In Memory of Hal Watts
Today, I want to pay a tribute to a great friend, a confidant and a person with the highest integrity. Hal Watts’ passing is a painful loss for all of us but his accomplishments and legacies will live on.
Hal had an exceptional life filled with significant achievements and joyful moments. Hal has had many interests from body builder, insurance adjuster, and dirt bike rider. But he would be best known for being a dive pioneer. Hal was one of the eight original founders of National Association of Cave Diving (NACD). He was a prominent record holder for deep air diving. Not surprisingly, Hal was the trainer of many of the current world air record holders. His drive to push for more knowledge and training led to the creation of Florida Diver Supply / Florida State Skin Diving Schools. With the dawning of Technical diving, these groups eventually became the Professional Scuba Association International (PSAI).
But above all, Hal’s most defining characteristics were his love for people and his humor. Hal had a gift that allowed him to easily connect to everyone in all walks of life. I lost count of how many times I observed Hal engaging with people at trade shows, at dive shops, or at other social events, with all the tales of his dive adventures, his travel, his hobbies or his love for Harley Davidsons. Hal never failed to make his audience laugh, be amazed, be at ease, and have the feeling that they are the most important person in the conversation. He had the charm that made every person feel understood, heard, and appreciated, while he treated them with affection, warmth and high regards. I will always cherish the moments I have had with Hal during DEMA or during travel to far away destinations together.
Ultimately, Hal was family. Hal’s life was evidence of friendship, love and the greatest affection. He will always be a part of us.
Rest easy now Hal. We will never forget you and your smile will always live in our heart.
To quote, one more time, one of Hal Watts’ favorite mottos: “Plan your dive and dive your plan.”
-Gary Taylor
Other Tributes
From Gallup Lee:
“Thank you so much for leading my way and his smile and jokes will stay deep in our hearts and will never be forgotten.”
From Barnabas Kovacs:
“In loving memory of Hal, you will be missed but you will live on in our hearts forever over and underwater.”
From Ron Aiello:
“I am so very sad to announce that this world has lost a very special icon, especially as far as I’m concerned.
My dear friend, Hal Watts, has passed away. Hal taught me how to scuba dive back in 1969. That was 55 years ago. I became an immediate member of the 5 fathom scuba pros and was working on my 40 fathom scubapros when I had to pause to go to college. I continued to visit Hal and his team at Florida Divers Supply until it closed down. We never lost touch. I continued to visit Hal at his PSAI booth at the DEMA shows each year.
Eventually, I became one of his PSAI OW and cave diving instructors. Hal was like a brother to me. He was not only a world deep air record holder, he was my scuba mentor. I could never say enough about him. I will never forget when he introduced me to cave diving and got me fully equipped to explore the underwater cave world before there was even cave certification. I loved this man. I will never, ever forget him.
Since he became a Christian, I know we will see each other again. So this is NOT goodbye. It is, I will see you later in our heavenly kingdom. In the meantime, I will miss you but look forward to worshiping our Lord together in Heaven. In the meantime, may God stretch out his arms and comfort your wife Jan and your family. You will be missed by all. Our diving world will never be the same without you. We can only hope a pray that we can continue to honor your legacy.”
From Robert and Adrian PSAI Poland:
“Dear Hal
The most beautiful thing about your life is that today, after your death, no one will be able to deny that you were a truly extraordinary man, and your life is an inspiration for future generations.
You showed how to be a real man, in a world that no longer treats masculinity as a virtue. You gave thousands of people around the world a purpose in life, and you showed them how to live.
You broke records and pushed boundaries. However, fame and success never overshadowed your true values. To the very end, you remained a nice, friendly, helpful guy. And for that, you deserve the greatest respect.
We thank you from the bottom of our hearts and promise to continue your legacy.
Rest in peace Hal”
From Leonardo Canale:
“I met Hal at the Dema in Las Vegas. I immediately had a great relationship with him. We talked about many things and projects in Italy. a great person, a great diver, an innovator. I will miss him.”
Hal Watts