8 women from the El Manglito fishing community are seeking funding to take a PADI Open Water Dive course in order learn to dive and participate in fishery evaluations and restoration activities. This course will include a section on diving safety and an action plan for getting divers to emergency care during dive related emergencies.
The El Manglito dive fishing community has been working together with NOS Noroeste Sustentable in restoring their scallop fishery. In order to provide enough income to sustain the community, they must continue to restore other bivalve species to levels high enough to sustain a harvest.
Fisherwomen participate in land based restoration activities such as biological monitoring and surveillance, however, there are no women who participate in restoration activities related to diving. Historically, women went on fishing expeditions and work in the field as cooks, deckhands and processors. The women of El Manglito would like to return to that fishing tradition. The goal is to have a boat equipped with an all women dive team, captain and deckhand and to ultimately work together with the men and women in all restoration activities.
A lot of effort has already been donated to this cause. A PADI instructor from the Mexican non-profit COBI will be teaching the course, Amigos Marinos will be providing the wetsuits and fishermen from El Manglito will be lending their dive gear and pangas. The list below are the items that we still need to have covered, in the form of cash or in-kind donations.
Tank rental and filling: $500
BCD and regulator rental: $250
Cost of materials and certification: $1,600
2 dive computers $500
1 emergency oxygen tank $800
Total Amount Left to Raise: $3,500
The women hope to have the funds raised to take this dive course by November 30, 2018. The dive course will take place in December 2018.
