Women Navy Divers Meet Same Standards as Men

On March 14, 1975, 22-year-old Californian woman Donna Tobias graduated from the US Navy Second Class Dive School to become the first woman deepsea diver in the Navy.

Marking the 50th anniversary of women’s integration into the US Navy Diving community, the Association of Women Navy Divers highlights that over 300 women have now graduated from the Navy’s schools.

The society recounts that this happened during a period of immense change brought about by the passage of the Equal Rights Amendment through Congress in 1972. Admiral Elmo R. Zumwalt (then Chief of Naval Operations) was instrumental in changes that meant women could hold any position in the military that they could qualify for.

The US Naval Undersea Museum recounts what inspired some of the pioneers:

Mary Bonnin became interested in diving when working at the Norfolk Naval Shipyard. A dive school slot became available to her unit when a male sailor decided not to go. A Chief Warrant Officer told Mary, “You couldn’t do it. Babe, what do you want to be a diver for? You’ll be thrown out of that school in a week.” His challenge made her determined to succeed.

Karen Kohanowich: “What really got me into diving was that the standards for women were the same [as for men]. Women had to do the same number of sit-ups and push-ups. They had to climb up and down the dive ladders wearing the same 200-pound Mark V dive system.”

In the early days, dive gear was designed to fit men and often oversized for female divers. In the Sep/Oct issue of Marine Technology Reporter magazine, Captain Bobbie Scolley, U.S. Navy (ret.), and Rear Admiral Tim Gallaudet, U.S. Navy (ret.), report on how women overcame the challenges.