Dottie May Frazier (July 15, 1922 – February 8, 2022) was an American diver, designer, and dive shop owner. Her life is chronicled in her autobiography, Trailblazer: The Extraordinary Life of Diving Pioneer, Dottie Frazier. She was the first female
scuba instructor and the first female
dive shop owner.[2]
Frazier began teaching
freediving in the 1940s.[3][7] During World War II she worked for
Douglas Aircraft Company.[6] In 1955, Frazier became a certified scuba instructor and was the first woman in the United States to do so.[8][9] She also created some of the first
wetsuit patterns for women.[10] The suits were developed under the name Penguin Suits in conjunction with Frazier's dive shop, Penguin Dive Shop.[11][3] Penguin was the first female-owned dive shop.[12] After the birth of her third son, Frazier founded Aqua Families, a club of divers who dove with their children.[4]
Personal life and death
Frazier had four sons[11] and was married three times. She died in Long Beach on February 8, 2022, at the age of 99.[1][6]
Awards
Frazier was inducted into the
Women Divers Hall of Fame in 2000.[13] In 2019, Frazier was awarded the Historical Diving Society's Diving Pioneer Award.[14]