THE Saint Lucia Tourist Board is pleased to have joined divers around the globe last Saturday to celebrate the second annual PADI Women’s Dive Day.
Last year, PADI Women’s Dive Day featured events across 65 countries and all seven continents. Men and women from Alaska to Argentina, France to the Philippines enjoyed a day of diving together to celebrate the contributions of women to the sport. PADI Women’s Dive Day espouses that scuba diving is about community, as diving is a great way to network and share experiences with friends or family.
The event was promoted locally with a competition for the female divers. Hoteliers and Dive Shops around the island were invited to submit a nominee of their best female diver(s) and their accomplishments and provide a reason why these women should be recognized for PADI Women’s Dive Day. Nominations were received from the following:
• Dive Saint Lucia – Wendy John
• Dive Saint Lucia – Dawn Shewan
• Body Holiday –Nikelia Williams
• Body Holiday –Merlissa Brown
• AnseChastanet Hotel –Zita Glace
• Sandals Grande – Nathalia Clement
• Sea Adventures Inc –HardasherAgdomar
• Eastern Caribbean Diving – Eget Martyr
The nominees were asked to submit a video and a biography and were assessed based on Dive knowledge/experience, overall presentation of the submission, and video content.
1st place went to Dawn Shewan (Dive Saint Lucia). In 2nd place was Nathalia Clement (Sandals Grande) and 3rd place went to Zita Glace (Scuba St. Lucia).
The SLTB’s Marketing Manager for Niche Markets Jemima Lorde expressed delight that Saint Lucia seized the opportunity to recognize its women folk in this capacity. Lorde, a former PADI Master Scuba Diver Trainer, EFR (Emergency First Response) Instructor as well as a swim coach, highlighted the “struggles and hardship that one must endure (especially as a female) in becoming a professional diver let alone making it a lifelong career.”