Two strong women in the underwater world - A report by Bettina Winert
The number of women among all divers today is about 30 percent. Blogger Bettina Winert introduces us to two strong female divers who prove that women are definitely not to be underestimated in diving.
A lot of women are active in diving and the number is growing. They are diving in the seas and oceans as hobby divers, diving instructors, diving base managers or professional apnea divers. Two of these extraordinary women are introduced by boot blogger Bettina Winert in this article.
The apnea diver Anna von Boetticher is well known to loyal visitors to Hall 3. She has been leading the programme at the diving tower for years. When Anna is not moderating at the diving tower, she trains divers with the German Armed Forces or takes part in competitions all over the world.
Already as a child she experimented on her own initiative with her talent to hold the air under water for a long time. At first, however, she was drawn into the depths as a scuba diver. In 2007 she took a course in free diving with the aim of preparing herself better for her deep technical dives. All of a sudden it came to her mind. She threw all her career plans overboard and became a professional apnea diver.
She has set 33 German records so far, including the German Static record. She held her breath for a whole 6:12 minutes. Anna was the first woman ever to break the 100 meter depth limit in the discipline Variable Weight. With just one breath and a monofin she managed to reach a depth of 81 meters. Even without a fin she managed to reach a depth of 51 meters.
For Anna, apnea diving is pure relaxation. Diving more than 100 meters deep with the power of her own lungs is a special experience for her every time. She absorbs the colours of the sea, the tranquillity and the play of light in the water. Every dive she makes, every return to the surface, creates a feeling of happiness and is a unique experience. This connection with nature, without disturbing noises of diving equipment, becoming one with the water, floating still - this drives her again and again into the depths of the seas and oceans. Great respect for what she does, for nature and a team of safety divers are her life insurance, so that she comes back to the surface healthy again.
Diving in Marsa Alam
For her job, Sarah O'Gorman works closely with the Sales and Marketing Director to develop and implement strategies for three of the Red Sea Diving Safari Lodges. Her tasks vary from day to day. Sometimes she sits at her computer all day, answering mails from tour operators or creating Excel spreadsheets. The next day she is underwater with journalists and photographers. In winter she travels to Europe for meetings and appointments such as boot Düsseldorf.
A perfect diving destination For Sarah, the Red Sea is the perfect diving destination, especially the southern part with its pristine reefs, an enormous variety of marine life and the fact that you can see it all from the shore. Her favourite dive site is the house reef of Marsa Shagra. Here she feels at home. She knows every piece of coral, is never bored and always finds something new: "I love the fact that something always changes through the seasons, but still feels so familiar. I love the kick when the dolphins show up early in the morning. Even if I don't like to get up early, nothing is better than watching dolphins on the house reef."
Still much to discover Other favourites of Sarah include Habili Nakari, Habili el Ghadeer, Elphinstone, Dolphin House and the entire Fury Shoal Reef. Red Sea Diving Safari offers a total of 60 dive sites that can be reached from the three Eco Lodges. Sarah has no plans to leave yet: "One day I will probably leave this place, but I don't want to think about it before it is time". She could never have imagined that she would end up here one day, so she doesn't know exactly what the future holds for her.
The days in Marsa Shagra are often long and hectic, but she loves her job and the interaction with the guests. The icing on the cake is the opportunity to go diving before starting work, often with guests who have become friends over the years.
