PADI invites divers of every experience level to take part in the third annual PADI Women’s Dive Day on Saturday, July 15. In celebration, PADI Dive Centers and Resorts around the world are hosting up to 700 events in around 71 countries, uniting thousands of divers – both male and female alike – to cultivate a stronger dive community.

Since its inaugural event in 2015, PADI Women’s Dive Day has generated an avenue for fun, exploration and camaraderie by inviting new and experienced divers to participate in events ranging from underwater cleanups and sunset dive cruises to shark dives and travel adventures. Over the past three years, this tradition has succeeded in its efforts to foster a more active and engaged dive community on a number of levels.

While PADI Women’s Dive Day is inherently focused on female divers, an underlying objective of the initiative is to bring more people of every demographic into the sports of scuba and freediving. More certified women divers brings more children, spouses, friends and even more multigenerational families into diving, creating a stronger dive community and more stewards for the oceans.

“As a female dive industry executive, my personal hope is to champion a dive community that empowers and inspires women of all ages – and their loved ones – to become lifetime participates in the sport and lifelong advocates for the oceans,” says Kristin Valette, chief marketing and business development officer, PADI Worldwide. “On the surface, Women’s Dive Day offers an opportunity for women to try out a new hobby, meet other female divers or reconnect with a sport they may have drifted away from. But it also provides a platform to spark a dialogue with women who may have thought diving wasn’t suited for them for a variety of reasons, or who never realized that diving was something that they could do with their whole family.”

Historically, diving was perceived to be a male-centric sport. Through its women in diving initiative, PADI is working to challenge long-standing misconceptions about diving from a perspective to which many women can relate. To this end, PADI is furthering the global celebration of women in diving by hosting a series of blog articles, social posts and videos featuring inspirational testimonials from female PADI Professionals and divers. Their stories speak to the impact that diving has had on their lives while providing an opportunity to address a variety of topics such as equipment needs and health issues that many people, particularly women, are curious about. The unifying message: With proper training, anyone of any age or background can learn to dive and experience the endless opportunities for adventure and discovery that diving offers.

“I think my favorite part of PADI Women’s Dive Day is the camaraderie between all of us. I really feel like I’ve made some friends for life,” says Gemma Smith, PADI AmbassaDiver^TM and Master Scuba Diver Trainer. “We’re all here with a common goal – to show how cool and how fun diving is to get more women into this sport that we all love so much.”

For more information on PADI Women’s Dive Day and to find an event near you, visit www2.padi.com/women-dive. All are encouraged to take part, meet new dive buddies and dive together in celebration.

Share the excitement and join the community of women divers online through #PADIWOMEN.