News
PADI Women’s Dive Day 2016 Aims to Strengthen and Grow the Female Diver Community
PADI have announced the second annual PADI Women’s Dive Day, which will take place on Saturday 16th July 2016. PADI Members, industry icons and recreational divers – both male and female alike – will take part in events scheduled across the globe intended to narrow the gender gap in diving.
According to the “Diving Equipment and Marketing Association 2014 Diver Study,” females account for only 35 percent of open water divers and just 23 percent of divers in continuing education courses. By coming together as an industry to celebrate women in diving, PADI hopes to strengthen and grow the female diver community, attract new women to the sports of scuba diving and freediving, and motivate existing female divers to get back in the water and continue their dive training.
The 2015 launch of the organization’s Women in Diving campaign, and its adoption by PADI Dive Centers and Resorts, showed tangible results in its first year. PADI female certifications increased noticeably in 2015, narrowing the gender gap by more than one percent over 2014, the largest year-over-year change in the past decade.
Last year’s inaugural PADI Women’s Dive Day garnered international support from PADI Members, media and thousands of female divers (many of whom were joined by their families and male buddies). In just its first year, PADI Dive Centers and Resorts planned more than 335 events in 65 countries on all seven continents for PADI Women’s Dive Day. Events included everything from shark adventures in the Bahamas and female-led PADI Rescue Diver and ReActivate® courses in the Philippines, to swims in mermaid fins in New Zealand and divers donning Mary Poppins attire in France.
Consumer media buzz for PADI Women’s Dive Day 2016 kicks off on the 8th March in celebration of International Women’s Day. A series of blog articles, social posts and videos featuring inspirational testimonials from female PADI Professionals and Divers will lead up to the 16th July 2016, culminating in thousands of divers of every level rallying together to encourage more women to take the plunge.
Interested in taking part? Contact your local PADI Dive Center or Resort or visit padi.com/women-dive after the 8th March 2016 to find an event near you.
PADI Dive Centers and Resorts, visit the PADI Pros’ Site to learn more about hosting an event or add your activities to the PADI Women’s Dive Day 2016 event locator.
Blogs
TRAVEL BLOG: Jeff Goodman Dives SOMABAY, Part 3
Today we are diving one of the outer reefs from an inflatable. As we reach the bottom, a reef octopus eases its way into the cover of a small crack in the coral while displaying it’s incredible ability to change colour. They are arguably one of the most charismatic of reef dwellers and it is always exciting for me to simply hover and watch. I would have spent longer and waited for it to come and investigate me, but as dive time is limited we wanted to move on and find a turtle.
The waters around Somabay are well protected and hold a rich variety of marine life. The reef edges are thriving colonies of coral and shoaling fish, while nearer the sea bed plenty of wildlife is still to be found.
Then we located the turtles. They are very used to divers and so show little concern when slowly approached. In fact occasionally one will come over to see what you are doing. There is always huge excitement when diving with a turtle. The shear thrill of sharing a moment with another species.
What a fantastic way to finish a wonderful few days diving and I would like to thank SOMABAY, ORCA DIVING and THE BREAKERS for making my stay such a good one.
I had a great time, with diving everyday either on the house reef or on one of the offshore reefs by inflatable or larger day boat. Orca diving provided high quality equipment and facilities while the staff were all very friendly and welcoming. The Breakers was right on the coast with nice rooms, good food and once again friendly staff making the whole trip a real pleasure.
Soma Bay covers an entire peninsula and is home to several resorts as well as residential compounds.
As well as scuba diving, Somabay caters for many other sports and activities, and so is perfect for families as well as individuals and/or groups. And of course there is always time to lay peacefully on the beach under the Egyptian sun.
Book your next Red Sea dive adventure with SOMABAY! For more information, visit www.somabay.com.
Stay at the Breakers Diving & Surfing Lodge when you visit! For more information, visit www.thebreakers-somabay.com.
Find out more about ORCA Dive Clubs at SOMABAY at www.orca-diveclubs.com/en/soma-bay-en.
Blogs
TRAVEL BLOG: Jeff Goodman Dives SOMABAY, Part 2
Day three of my trip to Somabay and we were spending the day on the Lady Christina and diving on the wreck of the Salem Express.
Diving wrecks for me is always one of mixed emotions. The excitement of diving a wreck is more than often tempered by the thought of loss of life when she sank. The Salem Express was a passenger ship and a roll-on/roll-off ferry travelling from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia to Safaga, Egypt. Most passengers were of poor class travelling home from their holidays while around 150 people were returning home from their pilgrimage to Mecca.
The ship struck a reef and sank within 20 minutes. Passengers were trapped below deck and the ship was filled with fear and panic.
The wreck area is strewn with personal belongings from the crew and passengers such as a transistor radio and a flat iron for clothes. A diver at sometime has put them in a prominent place to be seen.
Tragically only one life boat was launched while the others went down with the ship. More than 600 men, women and children lost their lives here.
It’s a stark reminder that the sea can be unforgiving and so when we dive on such wrecks we should do so with humble regard.
Returning to the surface, shoals of fish are gathered under our boat and seem to be welcoming us back into the light.
Back at the Breakers I sat in the dining area with a beer and a very good meal while my thoughts still remained with the day’s dive on the Salem Express.
Check in for part 3 tomorrow for Jeff’s last day of diving with Somabay on the off-shore reefs looking for turtles.
Book your next Red Sea dive adventure with SOMABAY! For more information, visit www.somabay.com.
Stay at the Breakers Diving & Surfing Lodge when you visit! For more information, visit www.thebreakers-somabay.com.
Find out more about ORCA Dive Clubs at SOMABAY at www.orca-diveclubs.com/en/soma-bay-en.
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