On 8th March 2026 it’s International Womens Day which celebrates women’s achievements, raises awareness on gender equality, and advocates for social, economic, and political empowerment globally.
In honour of International Womens Day,
The IWD 2026 campaign is ‘Give To Gain’ which encourages a mindset of generosity and collaboration, emphasising the power of reciprocity and support. When people, organisations, and communities give generously, opportunities and support for women increase.
This year, Wight Dolphins has the privilege of having a number of female students on its Ocean Divers course and want to take the opportunity to learn more about some of the newest members of the club in celebration of International Womens Day.
They are Hannah, Katie, Kim, Laura, Lucie and Maddie. Let’s introduce them to you……
Hannah Ottley
Hannah is a 26 year old first time diver! She and her husband are lucky enough to have had the opportunity to travel to a lot of tropical places that are rich in marine life and one of their favourite things to do is to throw on their wetsuits, fins, and masks and go snorkelling! Although they love snorkelling in the shallow reefs, it can be limiting in terms of what types of marine life you are able to see, so in recent years they have been thinking about going one step further and getting their BSAC ocean diver qualifications. Once qualified, Hannah is hoping to get out into the open ocean to see some wildlife that they haven’t had the opportunity to see before. She is really enjoying the ocean divers lessons so far and says that though it was a little daunting at first, the entire training team are great leaders and really help to put her nervousness at ease.
Katie Ould
Katie and her partner moved to the Island almost four years ago. Not knowing anybody at first they quickly settled into island life, joining the Royal Solent Yacht Club and Katie became a crew member on the Yarmouth lifeboat and she is also a Needles NCI watch-keeper, with a particular responsibility for fundraising.
Katie adores being on/in the water. One of the first things she did having moved to the Island was to thread The Needles on her paddle board -which she says was so much fun! She loves sailing and racing, and swimming is one of her favourite hobbies having signed up for her third Pier2Pier in 2026.
Katie has dived before – she completed a PADI course many years ago but only ever did three open water dives. When she was on holiday in Mexico last year a local tour guide who also happened to be a dive master re-sowed the diving seed for her, telling her about the great dive sites he’d been to around the world but she felt she couldn’t remember much of her dive training so didn’t go back to it. However, when she started working at the RSYC she met Will Marsh who told her about Wight Dolphins and she is now learning to dive with a view to enjoying diving in gorgeous far flung places (and locally too!).
Kim Kirby
Kim has no prior diving experience, not even snorkelling. She has always seen the pretty pictures of tropical dives which have made her want to visit those countries and thought that when she goes to them she wants to explore the country and the surrounding seas, but didn’t want to waste her holiday doing the training. Then she found the Wight Dolphins and signed up for a TryDive session in November last year as she thought a trial would be the best way to start when she had no experience. Kim said she found the team really patient and welcoming and signed up for the ocean diver course straight away.
Kim says that she has reached a time in her life where she can now ‘put me first’ and wanted a new adventure that was also a mental and physical challenge and this seemed the perfect opportunity.
Where the course may take her …. only time will tell !
Laura Westmore
Laura is 39 years old and works full-time as a Senior Dementia Nurse Assessor on the Isle of Wight.
She started sea swimming as a form of physical and mental therapy about 4 years ago, saying her legs worked better in the water than on land and this gave her a chance to regain strength and stamina after 2 major operations in 3.5 years. Laura feel that the sea brings her a calmness and clarity, along with a sense of freedom, yet has also provided some very grounding experiences. She loves swimming with fins on, and dipped her toes into free diving and shallow diving whilst snorkelling in the last few years, exploring the world beneath the water’s surface. Not being able to join a scuba tour on holiday due to her health history, she felt that doing her BSAC training with a club would mean she could learn to dive under supervision and in a safe way. After doing a try-dive session she knew she wanted to do more. She is excited to start diving, to get to explore and learn more about marine life, and to meet other people with a shared interest and passion.
When Laura completes her ocean divers course she wants to be able to dive with a buddy around the UK and abroad, maybe taking her life in a whole new direction and opening new doors for her.
Laura loves how beautiful the world is under the water, a place where she feels she can forget about being human for a while and enjoy the carefree life of a mermaid.
Lucie Johnson
Lucie has always felt most at home outdoors. Growing up she spent most of her time horse riding, walking her dog and exploring the countryside. Being outside, whatever the weather, shaped who she is and sparked a deep respect for the natural world. She has long been interested in conservation and environmental issues, and in playing her part to protect the places and wildlife we all value.
She had her first diving experience on holiday last year and absolutely loved it. There was something extraordinary about discovering a completely different world beneath the surface which challenged and fascinated her and left Lucie wanting to understand much more.
Lucie is keen to develop her diving skills properly, to build confidence and competence in the water, and to gain a deeper knowledge of the marine environment. She is particularly motivated by the opportunity to support ocean conservation and to better understand the ecosystems we’re so fortunate to visit.
Even more special is the fact that Lucie’s husband and son are just as enthusiastic about learning to dive and she is really looking forward to progressing together as a family, sharing new experiences underwater and combining their love of adventure with a commitment to protecting our oceans.
Maddie Adamson
Maddie completed 2 try drives which she absolutely loved and then was asked if she’d be interested in the Ocean Divers course.
She would like to study marine biology as a profession but also potentially do a conservation internship as she loves to travel.
Maddie said she loves being able to explore under the water and learning new skills along the way and can’t wait to see where the diving takes her professionally.
