“The most unforgettable moment was watching a local woman begin her open water course wearing her veil—in that moment, she was honoring her culture and her traditions, while becoming a diver. It’s powerful,” says Marteyne van Well. Van Well is the regional general manager at Six Senses Hotels Resorts Spas and the founder of the Maldives Underwater Initiative (MUI), a marine conservation program that supports community women in Laamu pursuing careers in diving and marine biology. The Maldives Underwater Initiative supports local women in Laamu entering diving and marine biology. Though there are certainly renowned women in the sport, scuba diving has long been male-dominated. Prior to 2014, women accounted for fewer than 35 percent of dive certifications worldwide, and fewer than 18 percent of dive professionals. Now, over a decade later, women make up nearly 40 percent of Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI) certifications and have outpaced men in new certifications since 2022.…