Beneath The Sea announced this week that it had named Kids Sea Camp founder Margo Peyton as the 2025 Diving Pioneer.
Peyton founded Kids Sea Camp 25 years ago. Since then, over 8,000 kids have gotten PADI youth diver certifications.
Peyton’s passion for diving comes from her father, Eddie Salvador, a 1950s-era diver. Growing up in Provincetown, Massachusetts, she 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.
When she became a mother, Peyton founded Kids Sea Camp, thus fulfilling a dream of creating a place for families to explore the ocean together.
Her other honors include being inducted into the Women Divers Hall Of Fame in 2009, the 2020 PADI Lifetime Achievement Award (only the second recipient after Sylvia Earle), and others.
Peyton has been a PADI Ambassador since 2017. She is also one of few female members of the SCUBAPRO Deep Elite Ambassadors. Additionally, Peyton is a recognized expert and source for data on youth diving, training and travel.