Imagine, as a young girl, living on an island surrounded by the turquoise blue of the ocean. Of seeing the sun rise and set every single day to the permanent sound of the waves. Watching family members set out on fishing boats and returning with tales of mysterious mythical creatures. What stories must the sea hold?
Afaaf, Shaima, Ishra and Ma’aal, four teenage Maldivians from Guraidhoo in Thaa Atoll, had a taste of this whole new underwater world that surrounds them, courtesy of Ocean Paradise at Como Maalifushi at the beginning of July. The initiative was part of the resort’s move to create not just a Women’s Dive Day, but by committing to events for an entire month, to empower more women to take up scuba diving and become part of a welcoming and inclusive underwater community. They were also joined by Aminath Angeela, marine biologist intern at the centre; an inspiration to local young women that it is possible to follow a career path both studying and taking care of the ocean.
Women’s Dive Day is a PADI initiative now in its fifth year. It brings together thousands of divers of all genders, ages and levels of experience, with dive centres hosting their own events and initiatives in this global celebration to create ambassadors of the ocean.
In total, twenty-one young women from the local school at Guraidhoo, aged between eight and sixteen-years-old, took part in PADI Discover Scuba® Diving (DSD®) with the team at Ocean Paradise throughout the month.
However, this was no ordinary DSD. Some of these students descended underwater for the very first time and, rather than being in a swimming pool, took to scuba in the clear Maldivian waters, alongside passing tropical fish, and following the Como Maalifushi house reef.
Before they could explore the reef though, the girls sat, perhaps a little nervously, for a briefing at the dive centre, to learn about how scuba works, ensuring safety and some basic skills; such as equalising, buoyancy, signalling and of course, how to clear masks and recover regulators.
There were varying degrees of success; but each girl managed to see for herself what life is like in the water that surrounds them every day. To watch them take their first breath underwater and discover this whole new world was a special moment indeed. Some took to scuba naturally, one or two were slightly fearful or swallowed too much salt water; but each gave it a go, and each will take that valuable experience back with them, empowering them to know that they can achieve something that they may never have dreamed of.
After a few skills in the shallow, we set off to the reef, home to at least two resident turtles, and the pupils were able to glimpse the drop-off – as a ‘baby’ diver myself, the first sighting of which I recall most vividly, and which never fails to blow my mind. Perching on the safety stop bar, the girls pose for a photograph; a memory that organisers hope will stay with them forever.
PADI EMEA Territory Director, Richard Somerset, was the first of the PADI representatives that joined COMO during the month of July to help support the initiatives dedicated to women and diving. He said: “Womens’ Dive Month here on Maalifushi reflects PADI and Como’s shared values of encouraging more women into the scuba community.
“This event not only allowed these young women to experience the incredible underwater heritage of the Maldives, but will also inspire them and others around them to engage and protect the marine world for future generations.”
It is thought around one in three divers worldwide are female.
For more information on Women’s Dive Day, which took place on 20 July, and to prepare for next year’s event, visit: padi.com/women
PADI’s guest blogger Rebecca introduces herself:
Rebecca Brooks is a local newspaper Editor and writer, yoga teacher, keen traveller, and new diver with a vast love of the ocean.
