The Board of Directors of the International Scuba Diving Hall of Fame (ISDHF) and the Cayman Islands Ministry and Department of Tourism are pleased to announce the four new members who will be inducted into the prestigious ISDHF Hall of Fame.
Established by the Cayman Islands Ministry of Tourism in 2000, the ISDHF celebrates dive industry leaders who have contributed to the success of recreational scuba diving worldwide through innovation and advancements made in the areas of dive tourism, equipment design, dive safety, inclusivity, exploration, adventure, innovation and more.
This year’s inductees are a global cohort spanning North America, Latin America, Asia, and Europe who were chosen for their unique and lasting contributions to the industry. This year’s inductees will join a host of distinguished industry pioneers and professionals including Jacques Yves Cousteau (2000), Jean Michel Cousteau (2003); Bob Soto (2020) and Tom Ingraham (2020) and will be formally inducted into the hall of fame at a ceremony in the Cayman Islands on 28 September 2024.
The following individuals have been selected for inclusion this year:
Margo Peyton (United States)
A pioneer in the family dive training and travel market Margo continues to be a leader in this field. As the owner and founder of Family Dive Adventures & Kids Sea Camp and (501c) Ocean Wishes, Peyton’s efforts to connect and educate families through diving around the world has done much to help grow the industry. Her mission to help families to disconnect from their virtual worlds and reconnect with each other through diving and travel. Margo’s programs have certified over 7,000 children including special needs kids at her yearly sea camps.
Peyton is a member of the Women Diver Hall of Fame, and the Family Travel Association’s (FTA) board of advisors and was initially the sole representative for the diving industry. She is also a PADI AmbassaDiver and member of the PADI Youth Advisory Committee. She is recognized as an industry authority on youth diver education.
Claudio Guardabassi (Brazil)
Claudio grew up on Brazil’s coast near São Paulo and started SCUBA diving at the age of 16. He became a diving instructor at an early age teaching scuba diving using the YMCA curriculum and facilities as one of the first professional diving schools in São Paulo. In 1971 he opened the Claumar Dive Center, which is now over half a century old, and is one of the oldest dive centers in South America.
In 1988 he launched Projeto Acqua in Brazil, a pioneering multi-sports space that included facilities for scuba diving, swimming, triathlon training, and sports fitness. Projeto Acqua hosted the first PADI instructor training course and the facility became Brazil’s first PADI 5 Star Instructor Development Course.
Today, the seeds of Mr. Guardabassi’s early vision have matured into a multifaceted Brazilian diving industry and many senior industry stakeholders in Brazil can attribute their careers to the work started by Mr. Guardabassi 53 years ago.
John Thet (Singapore)
Since 1993 John has been responsible for developing a number of multimedia organizations dedicated to the promotion of safe recreational and scientific scuba diving, and the conservation of the world’s oceans and is the publisher and CEO of the AGM group, publisher of an award-winning magazine that was the official magazine of the PADI Diving Society Asia-Pacific from 2006-2009.
With a firm base in scuba diving and environmental publishing, John became the CEO of Underwater360 (UW360), a company that operated the largest and the longest-running Singapore-based dive trade expo in Asia, Asia Dive Expo (ADEX). Using his regional and international connections, Thet pursued his vision of expanding ADEX to encompass all the major diving regions of Asia, and launched ADEX diving expositions in China, India, Hong Kong, Philippines, and Indonesia. His ADEX programs have been endorsed by industry stakeholders such as DEMA, the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) and the Chinese Underwater Association (CUA).
John is internationally recognized as a highly ethical businessman with a global vision for safe and environmentally sound scuba diving. His publications have exhibited the beauties of our underwater world while advocating the highest environmental standards. His pioneering ADEX dive shows have become the gathering points for the international diving industry to meet millions of divers in countries where underwater tourism is in its infancy.
Eric Sala (Spain)
Eric Sala is a former professor at Scripps Institution of Oceanography and now a full-time conservationist as a National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence and since 2008 he has led the Pristine Seas Initiative – a project focused on exploring, documenting, and protecting the last ‘wild’ places in the oceans.
Using a combination of expeditions, science, media and policy analysis, the Pristine Seas team has helped to inspire the protection of 22 marine protected areas covering more than 5.7 million square kilometers of ocean. Pristine Seas is a small team of less than thirty people based in Washington, DC and other sites around the world. The team has conducted 31 expeditions, published more than 90 scientific papers in peer-reviewed scientific journals, and produced 28 documentary films.
Sala’s research not only shows the human impacts in the ocean, but it also shows how marine ecosystems can recover, and develops practical solutions to improve the health of our oceans.
About the International Scuba Diving Hall of Fame
The International Scuba Diving Hall of Fame was founded in 2000 by the Ministry of Tourism of the Cayman Islands. Since the Cayman Islands is a leading pioneer in dive travel and is a premiere world destination for divers, it seemed only natural that the Cayman Islands should be home to a hall of fame honoring those people who have contributed the most to the sport of Scuba diving.
The mission of the International Scuba Diving Hall of Fame is to honour those people who have helped to make the sport of Scuba diving possible, safer, more popular, and more enjoyable. The annual induction ceremony takes place in the Cayman Islands every year during the annual induction ceremony. To learn more visit visitcaymanislands.com/isdhf
About the Cayman Islands
The Cayman Islands features some of the world’s best diving excursions, with each of the three islands offering different diving adventures for all skill levels. Having received countless awards for Best Overall Dive Destination in the Caribbean and Atlantic, the Cayman Islands is also home to the International Scuba Diving Hall of Fame, recognizing dive industry pioneers since its inception in 2000. The destination is also renowned for its calm clear waters, which offer superb visibility for snorkeling and other underwater experiences.
Located 480 miles south of Miami in the vibrant western Caribbean, this trio of tiny islands is a premier destination for discriminating travelers, divers, honeymooners and families. World renowned for its idyllic beaches and recognized as a sophisticated, diverse and memorable tourist destination, the Cayman Islands offers spectacular recreational opportunities along with warm, impeccable service.
