Having worked in the offshore industry alongside commercial divers for over a decade, Hayley Adlam dived into the world of Miss Scuba UK after seeing a noticeable gender gap not only within the recreational diving world (only 39% of registered PADI divers are women (2021)) but more notably, within the commercial dive sector where a minute proportion of women are represented.

Hayley, as a part of this year’s Miss Scuba UK team duo, aims to inspire other women to not only try scuba diving, but also show that there are plenty of opportunities within the commercial diving sector for all genders through sharing her knowledge and experience of the offshore world.

“During my time operating on offshore wind farm construction and subsea telecommunications vessels, there was a noticeable lack of women in the commercial dive teams working on our projects. I was inspired by the ethos of the Miss Scuba UK foundation whereby one of the primary aims is to encourage other women to take the plunge beneath the waves”.

As such, Hayley, a qualified BSAC & more recently SSI diver, reached out to the organisation in 2019 and has been actively involved in supporting the UK dive industry whilst encouraging other women to try scuba diving ever since.

As an advocate for women’s opportunities within the offshore sector, Hayley’s volunteer work as an active Mentor and supporter of the US organisation ‘Women Offshore’, helps to bridge the gender gap within the offshore industry too. Specifically for maritime, marine science and offshore construction, on an international basis, having mentored women in both Nigeria and Pakistan, both of whom are now actively engaged within the offshore industry.

“Through Miss Scuba UK, I now have the opportunity to combine three of my primary passions in life – scuba diving, marine conservation and marine engineering. I hope to inspire women to not only try SCUBA diving but also to see that there is a whole world of opportunity to explore through delving deeper into their dive practice and perhaps even taking the plunge into the world of offshore construction or marine science as a commercial diver.”

Director Jill Faulkner highlights the importance of the organisation: “Several of the women who have been involved within Miss Scuba UK who hadn’t dived in the past are now qualified divers, with some enjoying their diving experience so much that they have forged a new career path due to the qualifications acquired through Miss Scuba UK.”

Miss Scuba UK has close ties with British owned resort Roots Red Sea in Egypt and Deep Blue Diving in Fuerteventura, where many training and recreational dives have taken place with the organisation, in collaboration with Doncaster based SSI centre Bespoke Diving Adventures.

However, the organisation also undertakes several UK based dive trips each year allowing individuals to complete dry suit, wreck diving and nitrox diver qualifications, to name a few. Another goal during Hayley’s year in this role is to help to raise the profile of British diving; “We have some fantastic dive sites around the UK, including the opportunity to get up close and personal with some of our most charismatic UK pinnipeds, the grey seals of both Lundy and the Farne isles, to the infamous wrecks of the Orkney Isles, in addition to numerous beautiful coastal dive sites. I would love to showcase the UK underwater world for the fascinating and diverse dive opportunities it possesses”.

Miss Scuba UK aims to create a safe space for women to explore the opportunities that learning to SCUBA dive has to offer and as an organisation, and has well and truly fulfilled this mission over the past 8 years. After a four year break due to COVID-19 it is now a case of continuing this work and engaging more women to take the plunge.

Hayley will represent the UK at Miss Scuba International in November 2023 at the Smart Resort, Mabul Island and Sipidan Island in Malaysia. Miss Scuba International is a two week long international meeting of like-minded individuals with a passion for our oceans. The programme includes a series of marine conservation projects, educational outreach programmes, climate change conferences, brand sponsored photoshoots and plenty of SCUBA diving in the beautiful waters of Malaysia.

If you would be interested in taking part in Miss Scuba UK in 2024 or if you would like to collaborate with or sponsor the programme, please get in touch via email (missscubauk@gmail.com), Facebook @Miss Scuba United Kingdom, or Instagram @missscuba_uk or @hydro_hayles.