Woman and Diving

For the month of August | Issue 1

w w w . a f r i c a n d i v e r. c o m

Debbie Smith Passionate about shar ks, passionate about the sea

Pag e 59 | www. a fr ica ndiver.com

C o n te n ts

Inducted to the Women Divers Hall of Fame in 2007 , Debbie is a passionate shark-lover who is driven to change perceptions of the oceans and sharks, in particular. “Diving with Sharks”, her eco-tourism company, focuses mainly on shark diving, shark distinctive speciality courses and the sardine run.

Debbie is a PADI Master Scuba Diver Trainer and her career has, thus far, seen her working with top researchers in shark awareness and reef conservation and leading projects setting up of top dive centers at upmarket resorts; from mapping and naming sites to full operational status. She is currently setting up and exploring shark diving and eco-tourism in the Port St Johns area – operational base for many sardine run operators.

Debbie describes herself as an “outdoor and total nature lover” and it was this love that led her to diving in 1986. The people who taught her to dive were her early influences resulting in her love of the ocean and sharks. Indeed, these same people continue to inspire and influence Debbie in her endeavors.

People such as Marie Levine (director of SRI - shark research institute world wide), Geremy Cliff (Sharks Board shark scientist) and Jeff McKay (who has been a long-time advisor and teacher to her) are her early (and continuing) mentors.

Co n t en ts

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Debbie learned to dive with sharks from

On holiday in Mozambique she realised

the moment she started to dive. As her

that she loved what she was doing so much

diving education continued so did her

that nothing else mattered and that she

involvement with sharks, which gave rise

could break away from what is socially

to her passion for sharks and teaching

accepted as a job - “I wanted to make a

others to get to know and understand

difference, and do this full time.

My passion for the ocean and its

Sharks”, was formed not only to teach scuba diving, but mainly to guide and educate divers (and non-divers) in learning about sharks as well as how to dive with sharks. And through this Debbie shares her passion for the ocean – “I want to make a difference in whatever way I can, via

on further. I wanted to teach people what I know and love so much.

I wanted to change people’s perceptions regarding the ocean and sharks, in

diving career after some ten years of diving - leading dives and assisting Jeff McKay with shark courses.

Pag e 61 | www. a fr ica ndiver.com

her: “to be doing what I absolutely loved more than anything and to get recognition

highest honour that anyone can receive.

When the selection and induction came in I was overwhelmed by this recognition given to me by some of the top names in the ocean realm, internationally.

particular, and I basically wanted to be in charge of my passion and make sure the message got out there.

I went to New York to receive this incredible award and met highly influential people that I had heard about. The greatest

I have been hugely fulfilled in teaching others to dive or dive with sharks and see

Debbie commenced her professional

most important honour ever bestowed on

inhabitants is so great and this spurred me

education and understanding the ocean better and of sharks in particular”.

Hall of Fame, Debbie says it is the single

for something which I love so much is the

sharks.

Her eco-tourism company, “Diving with

On her induction to the Women Divers

their faces once out of the water. Guiding

honour of all is that I have been placed amongst incredible women divers from

dives or shark dives for those that are keen

around the world that have achieved and

to learn and educate themselves and share

continue to achieve so much”.

this with me is one of the most fulfilling parts of what I do”.

C o n te n ts

Debbie has been fortunate to do a lot of diving and exploring outside of the borders of South Africa but she still prefers the east coast of South Africa for her diving. “Nothing compares to diving along the east coast of South Africa. The reason being that its unpredictable in all forms, from conditions to sightings to experiences, which is what makes it exciting. We have some of the best diving along the east coast of South Africa and I love it all. But I have to single out the sardine run as my absolute personal best, as it’s nature at its best with so much life in the same place at the same time”.

We asked Debbie if she has a message for our readers about diving and diving with sharks and her reply was unequivocal and direct: “The jaws era was the worst thing for sharks all over the world as it created a massive lack of respect and care for an apex predator so vital to the balance within our oceans that people are not aware of or care to be aware of.

Shark diving worldwide has become quite a big thing and the positive is that it has changed many perceptions on sharks.

What people need to do further is educate themselves more on all the different species that they dive with and their role as apex predators. It’s funny how people respect apex predators on land and yet the oceans’ apex predators are still fighting for survival. This is why more people need to spend more time with sharks and learn how absolutely incredible and misunderstood they are. Until divers all over get ahead

Co n t en ts

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of themselves about this fear of sharks and

We asked Debbie for a final message for

educate themselves by spending time with

anyone considering a career in diving and

them and learning more, we cannot and will not ensure the survival of the oceans’ apex predator. And, in my opinion, man will have failed dismally in protecting the ocean realm due to ignorance and a lack of caring when one day we have an empty vast expanse of water”.

this is her message: “My advice to anyone wishing to dive professionally is to be yourself - be true to yourself and your direction and do it with passion because if you don’t have the passion and love for what you do, it will not fulfill you. If you are going to work with nature be a giver in

In typical pioneering fashion, Debbie has

all that you can do and be and don’t allow

recently moved her business to Port St

others to take away your true love of what

Johns, the home of the sardine run. There

you do.

is very little shark work being done there and no education being given to the local community on this subject either - Port St Johns is becoming known as an area with large shark populations. Debbie and Offshore African Port St Johns will be doing a lot of shark research work in the area,

It’s not about personal glory or how much or how little you make. True fulfillment will occur because passion is there and passion is directed and this cannot be bought or sold. The diving industry can be hard! Stick

along with education, and of course they

with your passion and love of nature and

will be in the prime location for sardine run

it will keep you true and do not let human

action when it happens.

interference or criticism guide you.”

Pag e 63 | www. a fr ica ndiver.com

To Contact Debbie or to visit her website please click on the Diving with Sharks logo

C o n te n ts

Verna du Preez (née van Schaik) “Everything just came together. I was relaxed, able to be present in the moment and just be at 221 meters. Listening to the silence, absorbing every moment. “ Pag e 64 | www. a fr ica ndiver.com

C o n te n ts

On 25 October 2004, Verna became the current Female World

When asked about this “common wisdom”, Verna told

Record Holder for Depth on Scuba. It took 12 minutes to get

us: “I think that as a woman I am better adapted to being

down to 221 meters and five hours, 27 minutes to return to the

underwater. The biggest challenge for me underwater was to

surface. The dive took place at altitude in Boesmansgat in the

stop copying the men who had been there before. Men dive in

Northern Cape in South Africa, which made it a World Record

a totally different way that leverages their strengths (one of

for fresh water, altitude and cave diving.

which is physical strength). I cannot carry around twin 18’s so I had to change the way I thought about diving and find

Verna started diving because she wanted to become a marine

new ways to do the same thing. Having said that, not having

biologist and to get closer to the creatures she was seeing in

a pee valve was probably the most annoying compromise I

rocks pools. Motivated to become a dive master in order to

had to make - meant I ended up very wet and far colder than

get “free dives” (because of her student budget) she hated the

I needed to be.

first deep dive she had to do as part of her training. However training, time and a love of being underwater soon got her over

The effects of depth and time in the water are not measured

the dislike of a deep diving and as she became more confident,

based on your gender. You can either tolerate depth or you

and mastered the skills, she began with baby steps leading to

can’t - that is genetic. The rest is a matter of personal fitness,

cave diving, deeper dives and eventually the world record.

so it is irrelevant what sex you are. The trick is to know your physiology and so create a plan that works to your strengths

Verna didn’t begin diving with a view to being a technical

and minimises your weaknesses. To dive deep is also not

diver. She describes it as simply a “place she ended up … that

really a physical exercise, it is largely mental ... and attitude is

challenged her skill set”. The challenge was deeper than just a

not something that is gender based”.

skill set challenge though, because she wanted to know if she could dive deep, and in caves, especially as the common wisdom was that women could not.

Co n t en ts

According to Verna, technical diving and diving in general is very different to what it was in the 90’s.

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These days it is not unusual to find woman doing technical diving, or leading dives as DM’s and dive operators. She therefore feels that the dive industry has become a lot more open. And in her own words “but

diving happened. Outside of diving she

with my male counterparts for whom doing

would do cardio exercises three to four

things for me was easier than explaining it.

times a week for 60 to 90 minutes at a time

So do what it takes to get the information

in order to condition her body.

you need and don’t be intimidated ... and keeping asking why, especially when you

We asked Verna what advice she had for

get told there is something you cannot do.

I don’t think there is anything a woman can

young women who would like to become

not accomplish in diving should she want

professional divers or do technical diving

to ... you just have to ignore the attitudes

and she told us: “take it one step at a time

behind why not … it is a mind set and

that don’t work for you and create your

and don’t be in too much of a hurry.

perception. Having said that, often you

Most of the time there is no real reason

have to go around people who cannot see

own support team”.

your potential. Sometimes you have to go around people who are creating obstacles ...

In training for her world record, Verna

so be creative and innovative ... but listen.

dived every other weekend for 5 years

There is a lot of wisdom out there ... don’t

(excluding June and July which were

be in too much of a hurry to throw it away

too cold). In a year that she made a deep

as old thinking.

attempt she would do a build up dive to at least 160 meters (finding a depth that would give her the same time in the water as her deep dive would so that she had at least proved that part of the equation).

Then her training would be progressively deeper until November when the deep Pag e 66 | www. a fr ica ndiver.com

You need to take the time to become

I guess there are a lot of contradictory statements in that, the point I think is to

good at what you are doing which means

learn how to think for yourself and at all

practicing until you no longer have to think

times to know ALL the consequences of

about the basics. You also need to give

what you are intending to do, especially the

yourself what you need to get to that place

bad one’s ... and then be prepared to accept

of mastery ... in my case it meant doing

your mistakes, proudly and learn from

Trimix three times and getting very fed up

them”.

C o n te n ts

Like a lot of us divers, Verna is frustrated by “politics in diving” and the way people latch onto heroes and follow their every word without ever taking the time to absorb and challenge and question. Similarly she is concerned about the lack of transparency and how the industry hides things, especially when it comes to diving incidents. But on the flip side, she loves the independence, freedom and empowerment of being underwater – “it is silent, a place where the stress of land cannot reach. I can hear myself think (and not that annoying chatter that never stops) - the silent, real thoughts. Take the time to become a master. When you look at the statistics, divers die because they want to go from zero to hero.

So think for yourself; take responsibility for yourself.

The only person responsible for you underwater is you ... too many people look up to other divers who they see as better and put their lives into those hands ... and end up paying the ultimate price for it”.

Like most people who have achieved something spectacular, Verna is quite humble about her deep diving records – “my record is not really about diving deep. It has become a guide to creating real and lasting empowerment and change in my daily life. I was quite disappointed when I finally got the label deepest to find that it only had any meaning in diving.

Co n t en ts

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For the past six years I have been working

And finally we asked Verna where she

on unlocking the lessons from my dive

would still like to dive and what the best

and translating them into any moment of

dive site in Africa is – “Florida caves no

any day. This has been a tough and very

doubt. In South Africa ... Boesmans! There

stimulating journey. I learnt what I needed

is no other experience that comes close to

from diving and my new adventure is in

cave diving and no other cave in the world

creating empowerment both in my life and

like Boesmans”.

other people’s lives.

I have written my book on my diving experiences (Fatally Flawed – The Quest to be Deepest) and have started on my next book, which uses the lessons from diving to create Conscious Empowerment (or as I prefer to call it, Conscious Enlightenment).

Creating Conscious Enlightenment is my next venture and I am working hard to get the practice of Living Empowerment out there through my website, seminars and coaching.

Pag e 68 | www. a fr ica ndiver.com

To Contact Verna or to visit her website please click on the Enlightenment logo above

C o n te n ts

Gear Guru

- Our favourite gear and helpful advise on what gear is best for you.

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Pag e 69 | www. a fr ica ndiver.com

C o n te n ts

Gear Guru

- Our favourite gear and helpful advise on what gear best for you.

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Co n t en ts

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