The Women Divers Hall of Fame (WDHOF), the non profit organization whose members are the most accomplished and renowned women divers in the world, has just selected eleven new Members:

• Madam Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, President of the Republic of the Philippines;

• Lauren Hutton, the model and actress who is an active shark conservation spokesperson;

• Valerie de La Valdene, a world renowned underwater cinematographer;

• Anne Doubilet, a National Geographic Magazine photojournalist;

• Capt. Martha Herb, one of the first three women to graduate from the US Navy School of Diving and Salvage;

• Susan Long, CEO of Diving Unlimited International (DUI) and a DEMA Board Member;

• Holly Martel-Bourbon, a 20 year scientific diving expert;

• Debbie Smith, the leading shark research and reef conservation expert in South Africa;

• Capt. Heidemarie Stefanshyn-Pipier, the first female US Navy Engineering Duty Officer to qualify for salvage diving and a NASA Mission Specialist;

• Bonnie Toth, a premier diving media and visual communication expert; and

• Jennifer Wheaton, a nationally recognized expert on octocorals and underwater survey and monitoring.

(See mini biographies of these women below and on the www.wdhof.org website.)

All of these extraordinary women will be officially inducted into WDHOF on March 24, 2007 at the Beneath the Sea (BTS) Awards Banquet at the Sheraton Meadowlands Hotel in Secaucus, New Jersey (for more information on BTS 2007, log on to www.BeneathTheSea.org). At the WDHOF Award Ceremony, each new 2007 WDHOF Member will be presented with an official WDHOF certificate and the unique WDHOF gold pin designed by world famous jewelry designer, Norma Wellington. This year's WDHOF awards ceremony promises to be an extraordinary event, attended by numerous diving celebrities and featuring a designated official of the Philippine government.

WDHOF, a 501(c)(3) corporation, was jointly founded in 2000 by six organizations and individuals: Beneath the Sea, The Underwater Society of America, Women Underwater, Women's Scuba Association, Hillary Viders, Ph.D., and Capt. Kathy A. Weydig. WDHOF's mission is to recognize the contributions of outstanding women divers and to offer financial and mentorship assistance to women and men interested in pursuing diving careers. As such, WDHOF offers 10 scholarships and internships a year worth many thousands of dollars. For more information about the WDHOF scholarship program, log on to www.wdhof.org.

WDHOF Members are the leaders, pioneers and record-setting champions in every sector of the diving community, including arts, science, deep sea exploration, marine archeology, medicine, free diving, equipment technology, cave diving, wreck diving, military diving, commercial diving, media, training and education, and business.

The WDHOF roster now boasts 157 women from 28 U.S. States and Territories and 10 foreign countries throughout five continents. WDHOF President, Martha Watkins Gilkes recently said, "As an overseas member of WDHOF (based in Antigua, West Indies), when I was elected President in 2005, one of my goals was to expand WDHOF's overseas membership by actively researching outstanding women in the diving profession world wide. I am delighted to see WDHOF evolving into a truly global organization!"

Women Divers Hall Of Fame 2007 Membership Roster

The following summary provides a glimpse into the exciting and diverse backgrounds of the newest class of WDHOF members:

Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo
Madam Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, President of the Republic of the Philippines, enacted a national conservation policy for the Philippines to protect the archipelagic country's unique and rich nature, with initial focus on the heart of Southeast Asia's Coral Triangle. President Arroyo has taken a visionary step by committing her government to protect the nation's natural wealth for the benefit of the Filipino people, now and in the future. She recognizes that a healthy environment is the foundation for a stable, productive society that can develop in a sustainable manner. In 2005, President Arroyo also signed a Proclamation declaring the second week of January of each year as "Best Dives Philippines Week," promoting scuba diving with an emphasis on protection and conservation of the Philippines' underwater marine resources.

Valerie de la Valdene
Valerie is an accomplished cinematographer and educator. Noted for filming "Hammerheads: Nomads of the Sea," she has also been featured on television with Montel William, Jane Pauley, Geraldo, Jim McLaughlin and CNN talking about illegal shark finning. Valerie is currently working on a children's film for Discovery Channel. She has joined up with Wild Classroom to podcast an educational program on the internet, which is expected to reach over 100 million children. Valerie volunteers at a local school in the Galapagos islands, giving local children an alternative to fishing and finning.

Anne Doubilet
Anne was the only woman in the 1968 SCUBA certification class in Beverly, Mass. Since then she has participated in successful, worldwide diving expeditions that produced National Geographic Magazine articles shot under most of the Earth's warm and temperate seas: the Red Sea, Papua New Guinea, all around Australia, Hawaii, Palau, Japan, Galapagos, throughout the Caribbean, and the Northeastern Atlantic coast. Return trips over the years to document the disturbing changes have turned Anne into an ardent conservationist, involved in several educational outreach programs. Anne is committed to showing the oceans to the next generation.

Martha Herb
Captain Herb was one of the first three women officers to graduate from the Navy School of Diving and Salvage in Washington, DC. Her diving career boasts such feats as oversight of the Underwater Hull Cleaning program, Officer in Charge of the Second Class Diving School for the Naval Surface Forces in the Atlantic Fleet, and underwater surveys of the USS Arizona and the USS Utah as well as various civilian underwater wrecks. Martha's service culminated her in selection as Commanding Officer of both a Mobile Diving and Salvage Unit and a naval ordnance command with responsibility for rendering safe ordinance which is land-based as well as underwater.in charge of explosive safety inspections world-wide.

Lauren Hutton
Lauren Hutton is an icon. The world's first supermodel, she appeared on 25 Vogue covers, became a highly successful actress, hosted a nightly national interview show, produced and narrated documentary films, and in 2002, launched her signature line of cosmetics: Lauren Hutton's Good Stuff. Lauren has been diving worldwide since the 1960s, using her celebrity status to promote marine conservation and the sport of diving in countless interviews, articles, and celebrity appearances at dive shows. An avid shark conservationist, Lauren is a strong supporter of the Shark Research Institute.

Susan Long
Susan is a dive industry leader. As the President of Diving Unlimited International (DUI), she has grown the company by almost 50%. And, as a Diving Equipment and Marketing Association (DEMA) Director, Susan plays a major role in many industry related projects including "Ships 2 Reefs" - undeniably the greatest project undertaken for diver acquisition and retention. She has earned industry respect through her many accomplishments, which areonly dwarfed by her drive and enthusiasm for the industry. For Susan, diving isn't just a business or a lifestyle ... it is everything.

Holly Martel-Bourbon
Holly Martel-Bourbon is currently the Diving Safety Officer for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries. Holly began her career as a diving marine scientist on the New England Aquarium dive team in 1985, and has since been engaged as a Scientific Diver for the Aquarium for 17 years. Holly has a long history of public service, developing innovative marine conservation and education programs utilizing her underwater expertise. Her deep commitment to the environment is evident through her work with various conservation groups such as PADI's Project Aware, Reef, the New England Aquarium and as an active, working member of the Bahama Conservation Group. Holly's diversity is also evidenced through her educational work with divers, from beginners through the most advanced.

Debbie Smith
Since certifying in 1986, Debbie's passion and dedication have led her into assisting top researchers in shark awareness and reef conservation. As a PADI Master Scuba Diver Trainer (MSDT) Instructor, she has been instrumental in the complete setting up of top dive centers at upmarket resorts, from mapping and naming sites to full operational status. Both have won top international awards. Debbie has written and had published articles on diving with great white sharks and is the founding member of an ecotourism company, "Diving with Sharks."

Heidemarie Stefanyshyn-Piper
Captain Piper was the first female U.S. Navy Engineering Duty Officer to qualify as a salvage diver. After making significant contributions to several Navy diving and salvage projects, including the development of the salvage plans for the Peruvian submarine PACOCHA and the de-stranding of the tanker EXXON HOUSTON off of Barbers Point, Hawaii, she became a NASA Mission Specialist. A member of the STS-115 shuttle mission team, her extensive experience and training in NASA's Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory paid off in September, 2006, when she conducted two successful space walks to install solar panels on the International Space Station.

Bonnie Toth
One of the fields of expertise of the Women Divers Hall of Fame is diving media, yet few WDHOF Members are skilled in this field. Bonnie Toth is a premier diving media expert. Visual communication, Bonnie's specialty, is an important key to raising awareness and projecting an image-and today more than ever, the marine environment, our oceans and the diving industry as a whole rely on Bonnie as a strategic partner in making this happen, and with a creative talent that makes her work sing.

Jennifer Wheaton
Jennifer Wheaton is a nationally recognized expert on octocorals and underwater survey and monitoring. She has conducted underwater surveys for Looe Key National Marine Sanctuary (NMS) and Key Largo NMS, precursors to the Florida Keys (FK) NMS. Her surveys were instrumental in the legal settlement for a major ship grounding at Dry Tortugas. Jennifer conducted the first surveys of submerged State lands for potential leases for live-rock aquaculture. She served on advisory panels for the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council (FMC) and the South Atlantic FMC that produced the first Coral Fishery Management plans for both regions. Jennifer managed and participated in underwater monitoring for the FKNMS Coral Reef Monitoring project, now in its 10th year. She was an organizational member of the American Academy of Underwater Sciences representing her organization until her promotion to leadership of the Ecosystem Assessment and Restoration Section at the Fish and Wildlife Research Institute in 2002.

For more information about the Women Divers Hall of Fame and for 2008 membership application information, log on to www.wdhof.org.