The first Women’s Dive Day, held in July 2014, empowered dive centers and professionals to encourage women to pursue certifications. It marks its 12th year in 2026, signaling not a momentary trend, but serious longevity. “Now we see women advancing into advanced scuba, Nitrox, and even marine research. Once they’re invited in, they don’t stop at entry level,” says van Well.
The women on the shore
With PADI providing the framework, leaders like Rose Huizenga, based in Gili Air, Indonesia, have run with this idea. A long-time diver herself, Huizenga founded Coral Catch, an organization that aims to offer coral restoration scholarships including PADI dive certifications to 100 Indonesian women by 2030. Her mission was shaped by more than a decade of working in diving and conservation, during which she rarely saw Indonesian girls in the water.
Her inspiration first hit in the pandemic, when tourism crashed in Indonesia and conservation funding disappeared. “What if we created the first completely female, local coral restoration team in Indonesia?” she recalls. The idea was immediately met with skepticism. “My husband told me, ‘I love you, but that’s crazy. These girls can’t be away from their families. Can they even dive in hijab?”
Her gut told her that the desire was there, but that woman didn’t have the access, and the barriers were simply too high. She posted a call for interest online. Within three months, more than 150 women from across Indonesia applied. “When we put women who shared the same love for the ocean together, something remarkable happened. They formed a sisterhood.”
That sisterhood took shape in one of Indonesia’s most idyllic and protected marine areas. Set east of Bali, near Lombok, the Gili Islands—Gili Trawangan, Gili Meno, and Gili Air—are a trio of small islands known for their white-sand beaches and glass-clear waters, a diving destination often called the turtle capital of the world. It’s here that Coral Catch’s impact is seen in the community.
