“It’s a Man’s Man’s Man’s World” says the James Brown’s song. However, the diving world is becoming more and more inclusive day by day. The five protagonists of this article are excellent scuba women, contributors to ocean conservation, and the expansion of this sport we love. Let’s meet them!
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20/11/2020Scuba Women: Dr. Sylvia Earl
Sylvia Earl is known as the “Legendary lady of the ocean”. This marine biologist has dedicated her life to studying the oceans and exploring them. What better way to do this than by diving? After earning her Ph.D. in 1966, she worked as a researcher at Harvard and led the Tektite II project, in which scientists lived underwater to find out how this affected them psychologically. This scuba woman was the first to become a chief scientist for the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration NOAA, an organization previously led only by men. She has also been a National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence since 1998, Today, Dr. Earl continues working to raise public awareness of how global overfishing and pollution threaten the oceans. Not surprisingly, Time magazine named her “Hero of the Planet”. At 84 years old, Earl has logged more than 100 expeditions and 7,000 hours underwater.
Scuba Women: Dr. Eugenie Clark
Another legend among scuba women is Dr. Eugene Clark, an ichthyologist. Known by the nickname “The Lady of the Sharks”. As a child, Clark often visited the New York Aquarium and fell in love with the fish there. As a result, she became one of the first female divers in the field of marine research. Dr. Eugenie Clark spent more than 40 years diving with sharks. Dr. Eugene Clark continued diving until one year before she passed away… at age 92!
Scuba Women: Dottie Frazier
Dottie Frazier is known to have been the first female dive instructor in the world. She got certified in 1955. This Californian was already diving at the age of 10 with a homemade mask made by her father. Since Dottie was breaking records, she continued to become the first women hard hat diver. She was also the first to own a dive store, and to produce wetsuits and drysuits. She even created her own line. As Dottie was a mother of 4 children, she realized the need to found a family diving center for couples of divers with children.
Scuba Women: Dr. Eugenie Clark
Another legend among scuba women is Dr. Eugene Clark, an ichthyologist. Known by the nickname “The Lady of the Sharks”. As a child, Clark often visited the New York Aquarium and fell in love with the fish there. As a result, she became one of the first female divers in the field of marine research. Dr. Eugenie Clark spent more than 40 years diving with sharks. Dr. Eugene Clark continued diving until one year before she passed away… at age 92!
Scuba Women: Dottie Frazier
Dottie Frazier is known to have been the first female dive instructor in the world. She got certified in 1955. This Californian was already diving at the age of 10 with a homemade mask made by her father. Since Dottie was breaking records, she continued to become the first women hard hat diver. She was also the first to own a dive store, and to produce wetsuits and drysuits. She even created her own line. As Dottie was a mother of 4 children, she realized the need to found a family diving center for couples of divers with children.
Scuba Women: Valerie Taylor
Valerie Taylor is an Australian, underwater filmmaker, photographer, and conservation movement activist. Valerie Taylor, and her husband Tom, were some of the divers who inaugurated the diving hall of fame. Valerie began diving in 1956 out of necessity. She was dedicated to underwater fishing to survive, then she began to compete. With her husband, she traded the harpoon for the camera, but remained a scuba woman. Together they started making marine documentaries. Their work is especially notable for the films where they dove without a cage next to white sharks. Besides, her efforts as a conservationist are noteworthy and have earned her numerous awards and recognition.
Women Divers: Jillian Morris-Brake
The new generation of women divers has a great proxy in Jillian Morrie-Brake. She is a free diver, scuba instructor, photographer, educator, rebreather diver, videographer, writer and marine biologist, ocean advocate and founder of Sharks4Kids. Amazing! Isn’t she? The goal of this scuba woman is to teach children about the beauty of sharks, their importance in the natural environment, and ocean conservation.
Do you want to know more about her work? You can see it on her Instagram @biminisharkgirl account. Now you know 5 remarkable scuba women, but there are many more, each in their style and with their human contribution. Scientists, doctors, businesswomen, actresses… all of them are scuba women. You can be one of them too.
