The Women Divers Hall of Fame (WDHOF) has officially welcomed five new members for 2026. The new inductees are British stunt performer and ocean conservationist Liz Parkinson; California environmentalist and artist Margery Spielman; New Zealand cetologist and author Ingrid Visser; California mermaid pioneer and inventor Linden Wolbert; and pioneering saturation diver Marni Zabarsky.
A WDHOF spokesperson said on Facebook: "These remarkable women have made a lasting impact on the underwater world through leadership, innovation, education, conservation and service. We are honored to recognize their achievements as members of the Women Divers Hall of Fame Class of 2026." The formal induction ceremony will take place on November 4, 2026, at the Marriott Hotel in New Orleans, Louisiana, during the NOGI Awards banquet held alongside the DEMA Show.
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Dr. Ingrid Visser, founder of the Orca Research Trust and a leading authority on orca research in New Zealand, has pioneered underwater research into orca behavior for more than 30 years, becoming the first person to document orcas preying on stingrays and "karate-style" strikes on sharks. She has published more than 40 scientific papers and books, is an advocate for wild orca conservation and the welfare of cetaceans in captivity worldwide, and has appeared in documentaries for National Geographic, the BBC and Animal Planet. Professional mermaid, educator and inventor Linden Wolbert became a certified scuba diver at 24, then moved into freediving, hand-crafted a lifelike silicone mermaid tail, and created the children's video series "Mermaid Minute," which has received more than 50 million YouTube views. She has served as an AIDA judge, as chair of the board of the Reef Check Foundation and as a Make-A-Wish Foundation volunteer, and she holds two patents, including the world's first foldable monofin.
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