It was winter 2024, and I was back in Baja, Mexico, to explore more scuba diving around the peninsula from my van. I pulled into a quiet spot to camp in Bahia Concepcion next to three vans, each owned by a solo van lifer. A couple of pride flags luffing in the wind told me I had magically stumbled upon family in the middle of the desert.
Van life in Baja feels a lot like summer camp. People are friendly, chatty, and helpful. Everyone is out enjoying nature, spending less time on devices, and opting for swapping stories around the campfire instead.
Whenever I share where I’ve been and what I’m doing now, I usually get a lot of questions. However, this time was different. My status as a traveling PADI Scuba Instructor inspired one person to reveal their lifelong terror of the water. They shared about their upcoming 50th birthday and how they wanted to enter this new phase of life. The theme? Facing fears. So, we devised a plan to get them in the water for the PADI Open Water Diver course and open the experience to other people in the LGBTQIA+ community.
Coming Out, Facing Fears, and Choosing Visibility
The layers of our theme of ‘facing fears’ became real as I realized how this would impact my business. Regardless of industry, there is always a backlash when you identify as an ‘other.’ Advertising this trip meant coming out online and subjecting myself to bigotry. Comment sections are particularly challenging places where hateful people feel emboldened to say the wildest things behind the anonymity of a keyboard.
I decided to be brave and do it anyway.
Offering trips and creating groups for marginalized communities makes scuba diving more accessible, which ultimately means there will be more diversity in the voices helping us advocate for ocean conservation. For me, that is the most pressing issue of our time.
Why Representation in Scuba Diving Matters
The LGBTQIA+ Baja Dive Expedition with Dive Ninja Expeditions became a reality in January of this year. Four of the trip participants enrolled in the PADI Open Water Diver course. And we all bonded immediately over similar life experiences as queer people living in the United States. As the Open Water Diver course progressed, it brought out a sense of deep camaraderie and care as each person worked through the triumphs and challenges of different aspects of the training. Working together toward a common goal is one of the reasons diving brings people together. The unique experiences you share create long-lasting memories.
Challenging the “Not a Problem” Myth in Diving
Whenever challenges or concerns from the LGBTQIA+ community come up in scuba diving spaces, I can expect two comments to show up:
- “This isn’t a problem in scuba diving.”
- “This doesn’t have anything to do with scuba diving.”
The comments always come from people who are not a part of a marginalized group, so it’s normal for there to be ignorance and misunderstanding. The minimization of genuine concerns from queer and trans people is problematic because for some of us, simply existing can put us at risk of a hate crime. Travel has to be carefully thought out to minimize unnecessary danger.
The Importance of Community
Events designed for specific affinity groups offer a unique opportunity for those people to try something new or explore the ocean while celebrating each person’s beautiful, messy humanity. A common misconception is that the goal of these types of events is about exclusion, and that’s not the case. It’s about giving more people the opportunity to see themselves in the greater community.
In the case of the LGBTQIA+ community, we are facing hatred and erasure in the United States. For those of us in the area, now it’s more important than ever to create these affirming experiences.
How Allies Can Help Make Diving More Inclusive
If you are reading this and consider yourself an ally, show up in your dive community.
- Education is the first step. Understanding the history, culture, and struggles of a marginalized group of people encourages empathy, and empathy is critical for creating a cultural shift.
- Signal that you are an ally. Ask people for their pronouns. Tell people in person and on social media that you support queer and trans rights. Also, for dive shops, a simple rainbow flag or sticker in the window can show potential customers that the business is a safe space.
- As individuals, if you are confronted with bigotry, challenge the people who say it, even if they try to downplay it as a joke. Regardless of whether you are on a dive boat, in the shop, or just out in public, the people around you notice whether you laugh or take action in these moments.
- Encourage your queer and trans friends to become divers by signing up for the Open Water Diver course.
- If you are now realizing you don’t have any queer or trans friends, get out there and make some.
Just as in ocean conservation policy, change starts from the local level. We have to take care of one another and hold each other accountable.
There’s huge power in building community based on compassion and kindness. Let’s do it together.
This blog was written by PADI AmbassaDiver Sarah Miller. Sarah became a diver in 2012 and followed her dream to become a Scuba Instructor the year after, eventually moving to Mexico to gain more experience. A couple of years later, PADI Course Director Aitor Díaz and Sarah established their brand Azul Unlimited to teach Divemaster and Instructor courses, “We took the momentum from our business in Mexico and opened a physical shop in Indonesia where we did quite well until the country shut down in 2020. Now, Azul Unlimited is my online brand where I share scuba lessons and vanlife adventures on YouTube.” Find inspiration from Sarah’s travel adventures and helpful dive safety tips on Instagram.
