Ladies First - Women's Dive Day 2025
On July 19th, 2025, divers around the world came together to celebrate the 11th annual PADI Women’s Dive Day—an event dedicated to building an inclusive global dive community. Originally launched in 2015 to increase female participation in scuba diving, the celebration has grown into a powerful movement welcoming divers of all genders, ages, backgrounds, and skill levels to explore the ocean with confidence and purpose.
This year, members of Active Divers joined the festivities with a special dive at the Neptune Memorial and Rainbow Reef in Miami, FL, hosted by Divers Paradise. It was a memorable day of unity, adventure, and a shared commitment to protecting our underwater world.
Dive 1 - Rainbow Reef: Seas 2-3 feet, max depth 25 feet, vis 50+ feet, water 84 degrees, mild current. Here we spotted a few schools of fish weaving through the water, a lobster tucked beneath the reef, and a squid gliding by with quiet grace. A lucky few caught a glimpse of an eagle ray cruising past in the distance. It almost felt like all the marine life was making its way toward Neptune Memorial Reef—right alongside us.
Dive 2 - Neptune Memorial Reef: Seas 2-3 feet, max depth 45 feet, vis 50+ feet, water 84 degrees, mild current. Divers dropped into a surreal underwater world at the Neptune Memorial Reef—an awe-inspiring site modeled after the mythical city of Atlantis. Since opening, this submerged sanctuary has transformed into a thriving marine ecosystem, where life and legacy intertwine in the most beautiful way. It’s a powerful experience, as if witnessing the cycle of reincarnation firsthand—where those who rest here now give rise to vibrant new life. On this dive, we were surrounded by nature’s spectacle: a curious green moray eel slinking through the ruins, southern stingrays gliding effortlessly across the sand, lobsters and crabs tucked into crevices, and clouds of schooling fish swirling around towering structures. Massive barracudas loomed nearby, and some lucky divers spotted a gentle nurse shark and a resilient sea turtle bearing the mark of survival—a missing piece of shell. This is more than a dive site; it’s a living tribute to the sea and those who now belong to it.
--Safety Officer Rudy Lopez
Underwater photos by Leah Bamford and Rudy Lopez.
Top Row(from Left): Sheila Schlafly, Leah Bamford, Ena Cea, Roger Bach, Vittorio Lacagnina
Bottom Row: Jay Abbazia, Rudy Lopez, Evy Brow, Melissa Hanono, Aaron Brooks, Cindy Sutton
Divers Paradise was gracious enough to provide our female divers with a swag bag filled with some excellent gifts including an Aqualung mask. They also held a raffle where Rudy took home a Divers Paradise hoodie.