It started out with a simple seed her father planted as Margo Peyton grew up exploring the waters off Cape Cod, Massachusetts. From her father’s fishing boat, she learned how to swim, befriended marine life much larger than herself, and her love for everything ocean grew. Margo was equally passionate about travel and combined those loves while living in Grand Cayman for many years.
As a single mom in the travel industry, she did not want to leave her kids behind while she continued to explore the world, topside and underwater.
“There must be other dive travelers that feel the same way,” she thought.
Seal Team and Junior Open Water Diver courses were just getting off the ground at PADI, and Margo embraced the idea of kids learning at their own pace with age-appropriate programs. These engaging kids programs then freed up their parents to be out on dive boats, making new friends of their own.
Margo sought out PADI Five Star Dive Resorts open to the idea of creating a new type of week – a week where kids could learn to breathe underwater in a safe, fun environment and enjoy everything else that made Caribbean islands unique. Before long, Kids Sea Camp was officially underway.
Margo reminisces, “Starting with just six families in Curacao in 2,000, I began to imagine how we could create one-of-a-kind adventures for families around the world. Every year, we added weeks with carefully planned itineraries, where kids along with their 60 to 80-year-old grandparents could share a week they would remember forever.”
Along the way, there was skepticism about mixing children with diving, and families taking over a traditionally male dominated sport. But together with supportive industry partners, children’s equipment and wetsuits were manufactured at SCUBAPRO, and underwater cameras were put in their little hands by SeaLife. Dive magazines introduced the concept in print, and encouraged families to join in. Divers who had given up their carefree days of dive travel when they got married, bought houses and had babies, now had something to think about!
As divers responded with interest, Margo added new PADI Five Star Dive Resorts and liveaboards, with safety always coming first. She personally committed herself to all the PADI training she could get, and became a PADI Master Scuba Diver Trainer and accomplished photographer along the way.
Margo Peyton (center left) and PADI CEO Drew Richardson (center right) dive with friends in Grand Cayman.
Margo Peyton with her underwater camera“I wanted to make sure that in addition to dive training, all our families take away important lessons about the reefs and marine life, and how to protect them for future generations. By including PADI AWARE learning materials, scheduling beach clean-ups, and evening talks about everything from lionfish hunting to shark protection, young and old minds alike open up to new ways of thinking about what it means to be a responsible diver.
We also have a thriving Ocean Wishes Foundation that is dedicated to promoting, protecting, and preserving our underwater world for future generations. We sponsor beginning PADI training grants for kids, marine life protection efforts, and reef restoration activities around the world. So thinking not only of our children’s future, but protecting it for their children’s children is important to us,” advises Margo.
Reflecting on a recent experience, Margo shared how years of running Kids Sea Camp programs left a lasting impact she hadn’t fully appreciated until recently. “I’ve always been so focused on making that day, that week, that year the best it could possibly be,” she said, noting she rarely paused to consider how these early experiences might influence young divers’ lives.
That changed when, while in Grand Cayman for her induction into the International Scuba Diving Hall of Fame (see below), she visited the familiar Cobalt Coast Resort and Divetech, where she’d hosted many Kids Sea Camp weeks. At the dive shop, she met a young man named Kameron, who listened as she recounted her years of bringing families there. Then Kameron shared a surprising connection. As a local boy, he’d watched the groups of young campers on the same dock and remembered her sharing extra masks and fins with the local kids. Smiling, Kameron revealed he was one of those children and that her generosity had inspired him to pursue diving as a career.
Now a PADI Instructor, Kameron works at Dive Tech – where he once played as a child – and stood on stage the following night, alongside Margo, as both MC and Local Emerging Honoree. Taking in the moment, Margo said, “I realized what I set out to do 25 years ago has had more far-reaching effects than I could have ever imagined.”
In 2024, Margo Peyton was inducted into the International Scuba Diving Hall of Fame, a fitting honor alongside her PADI Lifetime Achievement Award, DEMA’s Reaching Out Award, and membership in the Women Divers Hall of Fame. Through Kids Sea Camp, she’s certified over 8,000 young divers and introduced countless families to the underwater world in 15 countries.
Margo Peyton and the author at the International Scuba Diving Hall of Fame Celebration.
Margo Peyton, the author and friends at the International Scuba Diving Hall of Fame Inducation Ceremony.
Margo and Tom Peyton and the author at the International Scuba Diving Hall of Fame Celebration.Margo’s journey shows that small, everyday acts of kindness can ripple out and create a wave of inspiration. As divers, each of us has the chance to spark wonder in others, one dive buddy, one student, and one child at a time.
Make a Difference – Become a PADI Pro
By Carolyn Pascal
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