Dottie Frazier

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]

Early life

Dorothy Adele Reider was born on July 15, 1922, in Long Beach, California, to parents Francis and Laura Davis Reider.^[3][4] She was injured in the 1933 Long Beach earthquake.^[5] She graduated from Long Beach Polytechnic High School in 1939.^[6]

Career

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]

References