2025 Diving Pioneer

Twenty-five years ago Margo Peyton founded Kids Sea Camp. Through Kids Sea Camp, she has helped more than 8,000 young people earn PADI diver certifications. Its programs have introduced thousands of families to the underwater world.

Margo’s passion for diving comes from her father, Eddie Salvador, a 1950s-era diver. Growing up in Provincetown, Massachusetts, Margo lived in a diverse marine environment. She recalls conversations with her father about his early diving experiences and marveling at his homemade equipment. These early exchanges sparked a lifelong fascination with diving.

Her father, a captain and giant bluefin tuna fisherman, bought her first set of dive gear in 1988. Relocating to the Cayman Islands in 1991, she honed her diving skills with Bob Soto’s Diving. Margo’s real job was as a corporate travel agent and tour guide.

Margo grew up with her father and grandmother. Her mother, in and out of hospitals for much of Margo’s life, remained a significant inspiration. Unable to travel, Margo’s mother lived through her daughter’s adventures. This only fueled Margo’s desire to explore and share the wonders of the underwater world. This deep connection with her mother inspired Margo to pursue a degree in Travel and Tourism, in the process becoming the first in her family to attend college.

When she became a mother, Margo founded Kids Sea Camp, thus fulfilling a dream of creating a place for families to explore the ocean together. This dedication to youth dive training has earned Margo deserved recognition.

Her awards include the 2025 Beneath the Sea Pioneer of the Year Award; induction into the International Scuba Diving Hall of Fame in 2024; the PADI Lifetime Achievement Award in 2020, only the second recipient after Sylvia Earle; the 2019 Beneath the Sea Diver of the Year Award; the 2018 DEMA Hall of Fame Reaching Out Award; and induction into the Women Divers Hall of Fame in 2009.

Margo has been a PADI Ambassador since 2017. She is one of few female members of the SCUBAPRO Deep Elite Ambassadors. She is a recognized expert and source for data on youth diving, training, and travel. Margo has been a contributor to and featured in many publications including Diver Magazine, Working Mother, Departures, Dive Training, The Undersea Journal, Sport Diver, Skin Diver, Scuba Diving, Alert Diver, and many others.

Margo and Tom Peyton co-founded Ocean Wishes, a nonprofit supporting ocean conservation, training grants, and scholarships. Margo remains a passionate underwater photographer.