We chat to diving pioneer and industry legend Peter Hughes, about his long career in the diving world, his influence on the development of liveaboards, and his efforts to help protect our watery planet.
Photographs courtesy of Peter Hughes
How Peter Hughes First Discovered Diving
Q: As we always do with these Questions and Answer sessions, how did you first get into scuba diving?
A: My parents took me to Tobago in 1953/54 where we met a gentleman, Bill Petry from Atlanta, GA, setting up a Summer Camp – Camp Crusoe for boys and girls (separate sessions) and I saw scuba divers for the first time. Back then we called them ‘aqualungers’ – and I knew I wanted to ‘aqualung!’
Bill promised me if my Dad took me back when I was ten years old he would teach me – and he did! My Dad also bought me Jacques Cousteau’s Silent World for my tenth birthday and I was hooked!
Early Career: Teaching, Travel & Caribbean Dive Operations
Q: You became a diving instructor at quite a young age – what was the attraction of teaching others to scuba dive?
A: Over the years that followed, I went to Tobago /Camp Crusoe, eventually becoming a camp counsellor, then waterfront director and eventually Co-Camp Director – this elevated position was shortlived as due to the ‘Black Power’ uprising in Trinidad and Tobago in 1970/71, my boss Bill Petry was deported from the country (after 17 years) – I remained in place throughout 1971 to meet all Camp obligations and then at the end of the year, closed the place permanently and left – with great sadness!
Q: You were instrumental in shaping the diving operations at the popular Anthony’s Key Resort on Roatan, and it holds a special significance for you as this is where you met your future wife, Alice. What brought you to Roatan?
A: Per above, after leaving Tobago we (Bill Petry and I) travelled throughout the Caribbean looking for a possible alternative for Camp Crusoe – we visited Provo (T&C Islands) Belize and Roatan. Bill lost interest after what had happened in Tobago (understandably so) but when I saw Roatan (AKR), it reminded me of Tobago and I was determined to find my way back, which I did – December 1971 – having convinced the owner I could create a successful dive resort at what was then a sundering sailing resort. The rest is history.
Building the Dancer Fleet and Transforming Liveaboards
Q: You founded a dive centre on Bonaire, and then – in the late-1990s and early 2000s – created the Dancer Fleet of luxury dive liveaboards. What was it that took you into the world of liveaboards in the first place?
A: Yes, Bonaire came after Roatan – December 1975 working for a company called Teach/Tour Diving, Inc out of Nazareth, PA – in Bonaire, I formed a local company called Teach/ Tour Diving (Bonaire) NV at the Flamingo Beach Hotel. Things went bad in 1977 with the Nazareth, PA, parent going bankrupt owing both Flamingo Beach Hotel and me personally quite a large sum of money – I assumed the debt of the Flamingo Beach Hotel and then through some real ‘weird’ moves (with lots of local help from bank and authorities) sued Teach/Tour Diving, Inc and miraculously won my case and became owner of all the assets of the parent company that were in Bonaire. I then formed a new company Dive Bonaire, NV and the rest is history…
In 1985, Flamingo Beach Hotel was sold to the public company Divi Resorts, NV out of Aruba and the public company also bought Dive Bonaire, NV and I was given a five-year contract as VP Marine Sports Division. At the end of the five years (1990) I resigned on good terms, but had a non-compete contract, so I purchased the Sea Dancer, which we had launched as a Divi Resort’s property in 1986 and which they no longer wanted after my resignation, and started new company Peter Hughes Diving. Inc and started building the Dancer Fleet.
“I was determined to find my way back, which I did – December 1971 -having convinced the owner I could create a successful dive resort at what was then a sundering sailing resort. The rest is history”
Q: You are still actively involved in the diving world, and now offering your services as a consultant. What keeps bringing you back into the diving fraternity?
A: I am still involved in an ever-decreasing presence – age and health – but I enjoyed several years as a consultant working in Mexico and Ecuador in the conversion / repurposing of vessels or new builds as liveaboard dive boats – I have been ‘in the industry’ since 1968 (21 years old) on a full-time business – I love it and just cannot seem to be able to shake it once and for all…
Q: You are certainly well-travelled, which have been some of your favourite locations around our watery planet, and why?
A: A really tough question to answer but for the obvious, historic reason, Tobago and Roatan are very dear to my heart – in the Caribbean, Curaçao is also a very special place to dive and more distant and perhaps more exotic, I think Papua New Guinea and the Galápagos Islands would be my most favourite.
A Life of Adventure: Iconic Encounters Underwater
Q: What is your most memorable diving experience?
A: My most memorable moment is very hard to decide upon. I have had several most-memorable moments, but two truly memorable moments were when freediving (a passion of mine) with a small pod/family (three, presumably momma, poppa and child) of tropical orcas in PNG and the other freediving (cage free) with great white sharks off the Mexican coast!
Scuba diving might have to be an experience diving with a gigantic pregnant whale shark off Darwin’s Island in the Galapagos – we have all seen remoras swimming off the nose of such huge fish, but on this occasion, the fish off the nose of this beautiful creature were a combination of Galapagos sharks (two or three) and hammerhead sharks (likewise, two or three) and these obviously large fish in their own right appeared as small as remoras next to this amazing creature – I swam with her to an (unsafe) depth of 46m before I ‘caught’ myself, dragged myself away from the moment’ and made a slow and safe ascent to a safer depth prior to my mandatory (now) six-minute safety stop!
Q: On the flipside, what is your worst diving memory?
A: Pre-pressure gauges, when we relied only on J-valves, a client running out of air at 30m-plus and when I gave him my mouthpiece (no safe seconds/octopus back then), he refused to give it back – I free ascended with him, bringing us both to the surface safely and without further incident.
What’s Next for Peter Hughes?
Q: What does the future hold for Peter Hughes?
A: Seeing my final consulting contract – which is with Anthony’s Key Resort on Roatan, I love that place – through and then… who knows?!
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Peter Hughes in the diving world?
Peter Hughes is a pioneering figure in scuba diving, known for shaping modern liveaboards and developing dive operations across the Caribbean and beyond.
How did Peter Hughes first start diving?
He began diving at age ten after discovering “aqualunging” in Tobago and being inspired by Jacques Cousteau’s Silent World.
What impact did Peter Hughes have on liveaboard development?
He founded the Dancer Fleet, setting new standards for luxury, safety, and dive-focused vessel design.
Which destinations does Peter Hughes rank as his favourites?
Tobago, Roatan, Curaçao, Papua New Guinea, and the Galápagos Islands top his list for personal and historical reasons.
Is Peter Hughes still active in the diving industry?
Yes, though semi-retired, he continues consulting on dive vessels and operations, including work with Anthony’s Key Resort.
This article was originally published in Scuba Diver Magazine
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