Woman-owned and diving deep: Natalia Tovar charts new course in local scuba industry

LOVES PARK, Ill. (WTVO) — When Natalia Tovar and her husband purchased Loves Park Scuba in 2022, she didn’t just take over a business—she became the face of a movement, one to make diving more accessible.

In an industry long dominated by men, Tovar looks at the scuba business an diving from different place. Th mother of three has a passion for working with kids, families, and anyone who’s ever dreamed of exploring the underwater world.

“And now that I run this place and I am an instructor, a female, it gives this place a whole, new perspective,” she said. ”

Scuba diving—short for self-contained underwater breathing apparatus—has been largely male-led since the development of modern diving equipment in the 1940s and ’50s. But Tovar is helping shift that narrative, one splash at a time.

“I’m a mom. And I like to teach the young ones. I like to teach people who are old,” she said. “And I like to teach people [who] think they cannot do it. And I am here to make it happen.”

Tovar is no stranger to breaking barriers. She moved to the Rockford are seven years ago to work as an airline mechanic, another field where women are not in the majority.

“For every hundred men, [there are] probably five females in the industry when I used to work there. And it still is,” she said.

Her team comprises like-minded women who share her passion.

Karey Cook, joined the team to fill downtime between hairstyling appointments—and quickly became an avid diver.

“It’s kind of cool to see women come in,” Cook said. “You kind of think the women might be a little shy, but I’d say half of the time it’s guys who get terrified under water.”

Tovar says the best thing about scuba is that it costs nothing to try. She offers class to help people get comfortable before they make a commitment.

“We actually have free classes for trying out scuba, or what we call Discover Scuba, for free,” Tovar said. “[You] come into the pool with an instructor, either me or my other instructor I have on-site. It will be around one hour—getting the equipment on, get to know what it is to breathe under water. And if they like it, they can sign up for classes.”

Since 1984, Loves Park Scuba has certifed certified roughly 14,000 divers. Tovar says she especially enjoys teaching extended families—grandparents diving alongside their grandchildren.

“[It] is just awesome,” she said.

Loves Park Scuba was founded by Dan Johnson, who retired when he sold the business to the Tovars. He still operates the Lockwood Pioneer Scuba Diving Museum, which is next door.

Loves Park Scuba is at 7307 N. Alpine Road.