Celebrating International Women's Day is an opportunity to highlight the remarkable achievements and contributions of women across various fields. In the spirit of this celebration, we turn our attention to the incredible divers on Shearwater's Customer Care team: Ness Greenough, Trisha Stovel, and Vinnci Choi. These women are not only experts in their field but also serve as inspirations to many aspiring divers around the world.
Through their dedication, expertise, and unwavering passion for the underwater world, they exemplify the strength and resilience that International Women's Day seeks to honour. Join us as we dive into their stories, learn about their journeys, and celebrate their invaluable contributions to Shearwater and the entire diving community.
Let's explore the depths of their experiences and be inspired by these remarkable women, starting with Ness Greenough. Ness is the fearless leader of the team, and has worked at Shearwater for 7 years as the Customer Care Manager.
How long have you been diving and what made you want to become a diver?
I’ve been diving for almost 22 years. I loved the water growing up and spent a fair bit of time swimming and sailing and was always curious about it. Some friends were dive pros and easily talked me into an Open Water course… the rest is history.
What does diving mean to you and how has it impacted your life?
Diving has given me the opportunity to explore and see the world in a different way. I’ve been able to experience so many once in a life time memories because of it and moments of awe interacting with nature. I took it up out of curiosity and something to try in my teens and it quickly became my career. Many of my closest friends are through diving.
What is your proudest diving moment or achievement?
I spent the first decade of my diving career continuously working towards further training and that was extremely rewarding in its own right. But I am most proud of seeing some of those that I taught Open Water to surpassing myself in terms of training and ability in the water. Some of you may read this and know who you are and it is such a joy to me to see you not only pursuing your own diving journey but offering mentorship and community to others.
What motivates you to continually deliver world-class service to Shearwater customers?
I’m very proud of the team I work with both internally in customer support and externally with our service centres, especially as that network grows to offer help in more locations globally. Myself and the support team are divers, and we want to treat our customers the way we’d like to be treated.
How can scuba diving inspire other women to explore the underwater world?
I love seeing so many women in diving and in various roles in diving. Be it science, exploration, commercial work, instruction, environmental stewardship, manufacturing… women have an increasing presence in the underwater world and no matter what aspects interest you, there are female mentors around.
What advice would you give to women who are interested in learning to scuba dive?
Honestly, give it a try! If you aren’t sure it is for you, there are try dives or discover dives so you don’t have to commit to a whole course up front. But be warned, it may change your life.
Next, we check-in with Trisha Stovel, who has spent the last 5 years splitting her time between the Customer Care and Marketing Teams, where she helps manage Shearwater's social media presence. Trisha is also a talented and contributing underwater photographer and videographer.
How did diving change your life?
From the beginning in 2003, diving took over most parts of my life with who my friends and most people in my life were, my work, all my local trips and nearly all my trips in other parts of the world. Being able to have the access to it at home as much as I have all these years has made it that much easier and fun to do often. I started taking photos early on and then moved straight to video and that’s always been what I love the most. Not just filming the environment and the marine life, but of my buddies exploring and playing underwater. Diving changed my life because it became almost every bit of who I am from the start. It’s been every bit as important during many good times in life and also during the most difficult times. It gave me a focus in my work and I continue to work in the diving industry.
What keeps your love of diving unwavering?
The learning, growing, and trips never end with diving. After many years, there’s always ways to improve as a diver, a buddy, an instructor, and a student. It never gets old and continues to allow me to travel to parts of the world I never imagined I’d visit and encounter so many different marine animals like octopuses, sea lions, manta rays, whales, sharks, the unbelievable macro life both from local dives on Vancouver Island and in places like Indonesia. Always wanting to dive in more places and then dive in my hometown the most keeps it a constant in my life.
What do you love about working for Shearwater?
I was familiar and diving with Shearwater computers long before I started working here. Selling computers from a dive shop, diving and training with the Petrel 2, shooting promotional videos for several new Shearwater products, and having the opportunity to get some diving in with Bruce and Lynn Partridge. To then be able to join the Shearwater team full time was really a dream come true. While I work remotely from Vancouver Island, I have always felt connected with the teams I work with in Customer Care and Marketing. But, I also got to know people in all departments well. I’ve enjoyed travelling for trade shows as well as for diving events in places like Tulum and Bonaire to represent Shearwater. I feel very fortunate to work with everyone here at Shearwater.
Photo Credit: Maxwel Hohn
What motivates you to continually deliver world-class service to Shearwater customers?
Being full time with a team that genuinely cares about our customers and as divers ourselves, we make sure we do the best we can to keep people diving. Conversations with customers on the phone especially, go from assisting in any questions they have, to also talking about where they dive and the types of diving they enjoy doing. Being able to talk with divers both on the team and our customers is something I love the most about my job with Shearwater.
How do you think scuba diving can inspire other women to explore the underwater world?
Scuba diving can open up an incredible number of opportunities for women through photography and videography, marine sciences, ocean conservation, as dive professionals, with equipment manufacturers, and of course a lot more. Because you can continue to learn and grow as a diver and in the industry, there are always opportunities out there to pursue.
Finally, we hear from Vinnci Choi, the newest member of the Customer Care Team. She is not only an accomplished technical diver but also a proud mother of two wonderful children.
What does diving mean to you and how has it impacted your life?
Diving is a sacred ritual to me. When breathing through my regulator underwater, I find inner peace and start being me again. It gives me strength to deal with all kinds of stress after ascent. The underwater world is the only place I can truly listen to myself. Being a working mom to two young kids, I find the much-needed tranquility in the water.
Most memorable marine life encounter?
Seeing a blue whale underwater in Sri Lanka. Just me, husband and that whale in the water. Divine.
What’s the craziest thing you’ve seen while diving?
One of my students puked through his regulator (he certainly remembered his training!) in the renowned dive paradise Sipadan in Borneo and fish swarmed around him!
How has scuba diving empowered you as a woman?
It gives me confidence to push myself beyond limits, both mentally and physically. The passion helped me resume diving 10 weeks after my first pregnancy. As a mom, teaching by example is my way to impart values and life lessons to my kids!
What advice would you give to women who are interested in learning to scuba dive?
Just dip your fin. It doesn’t only look good in your insta, it’s a genuinely life-transforming experience!
These stories exemplify the strength, passion, and resilience that International Women's Day aims to celebrate. Ness, Trisha, and Vinnci's contributions to Shearwater and the wider diving community, have created lasting impacts and have shown us the profound ways in which diving can enrich lives.
As we honour these exceptional women, let's be inspired by their experiences, embrace the spirit of exploration, and continue to support and celebrate the achievements of women everywhere. Here’s to the fearless divers who dive deep, conquer new depths, and inspire us all.
