Women of the Water

Since 1981, the month of March has been proclaimed as International Women’s Month to celebrate the contributions women have made and to recognize their achievements throughout American history. Now, this might just be a coincidence, but there could be something magical going on here. As a company that empowers women to feel confident in the water, how appropriate that SlipIns is dedicated to promoting equality and opportunity for all.

We are Celebrating Women All Month Long

Let’s take this time to celebrate and uplift four amazing bad-ass women, not only showing the beauty of the underwater world but genuinely making a difference to our oceans and the diving realm.

DiveSkins/SurfSkins - Endangered Leopard Shark - Zippered

Caitlin McCall

Eco-Conscious Diver

Caitlin McCall’s journey has taken her to the other side of the world and back. She’s a passionate PADI Scuba Instructor, Scientific Diver, and Science Communications Specialist. In her early twenties, she graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Advertising and Communication studies in her home state of Texas at Texas State University. After working in an office job for a while, Caitlin had what some would call a mid-twenties "crisis" and had to find herself. She quit the office job, got her divemaster certification, and moved to Australia.

After a year there and months living in New Zealand, she fell in love with the ocean. The ocean had become such a big piece of her; after coming back to Texas, she began plotting a way to get back to the ocean and ended up moving to Key West, FL. Caitlin eventually completed a Marine Environmental Technology program at Florida Keys College that catapulted her into research diving, which gave her hands-on experience and further igniting her passion. Caitlin now creates marine conservation workshops and seminars and promotes healthy oceans. Go, Caitlin!

SlipIns Spring Suit - Back Doors Blue

Mel Wygal

a.k.a. The Ambassador of Stroke

"Aloha" is a Hawaiian word, and its translation is ethereal. It can be equated to mean love, peace, compassion, joy, and in its simplest term, Hello. Mel Wygal embodies all the meanings of the word Aloha, and she radiates joy!

Mel is the classic water woman who is universally loved by everyone she spends time in the water with. No matter if she is surfing or SUPing, she has a smile on her face. But don’t let the smile fool you, Mel is one of the finest surfers and standup paddlers around, and she can paddle into any break. Fearless and genuine, she is the perfect embodiment of a female role model.

DiveSkins/SurfSkins - Red Spotted Grouper - Zippered

Roberta Mancino

Skydiver, Base Jumper, Wingsuit Pilot Stuntwoman, Scuba Diver & Model

Meet the woman who really puts the SUPER in supermodel. . . Italian-born Roberta Mancino loves throwing herself off a plane thousands of feet above the ground. Moreover, she has modeled for magazines such as Vogue and Vanity Fair, but her day job is far less exhilarating than her hobbies which include base jumping, sky diving, and even freediving with sharks.

Roberta has reportedly performed over 7000 jumps and dedicated most of her attention to skydiving and base jumping...often jumping in one of our diveskins, which aren’t only for diving underwater but also in the sky! She also holds several world records and various awards and is the epitome of a female adventurer!

DiveSkins/SurfSkins - Jammin Jellies - Zippered

Cristina Zenato

Diving Professional and Explorer

Swimming with sharks? That’s not a problem for diving professional Cristina Zenato. In fact, she is known for the special relationship she’s been able to develop with wild Caribbean reef sharks and demonstrates that by "cuddling" them as if she decided to take an afternoon nap with them. Amazingly, her tenacity has allowed her to share what she’s learned about oceans, sharks, and scuba diving for over twenty-five years. She’s also an avid cave diver underwater explorer, and she’s the first woman ever to connect a freshwater cave with a saltwater ocean system.

This accomplished woman is also a member of the Women Divers Hall of Fame, The Explorers Club, the Oceans Artists Society, and she’s active in several other nonprofit organizations. In fact, she founded one herself, called People of the Water. "A nonprofit dedicated to changing people’s relationship with our aquatic world through exploration, education, and conservation. Founded by Cristina Zenato after twenty-five years of living and working in the Bahamas, contributing to major projects to protect oceans, sharks, and caves, the People of the Water is organized to widen the conduction and distribution of training, education, research, and studies relating to water, ocean and environmental issues, affecting both the people and the animals of said environments." As a world-renowned advocate for ocean preservation, Cristina has truly made an impact and continues to lead, inspire and teach others about the beauty of our underwater world.

All four of these women have challenged the status quo. At SlipIns, we celebrate female empowerment and hope you feel inspired to go out to live your passion and discover the world yourself.