PADI Women's Dive Day 2024
Every year, PADI Women’s Dive Day brings the diving community together to celebrate the incredible contributions of women in diving. Join the Scuba Dive Online team on July 20th, 2025, for PADI Women’s Dive Day. Celebrating amazing women in the dive industry.
PADI Women’s Dive Day isn’t just about diving. It’s about celebrating the empowerment, leadership, and achievements of women divers worldwide. Women have been making waves in the diving community, breaking barriers, and setting records. From marine biologists and underwater photographers to dive instructors and conservationists. Moreover, their passion and dedication have significantly impacted ocean conservation and marine science, inspiring countless others to explore the underwater world.
Remarkable women who have paved the way
On the 10th year of this annual event, we aim to encourage more women to take up diving and pursue careers in the industry. Additionally, it highlights the stories of remarkable women who have paved the way, such as Sylvia Earle, a pioneering oceanographer, and Cristina Zenato, known for her groundbreaking work with sharks.
The Scuba Dive Online team has some of the world’s most qualified, award-winning female PADI Course Directors and PADI instructors. Furthermore, these exceptional women not only specialize in instructor development but also in many other diving adventures, including conservation, technical diving, and cave exploration.
Meet the Scuba Dive Online Women:
Monique Richards
Monique, from the UK, became a PADI Instructor in 2003 and has since worked full-time in the diving industry. A PADI Course Director on Koh Phangan, Thailand, she has dived and worked in exotic locations such as Egypt, Australia, India, Greece, Malaysia, Fiji, and Mexico.
Monique, a founder of Scuba Dive Online, teaches most of our IDC LIVE online sessions and brings extensive knowledge in dive retail, sales, and management. Passionate about marine conservation, she works with a team to transplant and monitor corals. Monique aims to create true ambassadors for our ocean planet through her courses.
Natalie Hunt
Natalie, originally from Australia, is one of the world’s most experienced PADI Course Directors, with 24 years of teaching diving. Her entertaining approach to diver education keeps students engaged and eager to learn more. Natalie loves working with children and divers with disabilities. Additionally she enjoys the challenges of technical, sidemount, and self-reliant dives.
A true global citizen, she has dived and worked in Thailand, Grand Cayman, British Virgin Islands, Egypt, Canada, and Australia. Currently managing Assava Dive Resort and teaching Instructor Development Courses on Koh Tao, Natalie also enjoys teaching beginner courses. She is a versatile, inspired, and highly active dive instructor.
Julia Alberione
Julia, from Argentina, co-owner of Davy Jones Locker in Koh Tao with her husband Tim Lawrence, is a respected Tec Instructor with 20 years experience in the diving industry. Initially hesitant due to the male-dominated image of technical diving, she was encouraged by her partner to dive in, gaining extensive experience and qualifying on the AP Evolution re-breather.
Despite her small frame, Julia’s expertise in technique prevails, earning her respect and frequent invitations to technical diving expeditions. Recently certified as a PADI Tech Deep Instructor and a CCR diver, she continues to enhance her skills. Julia aims to inspire more women in underwater exploration, fostering a more inclusive technical diving community.
Heidi Rijsdijk
Heidi became a PADI instructor in 2020 and has continued to advance in the dive industry. A former marketing professional from the Netherlands, she traded her desk job for the ocean of Koh Tao in 2019. Heidi now works as a PADI Course Director at Assava Dive Resort, Koh Tao, passionately teaching diving and the wonders of the underwater world.
She loves witnessing her students’ progress, whether it’s a Discover Scuba Diver experiencing the ocean for the first time or an Open Water Scuba Instructor advancing to Master Scuba Diver Instructor. When not diving, Heidi is a keen photographer and loves her dog! Heidi is also Scuba Dive Online’s activities and games organiser and a PADI Mermaid!
Ivana Inglesina and Victoria Cole
Cave diving rockstars! Victoria Cole, a PADI Platinum-level Course Director and owner of the female-operated PADI Five Star CDC Resort Infinity2Diving, Tulum, Mexico discovered her passion for diving at a young age. An Economics graduate, Victoria now travels the world, promoting female leadership in diving.
Ivana Inglesina, also a PADI Platinum-level Course Director and Victoria’s business partner at Pro Dive Vibes, found her love for diving in her mid-30s while exploring World War II wrecks in the Philippines.
Both Victoria and Ivana are highly respected cave diving instructors, teaching cave and Tec in the stunning Cenotes in Tulum, Mexico. Plus, they have now added the PADI Mermaid courses to their already extremely busy teaching schedule in Tulum, Mexico.
Ferndanda Paiva
Fernanda is a PADI Course Director, PADI TecRec Instructor, and the general manager of Roatan Divers in Honduras. She began diving in 2011 and quickly fell in love with the underwater world. A dedicated conservationist, Fernanda has a particular interest in sharks and regularly teaches the PADI AWARE Shark Conservation Instructor course to her IDC candidates. Roatan, with its frequent sightings of reef sharks and whale sharks, provides the perfect setting for these courses, enhancing the learning experience for her students.
Emma Hudson
Emma, from the UK, is the general manager of PKT Diving in Phi Phi, Thailand. She was once too afraid to even go snorkeling or swimming in the ocean. Ten years ago, she worked as a recruitment consultant in Australia but desired a more outdoor life. She decided to sell everything and become a PADI instructor, a decision she has never regretted. Now, as the manager of PKT Diving, an award-winning PADI IDC Centre, she oversees a programme where approximately 75% of IDC candidates are female. Emma aims to break down misconceptions and is proud to encourage a pioneering and supportive environment for new female instructors to grow and develop.
On PADI Women’s Dive Day, dive shops, resorts, and organizations around the globe host events, from underwater clean-ups to dive training sessions, promoting a sense of community and shared purpose. PADI Women’s Dive Day. Celebrating amazing women in the dive industry.
To find out more about where you can take your PADI IDC with one of these amazing women in diving, contact the Scuba Dive Online team.
