In 2014, while I was giving a talk on Speleos diving, a woman came up to me at the end of my presentation and said, “You're so lucky to be doing what you're doing, always pushing yourself and achieving great things.” I was very flattered by these words, and at the same time, I told myself that anyone can surpass themselves and do things they're proud of. Sometimes it just takes a little push. A few months later, I launched the idea of holding the world's biggest gathering of the largest number of female divers in the same place at the same time.
Of course, I wanted to do it close to home, so that I could bring all the women divers I come across with me. Living in Quebec, we're a bit far from diving destinations, even if we have some extraordinary dives in the Saguenay River, on wrecks on Anticosti Island and even in Gaspésie with the seals. But to carry out this project, I needed a site that was easily accessible, and all the logistics needed to get dozens and dozens of divers into the water in a matter of minutes.
And so, in 2015, the first edition of Femmes à la mer was born. With this event, I wanted not only to bring together a large number of women divers, but also to have the help of our diving buddies for everything that had to do with safety on the surface and, for once, taking care of the women who were diving while they stayed dry. After several months of preparation, 120 women divers finally got together, with the support of some twenty buddies on the surface.
Held in a quarry not far from Montreal, the event was very festive. After all, we were there for a friendly world record. Despite the miserable weather, it was great to see all these women with broad smiles, representing so much diversity. The logistics, quite complex all in all, brought together enthusiasts and pooled the various boutiques in Quebec.
Imagine, you've got 120 divers on the surface and you start counting down: 3, 2, 1... And suddenly, they all disappear to dive at their own pace. I remember one woman who had never been able to dive directly into the blue. In our case, it was more in the green. But that day, with the support of all her friends, she managed to do something she'd been dreading for years. The dive went perfectly, with just a gasket to replace.
After the simultaneous dive, it was time to congratulate everyone - divers and volunteers alike - and thank them for taking up the challenge and participating in such a large group dive. Then it was time for a raffle and prize-giving for both divers and volunteers. Profits from the event were donated to an organization that helps women.
On the strength of this first experience, the following year I did it all over again, and chose a quarry that had been operated by a family and an old lady for over 25 years: the Morisson quarry. This time, I was hoping to beat our own record. In 2016, 150 women took to the water. Among them, I remember one family with three generations of divers, a group a little further back all dressed in pink with diving ribbons for their friend with cancer who couldn't get into the water. Each group had its own color, its own reason for diving, and above all the desire to share together this passion that does us so much good. Once again, after the dive, there was a presentation of gifts and a mega barbecue for everyone.
I thought I was done with this gathering, that I'd done what I could do, but in 2024, I realized we were coming up to the 10th anniversary of the first edition. Then I remembered all those women, smiling, light-hearted, proud to be doing that dive, to be setting a record just for the fun of it, and to be there all together, in the spotlight and no longer in the shadows.
In 2025, does it still mean something to do a major event for women? Although the last few years have kept me busier with environmental preservation and organizing dozens of clean-ups in the St. Lawrence River, a third edition of Femmes à la mer seemed like a good idea to celebrate the anniversary.
Has the diving world changed in 10 years? What is the profile of women divers now? One thing's for sure, having launched registration at the beginning of the year, I'm fascinated to see the number of rebreather divers, the number of instructors, the level of qualification of the divers and to recognize their names, either because they dived at the event 10 years ago, or because I can frequently come across them on a dive site where the local conditions are demanding. So this year, as I prepare for the event, I'm also taking the opportunity with the Fédération Québec Subaquatique to do a series of portrait interviews of the full diversity of women divers. Among us are underwater biologists, underwater archaeologists, aquarium managers, freedivers, mermaids, divers, scuba divers, federation directors, diving doctors, disabled diving instructors and me, a professional underwater filmmaker.
Some divers are as young as 20, others 65. Scuba diving is not only a sporting activity, a way of preserving the environment and discovering new things, it's also an activity that promotes well-being.
So, yes, Femmes à la mer en 2025 makes perfect sense. Once again this year, it's an opportunity to mark women's autonomy, equality and the excellence of their diving techniques. Like Shearwater, which celebrates its 20th anniversary this year, we've been able to evolve, adapt and always aim for excellence. This year, for the third edition, we'll be diving in a third quarry in Quebec. It'll be a chance to beat our own record, just for the fun of it, in all humility, and to take advantage of the day to underline the importance of the richness of our diving community. The event will be largely carbon-counterbalanced thanks to our partners, and this year we'll once again be able to offer prizes for both divers and volunteers. Diving, no matter how we practice it, no matter what equipment we prefer, no matter what certification agency we identify with, is above all a sport to be shared, in which we learn from each other to surpass ourselves, and to be able to bring back stories and images and share them with all those who aren't as lucky.
There are still several weeks to go, but I'm very hopeful that we can make this a very successful PADI Women Dive Day.
Thank you Shearwater for partnering with us to make this event a success beyond our borders.
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Written by Nathalie Lasselin
Nathalie Lasselin is a multi-award winning underwater cinematographer. As a technical diver and instructor, she has filmed and explored deep wrecks, caves and body of water in more than 50 countries including the Arctic. Nathalie pursues better understanding of our planet through documentation and shares her concern for our fresh water resources through her films and as a public speaker. Her drive is to bring people together and empower them through better relations with their own environment and ultimately for a higher quality of life. Her latest project Urban Water Odyssey embraces all her goals and philosophy. www.aquanath.com
