Rose Huizenga Honored by PADI and Seiko for Creating Positive Ocean Change in Indonesia
PADI® and Scuba Diving® are celebrating their 2023 Sea Hero of the Year®, sponsored by Seiko Prospex. Recipient Rose Huizenga, a PADI Open Water Scuba Instructor originally from the Netherlands who now lives in Gili Air, Indonesia. Mrs. Huizenga joins an elite group of Ocean Torchbearers™ and Sea Heroes who have been honored since 2011. Mrs. Huizenga will be presented with the 13th Sea Hero of the Year award and $5,000 award from Seiko. Since 2017, the Scuba Diving Sea Heroes program has been sponsored by Seiko Prospex – who is committed to helping PADI honor the extraordinary work of scuba divers to save our shared blue planet.
Mrs. Huizenga is a passionate conservationist who founded both Gili Shark Conservation and Coral Catch after witnessing the dramatic changes to the coral reefs in Gili Air. She was selected for her outstanding efforts in persevering to create positive ocean change by empowering local women to join her in taking action and creating their own careers in marine conservation through her scholarship and training program.
“Mrs. Huizenga is an inspiring example of someone who has turned her passion into hands-on action to protect the ocean,” says Dr. Drew Richardson, CEO & President of PADI. “We’re building a global network of one billion Ocean Torchbearers. Mrs. Huizenga’s work empowering local women through her scholarship and training program is a brilliant example of how constructive local action in marine conservation can make a global impact. Hope is rising through her work, inspiring all of us to continue to step up for positive ocean change. Bravo and congratulations to her and her team of Coral Catch Superwomen”
“On behalf of Seiko, we thank Rose Huizenga for her outstanding commitment to ocean conservation through her important mission of restoring coral reefs in Indonesia,” says Takeshi Sakamoto, president and CEO of Seiko Watch of America. “Rose’s perseverance to both protect our oceans and inspire others to get involved in marine conservation exemplifies a true Sea Hero. We congratulate Rose for receiving this great honor and applaud her enduring efforts to empower her local community to protect our beloved ocean habitats.”
As part of her 2023 Sea Hero of the Year award, Mrs. Huizenga was awarded $5,000 USD from Seiko to support her conservation work. Mrs. Huizenga has decided to put that money towards furthering her scholarship program through Coral Catch Superwomen, which will not only change more young girls’ lives but also the community and coral reefs around them.
“My ultimate mission is to create a network of local women who are working together to protect and restore the coral reefs of Indonesia,” says Mrs. Huizenga. “Over the next five years it is my goal to empower 100 local women to have a career in marine conservation and 100 more to learn how to swim so that we can have more Coral Catch Superwomen advocating for our shared blue planet. In addition to being a PADI AWARE grant recipient, the support I have received from PADI and Seiko through the Sea Hero program is going to help me truly change lives and save our ocean.
To learn more about other Sea Heroes® doing meaningful work to save the ocean and nominate a Sea Hero for 2024, visit www.scubadiving.com/seaheroes.
About Sea Heroes Program
Since 2011, Scuba Diving® magazine has recognized divers who make significant contributions in the area of ocean and marine-life conservation — everyday people who not only make a difference but also inspire the rest of us with their dedication. These individuals work tirelessly to protect our oceans through education, conservation, innovation and exploration. Seiko has been the proud sponsor of the Sea Heroes® program since 2017, providing a PADI Special Edition Prospex watch to each Sea Hero and $5,000 to each Sea Hero of the Year.
About Seiko Watch of America
Seiko Watch of America is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Seiko Watch Corporation, which is headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. Seiko was founded in 1881, and is the only watch manufacturer with every watchmaking expertise, including Mechanical, Quartz, Spring Drive, Solar, GPS Solar and Radio Sync Solar. For more information about Seiko, visit seikowatches.com/us-en.
About Scuba Diving
United in our passion for diving and the world beneath the surface. Scuba Diving® is an inclusive print and digital forum to learn about, connect on and fuel a shared passion for underwater exploration. Our enthusiasm for the sport of diving, the stunning places we experience, the incredible marine encounters, and our purpose-driven commitment to ocean change keeps us connected and inspires one another to seek adventure and save the ocean. The ultimate, trusted source, we deliver expert insights on gear, safety, training, local diving, travel and dive professions – because, as divers ourselves, we care deeply about the same topics. Whether we dive once a year or for a living, we’re a single community of ocean lovers constantly encouraging those new to diving to join us.
About PADI
PADI® (Professional Association of Diving Instructors®) is the largest purpose-driven diving organization with a global community of 6,600 dive centers and resorts, 128,000 professional members and more than 29 million certified divers to date. Committed to our blue planet, PADI makes the wonder of the underwater world accessible to all, empowering people around the world to experience, explore and take meaningful action, as Ocean TorchbearersTM, to protect the world beneath the surface. For over 50 years, PADI is undeniably The Way the World Learns to Dive®, setting the standard for the highest quality dive training, underwater safety and conservation initiatives while evolving the sport of diving into a passionate lifestyle. For divers by divers, PADI is obsessed with transforming lives and, with its global foundation, PADI AWARETM, creating positive ocean change. Seek Adventure. Save the Ocean.SM
