I highly recommend it. Her most familiar line resonates with anyone who loves and appreciates the ocean:
“No water, no life. No blue, no green”
https://missionblue.org/about/
Dr. Eugenie Clark
Well known as “The Shark Lady”, Eugenie was known worldwide as a scientific authority on fish. There’s even sharks and fish named after her! Eugenie learned to dive in the 1940s at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography. Because of the time period, she was not allowed on overnight research trips which limited her research. Tired of the limitations, she founded Mote Marine Laboratory in 1955 to devote time to shark research. While Eugenie is also one of my heroes and icons, being able to work at the facility she founded was truly inspiring for me and gave me inspiration to take these experiences and turn them into some of the educational experiences I give to my students today.
https://mote.org/staff/member/eugenie-clark
My Life Diving
When I started college, I started diving. About one month into my time at the University of West Florida I joined the SCUBA club and became open water certified. SCUBA has become so special to me. It was how my husband and I met, how I have met friends and seen parts of the world that you can’t see by just remaining on land. It helped me appreciate and understand the world under the waves, especially as I went through school to be a marine biologist. I feel like the experiences I have had diving have brought me closer to my students who appreciate the pictures I show them as well as the stories and visuals I can give them of the way the world works underwater. I am proud to say I have inspired some of my students to start the process of becoming certified. PADI has many amazing programs that help people get started with getting used to the sensations and feelings that come with diving, like their Discover SCUBA program. PADI is a strong supporter of women in diving, promoting events all around the world that get women interested and excited about SCUBA.
Getting certified was one of the greatest experiences of my life. I hope that seeing some of the amazing communities that come from groups of divers and some of the heroes and icons in diving helps to show that whether you’re going to be a marine scientist and dive for research or dive for fun, there’s a community of women out there that support each other and hold each other up with the common love of SCUBA. So, at the end of the day, Happy PADI Women Divers Day!
