“Kelp” Send Me to Miss Scuba International

Hi!

I am Alysha Acosta and recently I was titled Scuba Queen California 2023! This means I have the opportunity of a lifetime to represent the USA at Miss Scuba International, a pageant with a purpose of promoting women in diving, dive safety, and ocean conservation.

I have been scuba diving now for almost 10 years! I knew from the very moment I started I was in love. I feel the most me when I am in the water.

My scuba certification has not only allowed me to have fun, but it has opened so many doors for me. I was able to complete my open water, advanced, rescue, and scientific diving all within a year. I met new people, discovered new things, and personally saw the effects of what we are doing to our oceans. I would not be where I am without the support of my friends, family, and community organizations. I was able to complete my diving certification with help from the YMCA Young Achievers and grants from school. By winning Miss Scuba International, it will give me a platform to continue to help those in need to accomplish their goals. I want to give back what was given to me.

Not only do I want to help those in need, but I want to bring awareness to environmental injustices when promoting ocean conservation. I am so passionate about conservation. I received my degree in Conservation Biology & Ecology from Arizona State. Being an environmentalist is difficult. It faces many challenges financially and certain communities are affected in ways that are not exposed. I hope to bring light to this and support communities.

Now to the conservation. I am most passionate about waste management. I personally see the effects daily as I work on a pier with marine mammals. We are constantly picking up trash. Animals are hugely affected by this but so are human populations. I want to educate and inspire people to make changes, even if they are small, to help out animals and human populations all over the world.

With all of this said, I need your help in order to help accomplish these goals. Below are the expenses I will need help covering to compete at Miss Scuba International:

Flight (~$2000)

Time off work to cover rent ($1000)

Apparel: evening gown, national costume, swimsuit, interview (~$500)

I plan to get everything used and to use recycled materials when making the national costume

Misc.: travel Visas, taxi/Uber, food, etc (~$500)

Thank you all so much for your continued support. I am so excited to share this journey with you. I know we can make a difference to help human communities and protect the Earth in doing so. To anyone who donates and is interested I will be giving out free paintings focused on ocean conservation. Just send me your address in a private message! Much love to you all and thank you with all my heart for your help!