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Born:
Where:
Notable Achievements:
Born:
Where:
Notable Achievements:
Promoting diving in the Caribbean to a worldwide audience and for his outreach through so many different media vehicles
and volunteer activities,
and for showing the world that
diving is truly an adventure.
Neal Watson began diving in the Springs of Northern Florida in 1953 at the age of 13 and has been in the diving business for over 45 years.
Over his varied career as an entrepreneur Neal has worked as a commercial diver, treasure salver, stunt coordinator for the movie and TV industry, has owned and operated hotels, owned an airline charter company and established one of the few successful diving-related franchise operations in the Bahamas and Caribbean; Neal Watson's Undersea Adventures.
Neal gives of his time generously, and has held volunteer positions with Board of Directors for the Diving Equipment and Marketing Association (DEMA), the Fort Lauderdale Florida Chamber of Commerce, and served for many years as President of the Bahamas Diving Association.
Neal's underwater achievements are legendary. He holds several Guinness World Records, including the compressed air diving depth record where he descended to 437 feet off Bimini. He recorded another milestone by swimming 66 miles underwater non-stop without surfacing in 19 ½ hours from the Florida Keys to Miami. That last event landed him a spot on the television show, To Tell the Truth!
In the world of motion pictures Neal has worked as a stuntman, and appeared in various television shows, including ABC’s 20/20, Inside Edition and The Today Show. Neal has also been featured in many magazine and newspaper articles including People Magazine and Outside Magazine, for his straightforward and frank personality, as much for his world records and exploits in shark diving. Neal generously gives back to the industry in so many ways, not the least of which includes reaching into the diving community to promote diving. Neal’s efforts include producing the annual “Ocean Fest,” the only seaside consumer dive show in the United States, held for13 years in Greater Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Promoting diving and making a difference for the industry, Neal has worked with numerous celebrities. He taught Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York to dive and hand feed sharks for an ABC Special working for and with his longtime friend, Jean-Michel Cousteau.
