International Scuba Diving Hall of Fame 2024 Inductees Celebrated at Ceremony on Grand Cayman
Left: Kenneth Bryan, Minister of Tourism and Ports of the Cayman Islands. Right: New ISDHOF inductee John Thet, only the fifth Asian to receive the recognition
Four new members were officially inducted into the prestigious International Scuba Diving Hall of Fame (ISDHF) at a ceremony on Saturday, September 28th, at the Indigo Hotel on Grand Cayman. 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:
- Margo Peyton (USA), founder of Family Dive Adventures & Kids Sea Camp and Ocean Wishes, has helped grow the industry by connecting and educating families through diving around the world. Her programs have certified over 8,000 children, including special needs kids.
- Claudio Guardabassi (Brazil), a pioneer of the Brazilian diving industry, created Projeto Acqua, a groundbreaking multi-sports space that includes facilities for scuba diving, swimming, triathlon training, and sports fitness; the facility hosted the first PADI instructor training course, becoming Brazil’s first PADI 5 Star Instructor Development Course.
- John Thet (Singapore) has developed various multimedia organizations dedicated to the promotion of safe recreational and technical scuba diving, and the conservation of the world’s oceans; his company, Underwater360, organizes Singapore-based Asia Dive Expo (ADEX), the largest and the longest-running dive trade expo in Asia, along with similar shows in China, India, Japan, and Australia.
- Eric Sala (Spain), a former professor at Scripps Institution of Oceanography and now a full-time conservationist as a National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence, 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.
While Sala was unable to attend personally, Peyton, Thet and Guardabassi were present at the ceremony, with Dan Orr, former CEO of Divers Alert Network (DAN) and now DAN’s President Emeritus, giving the keynote address.
New inductees Margo Peyton (left) and Claudio Guardabassi (right)