By Haley Marchini

Who's excited for WOMEN'S DIVE DAY?! This wonderful and rapidly growing tradition will continue for its fourth-year anniversary on July 21st, when female divers from all over the world will come together to celebrate diving, our mutual love for our oceans, and being women! PADI Women's Dive Day is a day to meet amazing women who dive, create community, and lasting friendships. This event continues to strengthen, support, and contribute to the worldwide growth and love for diving.

Why is it important to have a day dedicated to female scuba divers, you might ask? Well, it's no secret that scuba diving has long been perceived as a male-centric sport. In fact, for many years, the gender ratio for entry-level divers was 65% male versus 35% female. PADI and Beach Cities Scuba, along with organizations all over the world, are working hard to shatter the misconceptions about women in the dive community by encouraging more women to dive, as well as creating ways to discuss topics pertaining specifically to women. Topics such as: equipment needs and preferences, female related health issues, opportunities for women in the dive industry, and grants and scholarships available to women interested in ocean and diving related careers. The list could go on and on!

Shocking as it may seem, men and women’s needs are not always the same. What better way to acknowledge these differences than by bringing together as many female divers as possible to talk about them? Opening a dialogue and addressing our gender-specific needs will bring awareness to our community, dive shops, and dive equipment manufacturers; which will translate into safer equipment, and an overall more enjoyable experience underwater for us ladies!

In addition to bringing women together to celebrate diving, it's also extremely important to highlight the work so many great women have already achieved and are continuing to do for our diving communities. Dr. Sylvia Earle, for instance. Or Sara Richard, the founder and creator of the online community Girls That Scuba. Or how about Ocean Ramsey, world renowned shark conservationist. These women, along with so many more, are making massive impacts and don't receive the attention they deserve. Let's share the stories of these amazing people and encourage even more women to join us.

As a diver, and as a woman working and teaching in the dive industry, my personal hope is to create a welcoming community of divers. A vibrant and healthy community of men and women who inspire and support women of all ages, along with their loved ones! More certified divers, male and female, means a larger community of people dedicated to being life-long advocates for our oceans!

So come join us! Beach Cities Scuba is hosting two Women’s Dive Day events on Saturday, July 21, 2018. We will have a two-dive boat trip off the Riviera Dive Boat in Dana Point, and a two-dive shore option out of Heisler Park in Laguna Beach.

Information on how to sign up can be found right here on our website, or feel free to call us at (949) 443-3858, and ask for Haley.

-- 

Haley Marchini is an Instructor here at Beach Cities Scuba. She graduated from George Mason University with a BA in Performance Dance, as well as a BA in Criminology, Law & Society. Haley was born and raised in South Lake Tahoe, California, which means she is a lover of all things outdoors. From skiing and hiking to wake boarding and mountain biking, she loves it all. But most of all, of course, she loves being a scuba diver. Her and her Father did a Discover Scuba Diving class in Hawaii when she was 15, and ever since she has been determined to continue her diving education, and to share her love for the ocean with others. Apart from diving, Haley has a passion for travel. In the past 5 years, she has traveled internationally to 10 countries, seeing 19 different cities. Her favorite place she’s visited is Hell’s Gate National Park in Naivasha, Kenya. Haley’s favorite underwater adventure, so far, has been cage diving with her Father at the Farallon Islands. Her favorite place to dive has been right here in California at Shaw’s Cove, teaching and meeting other divers here in our back yard. Teaching has served to further her love for scuba diving.