When you step through the doors of the “Avalon Diving History Exhibit” Museum on Catalina Island, as 217,000 others have done since it opened, don’t expect an entry fee, and don’t look for a donation basket to help support the museum. Located in the historic Casino building by the Avalon Underwater Park, the museum, with unique collections of vintage diving equipment (including many ultra-rare items on display), is owned and operated by Jon Council.

Jon Council’s diving experience spans fifty years, the past thirty-eight of it as a scientific research diver, and the past thirty-three as a submersible pilot/pilot instructor and undersea habitat Aquanaut.

His very first underwater excursion was in 1974 in the frigid waters of Dutch Harbor Alaska, wearing a Navy Mark-V helmet. That single life-altering event sent him on a 50-year journey of undersea discovery.

Born and raised in Seattle, Washington, Jon logged hundreds of hours in the cold water throughout Puget Sound and the coastal zones of the Pacific Northwest. Just over a decade later he returned to Alaskan waters, serving as a scientific research diver collecting undersea biological data for the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency, National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration, National Marine Fisheries Dept. and the States of Alaska and Washington’s Dept. of Fish and Game.

In 1991 Jon was selected to attend a comprehensive training program in Vancouver with diving/submersible-ops legend Phil Nuytten, to pilot small research submersibles which he would use in future scientific data collection expeditions. By 1994 he found himself training submersible pilots in places like British Columbia, New Orleans, Key Largo, and Catalina Island.

Those training programs began a long association with NASA, where Jon helped train Astronauts in a variety of underwater programs such as the “Scott Carpenter Man in the Sea” (MITS), and “NASA Extreme Environment Mission Operations” (NEEMO) mission programs. Small submersibles set up with airless tires simulated Mars or lunar rover operations, and single-atmospheric deep diving suits simulated weightless environments and high-tech life support systems. (His involvement with NASA and astronaut training has extended through the present, with the next NEEMO program slated for August 2024.)

In the early 2000s Jon worked directly with the Institute of Nautical Archaeology (INA), founded by the legendary Dr. George F. Bass (regarded as the father of Nautical Archaeology). George and Jon spent countless hours scouring the coastal stretches of the Aegean Sea in Turkey in search of ancient sunken ships and artifacts lost at sea. Over several seasons with Jon at the helm of INA’s submersible “Carolyn” they discovered a half-dozen ancient shipwrecks, some dating back as far as 1,500 B.C.

His career has taken him around the globe from the arctic to the tropics, with projects ranging from collecting subsea biological data beneath arctic ice, to being involved with exploration expeditions for some of the leading research ships and documentary film makers in the world.

In 2013 Jon accepted (and maintains) the role of lead field officer for Marine Mammal Rescue for Catalina Island, where he has been directly involved with over 2,000 rescues of whales, dolphins, seals, sea lions, turtles, shore birds, island fox, deer, snakes and even several giant sea bass. (The museum also serves as the reporting station for the island, and if people want to support the museum they can honor it by donating to the Marine Mammal Care Center at www.marinemammalcare.org.)

His works involving historical preservation were recognized and honored by the Historical Diving Society in 2018, when he was presented with the prestigious “Nick Icorn Diving Heritage Award.”

In 2020 Jon was asked to take over the reigns as President of the venerable California-based “Historical Diving Society-USA” where he remains in service to the organization, which for thirty-two years has set the global benchmark standard for the documentation and preservation of all things diving history.

Jon considers the HDS USA Presidency an honor, while he openly acknowledges his duty to try to give back to an industry which has provided him so many incredible experiences. He particularly recognizes the obligation to youth, which represent the next generation of ocean explorers and future historians, believing that handing over the torch to young people is the pathway forward.

Which takes us back to the museum, and why you can’t pay to go into it. Realizing that visits to Catalina, especially for young families, can pose a financial challenge, Jon is providing a value-added cultural experience for visitors. But there is another reason. To Jon the museum is much more than the things that are in it. He feels blessed that his career had provided a certain privilege of access to some of the best oceanographers, astronauts, documentary film makers and first-generation open circuit divers. It was those people and their powerful influences that drove Jon’s obsession to collect dive gear, which he now uses in the museum as the visual means to tell their stories, and the story of diving. The museum represents Jon’s longing to pass their influence and passion forward.

Jon’s resume and history, and his desire to preserve and share history, makes him more than worthy to be in the company of past recipients, which gives us the honor to present Jon the 2024 California Scuba Service Award.