Rachel Novak, a Las Vegas-based diver, recently competed for the title of Miss Scuba International 2024 and took home the awards of “First Runner Up” and “Best in Talent.”
The competition was held in Sabah, Malaysia on the island of Borneo and featured 18 contestants from countries around the world including China, the USA, Kenya the United Kingdom and the Czech Republic. Contestants participated in marine conservation initiatives, a public speaking workshop and beach and dive site cleanups.
The event culminated with a finale production held in Kota Kinabalu, the capital of Sabah. The theme for this year’s production was “Microplastics – Little Pieces of a Big Problem,” and many of the contestants focused their efforts on advocating for the decreased use of single use plastics and the increasing need for environmental stewardship.
Miss Scuba International is an international organization dedicated to providing diving opportunities for women and promoting ocean conservation initiatives. Representatives of the organization are chosen based on their diving experience, volunteer experience, and background in performance and public speaking.
Previous titleholders for the organization have served as ambassadors for ocean conservation and women in diving. Participation in the organization allows for professional networking opportunities at trade shows, with government officials and scientists, and with grassroots organizers and NGOs.
Titleholders at state, national and international levels serve as spokeswomen for the MSI organization and have the opportunity to use the MSI platform to further their initiatives and projects in the realm of diving and marine conservation.
Novak is a performance artist, competitive freediver and safety diver for Cirque du Soleil. Her diverse background in diving, public speaking and entertainment made her a strong candidate to represent the USA on an international stage. Career highlights include working as an underwater stunt performer on “Black Panther 2: Wakanda Forever,” competing as a member of the 2023 US Freediving National Team at the CMAS World Championships as well as an athlete on Season 15 of “American Ninja Warrior,” and was featured in the Netflix documentary “MerPeople.”
When asked about her diving journey, Novak said:
“I took my first scuba diving course in the 45 degree [Fahrenheit, 7 degrees Celsius] waters of the Puget Sound in Seattle, Washington. The cheapest time to take the course was in the middle of the winter. I remember coming out of the water with lips so numb I couldn’t pronounce words correctly, but I also came out of the water inspired by what I saw, from jellyfish the size of my head, to sea lions playing in the kelp forests, to sunken boats covered in white sea anemones! I continued to work my way through the recreational diving courses with the goal of working as a divemaster and ended up working as a divemaster in Thailand for a season, trading the cold waters of Seattle for coral reefs, tropical sea life, and my first dives with sharks.”
Novak attributes her career success to the interview and performance skills she learned in pageants, earning her roles as a freediving competition commentator, a fire entertainer contract on the Vegas show “Celestia,” and work as a stunt performer on the show “Marvel Universe Live.”
“I think that people have a misconception of what it means to be a ‘pageant girl.’ There are not many places where young women have the opportunity to hone public speaking and performance skills in front of an audience. I think that beauty is not just about wearing makeup and walking onstage in a pretty dress. I define beauty as strength and intelligence, and the women I competed with had both in abundance.”
For more info about the Miss Scuba International pageant, go to misscuba.org or check out the organization’s Facebook page.
