PADI Launches Inaugural Women's Dive Day, July 18

RANCHO SANTA MARGARITA, Calif., July 16, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- To build awareness and increase interest in scuba diving among women, PADI (Professional Association of Diving Instructors) is launching  the inaugural Women's Dive Day, scheduled for this Saturday, July 18, with over 300 events featuring industry icons and women dive groups scheduled across seven continents and 60 countries. The international event is geared to encourage female divers of all levels to dive together on the same day. 

Today, women represent an emerging market of powerful consumers, with their global incomes predicted to reach $18 trillion by 2018.¹ In fact, research shows that 50-percent of products typically marketed to men are purchased by women, and that 85-percent of purchases and purchase influences are made by women.² With this purchasing power, the female segment is powerful and, more importantly, underrepresented in the dive industry at just 35-percent of certified divers³.

"While the female diver population is growing, we feel there's still a lot we can do to enlighten women about the myriad of opportunities diving affords," says Kristin Valette, PADI Americas vice president of marketing and communications. "Our goal with PADI Women's Dive Day is to highlight the significant and meaningful contributions female divers have made to the sport and encourage more women to explore the underwater world."

Here are just a few examples of PADI Women's Dive Day events to plunge into:

• Avalon, Santa Catalina Island, California—Beginning at 10 a.m., PADI Americas will host a flagship event filled with prize giveaways, diving and gear demonstrations, as well as a recognition ceremony for women completing their certification courses
• Nassau, Bahamas—Explore a new underwater sculpture garden at the dive resort
• Sanur, Bali, Indonesia —Enjoy a morning Discover Scuba^® Diving experience followed by brunch
• Ostuni, Italy—Make diving a family affair while saving on mother-and-daughter/son scuba excursions
• La Jolla Shores, San Diego, California—Scuba or snorkel and discover the variety of wondrous marine life on the reefs

Need more reasons to participate? Here's why scuba diving is great for women:

1. Removes the role of "brawn" from competence. Diving is a great equalizer as it has more to do with what's going on around you, your personal skills and mental wit than muscle strength.
2. Provides a much-needed "Mental Health Day."  It's quiet underwater!  It gives you a break from the office, kids, your cell phone and the stresses of daily life. Even if your kids dive with you (it's a great family activity) they have a regulator in their mouths, so nobody is calling for "Mom!"
3. Dive buddies! Diving is a great way to strengthen relationships.  The shared interest between couples and friends helps build and strengthen bonds. Diving together also increases trust in one-another and your ability to work (and play) as a team.   
4. Fosters a sense of strength, accomplishment and pride.  Whether you face a shark head on, explore an underwater cavern or become a PADI scuba instructor, embracing challenges like these builds confidence and personal achievement. Diving is empowering for divers at every skill level. 
5. Breaks down the Mars and Venus communication styles. Agreed upon communications (hand signals) make communicating easier than ever. 

For more information, visit www.padi.com/women-dive. While the focus of the event is women and their accomplishments, everyone is encouraged to participate. Men can introduce female friends and family members to the sport they love, and women can share the wonders of diving with others on this celebratory day. Let's all get involved and introduce more females to diving through #PADIWomensDiveDay.

About PADI

PADI (Professional Association of Diving Instructors) is the world's largest recreational diving training organization, with more than 136,000 trained PADI Professionals dedicated to introducing new divers to the thrill of scuba diving and enhancing the skills of experienced divers through its 6,200 dive centers and resorts worldwide. PADI Members issue nearly one million certifications worldwide each year, making underwater exploration and adventure accessible to the public while maintaining the highest industry standards for dive training, safety and customer service. For more information, visit www.PADI.com.

¹ Women: The Next Emerging Market report by global professional services firm, EY.
² The Purchasing Power of Women, DigitalSherpa
³ 2013 DEMA Demographic Report, "Who is the Open Water Diver?" (prepared by AnySite)

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