Welcome to our new 2022 PADI AmbassaDivers!! These unique individuals are a combination of passionate scuba divers, dive professionals, and underwater enthusiasts who tirelessly strive to promoted scuba diving and marine conservation in both their local communities and around the globe.
PADI AmbassaDivers inspire others to follow their lead and take action to safe guard our oceans, rivers, and lakes and to go ‘all-in’ to protect the underwater world. We are extremely excited to see what underwater adventures they go on during the next year – and we’ll be sharing them with you!
Kirana Larasati
Kirana started her career as a professional actress on television and the big screen at just 16. In 2018 she discovered a passion for scuba diving after watching the dramatic Tham Luang cave rescue of 10 school children in Northern Thailand. Kirana fell in love with the ocean and has not stopped learning since. Kirana is now an instructor and we can’t wait to see what she accomplishes next – find out more by following Kirana on Instagram and YouTube.
Pier Nirandara
Pier Nirandara is a bestselling author, Hollywood film producer, and underwater photographer from Bangkok, Thailand. She began her career as the youngest English-writing Thai author of three #1 national bestselling novels with over 200,000 copies sold in multiple languages. As an avid proponent for solo female travel, Pier has visited over 90 countries across 7 continents. She is determined to utilize storytelling to bring attention to fragile ecosystems and conservation efforts. Find out more about Pier here.
Brandee Anthony
Brandee Anthony is a professional mermaid, photographer and PADI Mermaid instructor based out of Vero Beach, Florida. She started her dive company, Mermaid Freedive, in 2019 and offers guests the opportunity to become PADI Freedive and Mermaid certified in an all-inclusive retreat format. What could be better than that?
Follow Brandee’s adventures on Instagram here.
Rachel Moore
Rachel was born and raised by the sea and the ocean was her first love. She has worked as a research diver for the National Park Service on the Channel Islands and she was the youngest diver to ever receive the Blue Card certification. For the last five years, Rachel has been sailing around the world on her boat, Agape, and she is diving some of the world’s most remote destinations. Jealous? Absolutely!! Stay up to date on Rachel’s adventures onboard Agape here.
Taghrid Alhowish
Originally from Jeddah, Taghrid is a PADI Advanced Diver and Freediver. Taghrid is a TV presenter in the Middle East, on the MBC1 channel, where she highlights her travel and scuba adventures. Taghrid encourages and empowers women, specifically Saudi women, to enter the world of diving. Taghrid encourages others to get underwater as it is “the most peaceful place to be”. Check out Taghrid on Instagram here.
TWINS (Kou & Hiromu)
These Twin YouTube hosts have 525,000 subscribers and have gained an audience of young supporters, especially on their series “ばかっこいい日常/Ridiculously Cool Daily vlog”. This dynamic duo started diving in 2020 and Kou uses his PADI Divemaster status to enrich the credibility of their diving related Vlogs. The twins are passionate about the ocean and they use their social media platforms to share their love of the underwater world.
Alexa Fernando
Alexa is a Philippine-Canadian digital storyteller and photographer based in Baja California Sur. Alexa’s dad introduced her to diving when she was sixteen years old but it was 13 years later that she really found her passion for scuba and fully immersed herself in the diving lifestyle. Currently a PADI Scuba Instructor, she wants to inspire other women of color to get into scuba diving but even more so, into professional diving. Check out Alexa’s website and find out more here.
Zandile Ndhlovu
Zandile Ndhlovu is a Freediving Instructor and the founder of The Black Mermaid Foundation. Zandile is a change agent who is passionate about encouraging diversity in diving, including accessibility to younger generations. Zandile is ardent about harnessing human potential as the critical currency that creates collective and all-inclusive communities. Find out more by Following Zandile on Instagram and Facebook.
Madeline St.Clair
British scientist Mads St.Clair is a marine biologist, PADI divemaster, conservation filmmaker and expedition leader. Her research interest in how anthropogenic stressors are affecting marine life has taken her across the globe. As the Founder of Women in Ocean Science, she is a fierce advocate gender equity and works to elevate female voices in the ocean space. Check out Mads on Instagram here.
Julia Aveline Rabenjoro
Julia started her diving journey with PADI on her 8th birthday in Sabah, Borneo. Julia is now 14 and has just taken her Junior Rescue Diver course and she is also a certified PADI Basic Freediver. Diving has helped Julia to find her passion in conserving the ocean, which caused her to create the Seed of Hope Facebook page to raise awareness through interviews and to raise funds for ocean causes.
Chris Foisey
Chris Foisey is a professional Scuba Instructor in Ontario, Canada. Chris is a certified Cave Diver and Technical Decompression Diver with over 10 years of experience in educating divers. His adventures have taken him all over the world. Chris works exclusively for Dan’s Dive Shop – Canada’s oldest PADI Facility and in 2020 he created the Modern Diver Channel where he is active on social media to share his love of diving, highlight new tips and equipment.
Alannah Vellacott
Alannah Vellacott is a PADI Instructor, marine ecologist, science communicator and ocean advocate with 12 years of experience working in marine research, conservation and education in the Bahamas and the Caribbean. Alannah has realized how inaccessible marine science and research is to those who are not in the field, so she has taken up Science Communication as her new mission – to bring the ocean to everyone. Check out Alannah’s Instagram here.
Miho Sakai
Miho is an anchorperson for a global news and every time Miho reports about environmental issues she is struck by the seriousness of the problems that we are collectively facing. Miho has been diving as a volunteer for marine conservation projects and has become a “spokesperson” for the ocean – check out her Instagram here. She wants to have fun, learn, and protect the ocean altogether.
Just as this inspiring group of individuals are committed to seeking adventure and saving the ocean with PADI, we are looking forward to promoting these AmbassaDivers’ missions to protect and connect with our water planet – and inspiring others to do the same!
We hope that you – our global community of PADI divers – are as excited as we are in welcoming our new team of 2022 AmbassaDivers!
