This page is dedicated to women who dive or women who have an interest in diving or who just love the water.

When scuba diving first became popular there were very few women divers (Jacques Cousteau's wife Simone was probably the very first in the 1940's). Now, about about one-third of newly-certified divers are women. We are diving the world and lovin' it! There's no other sport that can offer us more in terms of beauty, exercise, and companionship than scuba.

Tanya Streeter Seeks Free-Dive Record Tanya Streeter is ready to plunge in pursuit of a free diving record. Caymanian born, Streeter also has US and British citizenship through her parents which makes her eligible to hold national fee-dive records in all three countries. Cayman and Great Britain currently have no record so she could become the holder of those national records. The US record is 165 feet. Streeter's target will be 175 feet. She will make the attempt from a boat somewhere off Grand Cayman's wall. I'm ready," said Streeter. "I have done 175 feet in training and my preparation has been very intense for the past few months, so I'm confident." Streeter is attempting a "constant-ballast free-dive", significantly different from the deep diving which utilizes guide ropes and a weighted sled. That is the form Francisco Pipin" Ferreras used last June when he dove 515 feet on two breaths of air in Grand Cayman waters. Constant-ballast free diving requires that divers rely upon their own power and return to the surface with any weight used to assist with descents. Although a rope is present for reference, a diver may not touch it apart form the moment a confirmation tag is retrieved at the bottom of the dive. Streeter's trainer, Rudi Castineyra of Miami, has worked with Pipin and other world class free-divers. He says the sport is dangerous given the pressures placed on the organs at depth and the threat of "shallow-water blackout". He adds, however, that training eliminates much of the risk. He said that seven divers will be in the water at various depths when Streeter makes her attempt. "It was obvious to me that Tanya has a lot of talent for this sport,"said Castineyra. "Her training has gone very well so I feel good about the attempt." Streeter says ocean dives have been the smallest portion of her training regimen. Her prep work has consisted mostly of cardiovascular work, weight training and breath-holding practice. She says the mental aspect of free-diving is most crucial. "It's 90% mental," she said. I will begin getting my mind ready for the dive as early as a day or two before." Castineryra believes that constant ballast free-diving is the sport's purest form. "It's important for people to understand that Tanya's attempt at 175 feet is the equivalent of going to 400 feet using a sled." He adds that free-diving is not some thrill sport saved up the 90's. It is, he says, the original extreme sport, with roots at a least as far back as the 1940s. Streeter has a long link to the sea. Whether swimming or diving, she says she has always felt as home in the water. "It's great going down, but the ascent is too serious to let your mind wander. I'll be all business on the way up."

TRAVELING FOR WOMEN Foreign Travel? So you are thinking about going on an exotic dive trip but are nervous about traveling and staying in a third world country alone. What I recommend for women who a traveling alone or with a friend for the first time - is to try a liveaboard dive boat. LIVEABOARDS are wonderful. Everything is prearranged for you, from your air travel, hotel, and of course dive boat. Someone is there to meet you at the airport and whisk you away to the boat or hotel, if you have to stay a night before leaving. On the boat you are provided three meals -no hunting for restaurants and wondering if you are going to get sick - a day and lots of snacks. What about a dive buddy? Well, there always seems to be plenty to go around and it is a great way to meet new friends. Don't wait - sign up for that trip to the Galapagos or Red Sea or Seychelles you will have the time of your life.     Diving Women wants your sea-life poetry, your essays, stories, or a great quote. I will publish a few of them on the web site each month, with your byline. Just email them to me. Diving Women  World Briefs Indian Ocean Reef Damage Mombasa, Kenya - Unusually high sea temperatures have damaged up to 70 percent of the coral reefs and other marine plants on East Africa's Indian Ocean coast, a Kenyan scientist said Friday. Kenya Wildlife Service regional biodiversity coordinator Nyawira Muhiga said the high temperatures attributed to the El Niño weather phenomenon have caused the brown and yellow coral to pale or turn white, a condition known as bleaching. Muthiga said scientists from KWS, the Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Institute, have recorded bleaching of up to 70 percent of all corals, sea anemones and giant clams in the reef lagoons and reef edges. "Definitely, bleaching is a very stressful condition for corals as it causes them to lose about 80% of an algae, Zooxanthelae, which they depend on to manufacture up to 80 % of their energy requirement," said Muthiga, "Often, most corals don't recover from bleaching but lose their tissue and die." She said only deep reefs at 40 metres have not been affected. Muthiga said researchers in Tanga and Zanzibar in neighbouring Tanzania as well as in Seychelles and Madagascar are also recording bleaching, indicating that the phenomenon is widespread - perhaps the largest ever recorded in the western Indian Ocean. Muthiga said temperatures as high as 91.4F in shallow reefs and 86F in 25 metres of water were recorded in March and May. Corals thrive at temperatures between 79-81 degrees F.

Questions and Answers Does one's sex affect scuba diving? Well, women on the average have smaller lungs, a lower aerobic capacity, a greater percentage of body fat, and less upper body strength than men, and these differences have some effects on diving. Women tend to use less air than men while diving because of their smaller lung volume. So we can stay down longer then our male counterparts. Women make very good divers and except for pregnancy can dive just as well as men, often better!

How safe is it to dive when a woman is menstruating? Menses do not effect you or your surroundings and should not even be a consideration. Some women are concerned that menstrual bleeding itself could attract sharks or other predators. In fact, I actually read that in a book I bought on a trip to the Galapagos. However, with tampons this is simply not a problem. It does not attract sharks. Thus, it is safe to dive during the menstrual period providing, of coursed, you feel healthy. Obviously, if you are suffering severe menstrual cramps, headaches, or other symptoms related to your period you should refrain from diving until fully recovered.

Diving with implants. Some women are diving with saline breast implants and are wondering if there are any problems in diving with these implants? What I have read regarding this issue is fluids are basically incompressible and should not be affected by changes in pressure. It looks as though there is no concern about diving with these saline implants.

Do you have any nagging dive questions you have been wondering about. E-mail me and I will include your questions on the WD Web Page.

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Women Dive into Scuba No longer is SCUBA diving a sport where men drag their wives and girlfriends kicking and screaming to the water. More than 120,000 women in he USA were certified as divers last year, twice the number of 10 years ago, according to PADI. A study done by the National Sporting Goods Association in 1995 revealed one-third of divers are women. But I definitely think the number is rising. Why? I feel it is because diving is such a beautiful sport. What other sport offers you such scenic views and diversity of wildlife. The only prerequisites: basic swimming skills and no fear of the water. SCUBA diving is one of the sports where men and women can participate equally. Under water divers are weightless so the 50 lbs. of equipment is no drawback. If you are not already certified check out our certification page that lists all the diving certification agencies. If you are already certified I would recommend taking some more courses. The more training you have the more enjoyment you will obtain from your dives. Certification Page

Links

• Certification Organizations
• Destination Adventure
• Water Girl
• Ocean of Love
• Webgrrls International
• WOW - Women Owned Workplace Network
• Divers Alert Network (DAN)
• Mermaids of Texas
• Venus Divers
• Herspace

Looking for an Island Getaway and a great investment! How about a beautiful Condo on Grand Cayman. The best dive sites in the world right out your front door plus a 10% return on your investment. Or why not buy your own Dive Resort. Several to choose from on Grand Cayman. Looking for a cheap island get-a-way and great diving. How about a timeshare? Many to choose from!

Interested? just email me.

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