Showing posts with label women. Show all posts
Showing posts with label women. Show all posts

You Go Girl!

04 January 2010 Labels: , ,


"YOU GO GIRL!" These three words are the newest addition to my "Motivation Wall" at GirlDiver World Headquarters. But not motivation for me...rather...to remind myself to always focus on becoming a motivator and cheerleader for others.


As 2010 comes in, I am finding my "place" in the larger world. The world beyond hoisting a tank on my back and leading divers down the stairs to the waters edge. Oh, don't get me wrong...I will still be teaching this year (as that's what puts the skip in my step), but I want to look beyond simply teaching scuba skills, when really, what I'm doing is offering my students (male and female) the ability to transcend their fears and become a part of a world only 1% of the world gets to explore.


Several times per year we teach a women's only scuba class. And I love these. The overall attitude of a womens only class is so much more encouraging and supportive for the women involved than a co-ed class. And I can say that, in spite of the fact that we have some of the most supportive co-ed scuba class experiences in the Seattle area. All egos are left at the door, and we cheer each other to the depths.


"You Go Girl", while a trendy phrase in today's conversations, is an attitude I will embody in 2010. "You Go Girl"...as a cheer for the little and BIG things the women in my life, both in scuba and out, accomplish.
How are you making a difference today as a cheerleader in your area of influence? I'd love to hear your thoughts below...

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Life Lesson #1

31 October 2009 Labels: , , ,



Be in the Moment


I've often told students that diving is an extreme stress reliever because you can't take your problems underwater with you. No matter what kind of a day you've had, the problems are hydrophobic and don't seem to be able to follow you beneath the sea. When you enter the sea, you enter another world, where all that is, is what's right there.



In the water, the most important thing we do is to pay attention. Pay attention to your air gauge (air is important underwater!), to the sites around you and to your buddy. I've heard many divers say one of the things they love about scuba is it forces them to focus on the present moment. They can't allow their mind to wander underwater. The feeling of focusing on what's in front of you and what you need to do to make it safely back is very freeing. In that very moment, there's nothing but you, the sea and your plan.

If you misread the water in a current, or don't adjust your buoyancy to fit with the water (which is bigger and heavier than you), the water will let you know immediately. If we mess up our buoyancy or get into a situation that's risky, it's not the sea that is out to get us. We can't blame the water for our mistakes, lack of focus or bad timing. We are forced to take responsibility for the decisions we've made up to that point, and then work to find a way to fix them.

Paying attention and being accountable for our actions, thoughts and words in our daily life isn't always as easy. Often we try to shift the blame or focus our attention elsewhere. There may not be the immediate consequences when we act carelessly, like there is in scuba, however, there will be affects to our lives that can include drama, anger and unhappiness.

In the water, if we mess up once, we will definitely replay it in our head and do it differently the next time. I haven't met very many divers with the same "one time I did..." story, but I have met many people who get addicted to drama and blaming in their lives and repeat lifes lessons over and over again.

Being truthful with yourself, and others, about your mistakes gives an opportunity to change the course of the dive. Knowing when you're going into a challenging situation and letting those around you know this is more than you've taken on before. When you mess up, let others know. Just like "dive buddies", people really do want to help us through challenging situations. No one wants to see you drown, whether in water or on land. Even the best divers in the world dive with buddies.
What life mistake do you need to admit to, forgive yourself from and resolve to not repeat it again? Ok...no comments needed below for this one. :)

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The 1 Thing All Women have in Common

20 March 2009 Labels: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,


The one thing all women have in common: XX chromosones.


That's it...that's all. Other than that, we're all pretty individual.


I'm a female in the scuba world who likes land excursions. I don't want to dive five dives per day for seven days. I want two dives per day and an afternoon in the jungle. Or maybe five dives one day and the Mayan ruins the next.


Does that mean ALL women want land time? No.


One of my diving friends only dives tropical. She won't brave the chillier waters of the Puget Sound, no matter what I've tempted her with. It's too cold and the gear is too heavy.


Does that mean ALL women want to dive tropical and look at brightly colored fishies? No.


We're as different amongst ourselves as each of the sea creatures we gaze upon. And while the dive manufacturers have discovered that we exist, we are still seen as 1.


We don't all want pink on our BCD's and wetsuits. Though some of us do.


We don't all have a size 8 hips, chest and torso. Though some of us do.


Even amongst the size 8's, we are not the same.


The manufacturers who market to us are starting to come around. We'll know we've arrived as female divers when the "female specific" lines become a little more "female general" and see us as separate and uniquely built consumers who don't all fit into 1 mold.

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Scuba Barbie?

27 October 2008 Labels: , , , , , , , , ,


This past week was DEMA 2008. The industry convention where money is traded among the dive empires to offer new gear, travel and clothing to the masses.


I was there as an editor for XRay Magazine. (Love press badges!!) My assignment? What’s new and exciting in the world for GirlDivers?


It was this simple question that I posed to the seated gatekeepers at the front of the major equipment manufacturer displays. The two unsuspecting parties would look at each other, as if I were speaking Swahili, and repeat,”New and exciting for GirlDivers?”


After usually being redirected several times to any sales representative not protected by a meeting with a dealer, I would be shown a pink mask…a pair of pink fins or a BCD with a decidely male cut…oh, but it’s got pink trim!!


Really? Is that all it takes to sell us gear? Pink?


Now, I realize, my site is pink. And if you’ve gotten this far, you’re probably either a pink fan, or wondering if the rosiness of the site ever ends. But for this site, it’s a marketing thing. You know you’re on a “girl-focused” site because of the color. It’s a draw.


However, if the content of this site was just “general scuba”, well, then you might as well change the site colors back to basic black. The inner workings of the site, or the dive gear, must be true to the colors, or it’s just another attempt to fool us into thinking they care.


There were well over 500 vendors at DEMA. I was able to complete my assignment and find 6 things new and exciting in the dive world for girls. Stay tuned to XRay Magazine where the November issue will show the newest finds for girls.

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The Girls Take it Tandem

27 February 2007 Labels: , , , , , , , , , , ,

In the quest to give GirlDiver more credibility in the eyes of the female divers who do not adorn themselves with OPI nails and Sephora mascara, we’ve planned a series of dives that will allow us to delve into the more adventurous side of diving. And…as a bonus…ALL these dives will ROCK!

The first dive of the series was “Girls Taking It Tandem”. My GirlDiver staff member, LeighAnn called and said that Blake from NuCanoe had invited us to demo their new recreational kayaks which their R&D department had put “scuba thought” into. She wanted a time…and a photographer on site.

Kayak Diving? Was she crazy?

I had never tried it, but I was pretty sure that the experience was going to be a whole lot of work and I would be fully exhausted by the end of one dive. And HOW was I supposed to get back in the kayak “gracefully”??? Did I really want a photographer there when someone would have to haul me back into the watercraft…or watching me “tired diver tow” the kayak to shore because I wouldn’t be able to lift my bum back into the boat?

Well, LeighAnn is new to GirlDiver, so I couldn’t just shoot down her first suggestion.

We arrived at Les Davis Marine Park to find Blake waiting for us with a trailerload of kayaks. (At least we LOOK like we know what we’re doing to the passersby) Our chosen dive site, bordering Commencement Bay, had fresh glacial runoff clouding the top ten feet of water, but turned out great for the pictures on the surface. We got our gear together while Blake unloaded the kayaks and brought them to our cars.

I had done my homework on these vessels. Ninety pounds empty. Not being a kayaker, I underestimated the magic of the kayak cart. ”Load your gear into the kayak,” said Blake.
Blake had just got done giving me a pep talk about how easy kayak diving would be. He said the easiest re-entries into the boat he’d witnessed, so far, were done by petite women. So, while I thought loading more weight onto the already heavy boat was contraindicitive to moving it to the entry point, I obliged him. Afterall, it’s his idea, so if I can’t move it, well, he’s the rep…he can pull it.

90 lbs. of boat + 160 lbs. of gear. ”Go ahead and grab hold of the handle and just pull it,” he directed.

Wow. Not only did it move, it pivoted, and I was pulling this bad boy with my fingertips!

The entry to this site is a set of stairs, made for divers by divers, courtesy of the hard work of the dedicated group Washington Scuba Alliance. We positioned the kayak at the top of the stairs and slid the boat with all of the gear aboard into the water. Amazingly easy.

LeighAnn and I assembled the paddles, LeighAnn choosing an unfeathered (parallel) blade adjustment, and I angled mine to a 60 degree right hand control. For never kayaking together before, we did a great job of immediately synchronizing our paddle strokes and efficiently made our way around the dive site.

With our photographer in place, we moved to the middle of the site, threw our inflated gear (important to INFLATE your gear) over the side and individually splashed into the turquoise sea. Donning your dive kit in the water is a skill not often practiced, but with very little struggle, we were geared up and ready to descend.

After a great dive, we surfaced to find our kayak a short surface swim away. Returning to the mothership, we fully inflated our BCD’s, slipped easily out of the gear, and faced the kayak re-entry challenge.

Fully aware of where our photographer was, we moved to the opposite side of the boat, so that we wouldn’t have to look at any “bum over the side” shots. Blake promised that I’d just take ahold of the bench seat, and would “pop” up and out of the water. Maybe he underestimated my upper body strength?

“Just kick and pop into the kayak,” he coaxed. (Did he forget that my fins were already aboard…how much good would my drysuit boots be here?)

I kicked. I’m effortlessly boosted up! My arms locked at the elbows, I lean forward and move my legs ”semi-gracefully” into the kayak. My gear retrieval is more difficult, due to the BCD integrated with 28 lbs. of weight and a steel tank. But LeighAnn and I work as a team, and pull both of the units aboard, along with a full hull of water.

No problem with the flooded boat, as the kayak is unsinkable. We did bail out some of the water, but only to make better paddling time on the way back.

The review results? Kayak diving with NuCanoe’s new recreational kayak rocks! Easy entry. Provides an excellent platform to stage from. You can hang bottles, gear and current lines from the 21 attachment points on the boat. Adjustable seats let you decide where you’re storing your gear and where you’re paddling from. Optional paddle leashes ensure that you’re paddles will be there when you surface, and your fins will make it out to the dive. With the help of a kayak cart, your shore entry has never been easier, and a surface “paddle” beats a surface “swim” anyday.

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