PADI Women’s Dive Day 2025 marked an extraordinary 11th year of global celebration, connection and empowerment. Divers from all corners of the world came together to honor and uplift women in diving, with events, meet-ups, community dives and social campaigns showcasing the incredible diversity and strength of our global dive community.
From coastal bays in Zanzibar to the reefs of the Maldives, from the cliffs of Chile to the dive boats off Hawaii, divers came together to celebrate this special day.
PADI Women’s Dive Day has grown into the most celebrated day of diving on the planet, transforming lives and opening the door to the underwater world. For eleven consecutive years, the dive community has rallied together to encourage divers of all genders, ages, races, backgrounds and abilities to seek adventure and save the ocean together.
Organized by PADI Dive Centers, Resorts and individual dive pros around the world, the events had one shared goal: creating a more inclusive, empowered and ocean-conscious diving community.
Since the inception of PADI Women’s Dive Day, events around the globe have highlighted the important ties between diversity, inclusion and environmentalism – with this year’s event focused on discovery, education, adventure and conservation, seeing thousands of divers and Ocean TorchbearersTM join in on celebrating the true ethos of scuba diving and PADI.
Outstanding Destinations
Destinations like the Maldives have seen tremendous growth with female representation and appeal in scuba diving. This year over 30 events were listed on the Conservation Activities Locator in the Maldives alone, making this the region with the most events.
“PADI Women’s Dive Day is a celebration of empowerment, adventure and connection with the ocean,” says Matt Wenger, PADI Regional Manager for the Maldives. “It’s a chance to break barriers, amplify female voices in diving and explore the pristine underwater world — while inspiring future generations to dive into their passions, regardless of gender. It’s a celebration of both personal milestones and a collective movement to inspire more women to dive into their passions and protect the places that mean the most to us.”
TGI Helengeli teamed up with OBLU to host PADI Women’s Dive Month, inviting female journalists and guests to participate in their activities.
Aquaholics , working with Nova Maldives created an entire Ocean Adventure Week around this year’s annual celebration with PADI AmbassaDiver India Black.
“Nova’s Ocean Adventure and Women’s Dive Day event, in collaboration with PADI, was a proud and purposeful moment for us. Hosting the week in our soulful island paradise alongside the inspiring India Black brought a unique energy rooted in community, conservation, and inclusion,” says Adam Rasheed, Cluster Base Leader at Aquaholics.
In the Bahamas, the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism, Investments and Aviation (BMOTIA) organized its inaugural Women Dive Week in partnership with Caradonna Adventures, Stuart Cove’s Dive Bahamas and other members of the Bahamas dive industry. International participants enjoyed world-class diving, evening social events, cultural excursions and beach relaxation. Local Bahamian girls and young women also had the opportunity to take their first breath underwater.
Tourism Director General Latia Duncombe stated, “The Bahamas Women’s Dive Day Event is a powerful reflection of our national commitment to adventure tourism, and female empowerment. As a world-class diving destination, we are honored to celebrate the women making waves in ocean conservation and underwater exploration, while showcasing the unparalleled Bahamian beauty that captivates divers both from around the globe and among our islands.”
Highlights from the 11th Annual Women’s Dive Day
Celebrating Discovery
PADI Dive Centers and Resorts like AquaMarine Diving (Bali), Smoky Mountain Divers Inc. (USA), Dive Kauai Scuba Center (USA) and Ocean Wonder Dive Center (Tanzania) organized opportunities for local women to connect with themselves and the community through scuba diving. Reef Oasis Dive Club – Blue Bay (Egypt) offered free try dives and shore dives for certified female divers.
“All my dive staff are Indonesian, and I particularly encourage them to take their daughters snorkeling, for DSD and to teach them to dive. What better way to encourage the next generation of female divers … or dive guides,” explains founder and owner-operator Annabel Thomas from AquaMarine Diving who has promoted PADI Women’s Dive Day since its inception 11 years ago.
“It’s not just about taking that first breath underwater,” says Nadine Ostermann, PADI Course Director and owner of Ocean Wonder Dive Center. “It’s about building confidence, breaking stereotypes, and inspiring the next generation. More women in the water means more protection for our ocean!”
Local newly certified diver Ema Ayala “kind of stumbled onto scuba diving at the start of the summer.” She tells us, “I didn’t even know this kind of adventure was possible in landlocked Tennessee! I’m celebrating Women’s Dive Day for the first time with Smoky Mountain Divers because of the amazing community I’ve found.”
At Dive Kauai Scuba Center, Women’s Dive Day was more than just dives — it was about giving back and bringing local women from Kauai together. The team organized guided dives and marine education sessions. ”Every dollar raised goes directly to PADI AWARE to support marine conservation, because protecting the ocean starts with coming together to experience it,” says Micah Tillman, Operational Manager.
Celebrating Education
Placing a focus on the opportunities that exist for females in the industry, PADI Dive Centers and Resorts like Panorama Diver (Malaysia), Austral Divers (Chile) and DSDives Madrid (Spain) put the spotlight on their PADI Professionals who are inspiring the next generation to follow in their footsteps.
“PADI Women’s Dive Day aims to reduce the gender gap in diving by promoting equality and empowering women in this exciting activity,” says PADI Divemaster Marta Alvaro of DSDivers Madrid. “This was the first time I celebrated this event as a PADI Professional and marks an important step for me to actively contribute to raising awareness and strengthening the role of women in diving.”
Suhaimi from Panorama Diver has seen a big increase in local Malay women that have started learning to dive with them in the last five years. “So, I take this event to celebrate and to show how much we respect this and how proud we are to see how many female divers are now becoming professional divers and Instructors or Divemasters,” she tells us.
“This year, we welcomed 40 amazing women to an unforgettable experience. We closed our school to the general public and turned it into a space for community, joy and adventure,” explains Sofía Gardella from Austral Divers. Their program ranged from hikes in the forest and costal cliffs, DAN talks, lunch and creative workshops to a pirate party and an unforgettable dive the next day.
Celebrating Adventure
Creating ways to inspire the next generation of divers, PADI Dive Centers and Resorts like Sunreef Mooloolaba (Australia), Scuba Blue Ltd (UK), Harrisburg’s Westshore Scuba (Pennsylvania) and Monkey Divers Diving College (Egypt) introduced some people to the underwater world for the first time whereas others had joined for many dive adventures in the past.
“PADI Women’s Dive Day made me realize how important it is to create space for more women in diving, to feel confident, capable and just enjoy being underwater,” says Jemma Smith of Sunreef Mooloolaba.
Adventure was not short at the Olympic-themed event with over 60 attendees at Lake Hydra in Pennsylvania. “West Shore Scuba teamed up with Boulders & Bubbles to host a memorable Scuba Olympics for PADI Women’s Dive Day and celebrate representation in the dive industry — because with eight female instructors on our team, we know just how powerful visibility and inclusion can be,” says owner Ron Willis.
Lory from Monkey Divers Diving College mentions, “We like to see couples and families approach diving, and at the same time become more aware about how the underwater life has been in danger in recent years, and how divers can help solve this.”
“This is our seventh year celebrating PADI Women’s Dive Day. It’s been wonderful to see the number of women joining us each year grow and to witness how diving has become accessible to all,” says Vicks Hayes of Scuba Blue Ltd.
Women at Sea is a project from Nathalie Lasselin at Aqua Sub Terra that brings together the largest number of women divers and freedivers simultaneously to show that women are just as capable of diving. This year 157 women came to dive in all together.
Celebrating Conservation
Showing scuba divers that they can be superheroes for our shared blue planet, PADI Dive Centers and Resorts also organized various conservation activities that brought communities together.
Atlantida Centro de Buceo (Colombia) brought certified female divers out with them to help assess the current condition of the coral reefs in Tayrona National Natural Park, Colombia and help their team of marine biologists conduct coral reef surveys. “With this, we aim to generate baseline information to report the damage occurring in the area to environmental authorities, as well as raise awareness directly among the participating divers, who become advocates for the respect and care of our seas,” says Lina Rico.
SEAsters in Action (Qatar), an initiative by PADI Instructor Meech del Carmen and Dive Master Margaux De Pauw, brought together 17 female divers and 34 surface supporters, a mix of male divers and non-diving volunteers, to take part in an underwater and beach clean-up. In total 40 kilograms (88 pounds) of general waste from the ocean and shoreline was collected. “People showed up not just to clean, but to care,” says Michelle Anne del Carmen of SEAsters. “Every dive is a clean-up dive, and every diver has the power to pass on joy, purpose, and impact.”
Over the course of the weekend, more than 50 mermaids, including hobbyists, PADI Professionals, and industry leaders, gathered in central Texas for the inaugural Im’Mer’Sion event. Course Director and Mermaid Instructor Trainer Megan Bob organized the event with Aggieland Scuba LLC which included morning yoga, seminars and a glow party in the evening where 40+ mermaids participated in a social swim. The weekend finished with a Dive Against Debris where divers collected 15kg (33 pounds) of trash and logged it in the AWARE app.
Looking Ahead
The 12th Annual PADI Women’s Dive Day is set to take place next 18 July, 2026 and will call on the 6,600 PADI Dive Centers and Resorts located around the world to rally their local communities together once again to join PADI in creating positive ocean change. Save the date!
“[PADI Women’s Dive Day] is more than just a diving event; it’s about creating space for women to connect, inspire one another and take part in a global movement that promotes inclusivity and access to scuba diving,” says Micah Tillman, Operational Manager at Dive Kauai Scuba Center.
As we reflect on another incredible year of celebration and community, Katie Thompson, PADI’s Senior Director of Environment & Sustainability shared this message:
“This year’s Women’s Dive Day was more than a celebration – it was a global movement of empowerment, inclusion, and shared purpose. Scrolling through social media, it was incredible to see the creativity, community and sense of belonging reflected in every post, dive and gathering. In just 11 years, this initiative has grown into something deeply rooted in dive culture around the world. We’re proud of what we’ve built together with our PADI Dive Community, including the incredible, passionate dive shop operators and instructors who are the front lines of this movement. In 2026, we’ll continue to build on this momentum and inspire even more women to experience the transformational power of diving.”
To learn more about how to take part in the annual event visit padi.com/women.
