Simple, because we love it. What we would miss if we could not take advantage of seeing what is in our lakes and oceans as well as on our earth and be able to appreciate it, understand it and take stories of it back to our non-diving friends and colleagues. It's diverse, it's beautiful and it's peaceful. More ladies need to get into this sport, but it's hard. It takes a certain kind of lady - one that doesn't want to spend all her vacation week lying in the sun, shopping, going to that spa, getting drunk and looking a million dollars! Now we can all do a little of that but all of a sudden it's not as important as the deep dive at 8am the next morning, or the long boat ride out to the special location or travelling 1/2 way round the world for diversity and different creatures. Looking a million dollars after 3 dives, in the heavy rain when you're cold is just not possible. Sorry guys! But if you want that girl she's probably not a diver and if she is, grab her now!
Now I happen to think scuba is very hip for chicks! But that's because I'm a chick and I dive and I love it. Every lady diver that comes through our classes I want to encourage a little more than the guys. Some of them are doing it for them, but a lot of them do it for the men in their lives and I want them to continue and love it as I do, regardless of the men/man in their lives. If the man goes, do they give up diving. Many might, but if they then encourage their girlfriends and they encourage their girlfriends we'd all have more friends diving. Unfortunately, a lot of my girlfriends don't dive. Some that do dive only dive occasionally. I agree that more TV on diving and diving destinations may well encourage, but what it really needs is for us ladies to encourage other non-diving ladies to dive - it's hip and it's cool, and we all know there are plenty of cute guys out there diving as well.