Robert Camp was a truly remarkable man, a genuinely compassionate man of great integrity. Born in Versailles just outside Paris on February 8th 1959, the son of an American schoolteacher and a French lady, he is survived by three siblings, one brother and two sisters. He spent his formative years in France before moving to America where he was educated and later joined the American military where he became a member of the elite Ranger forces.

Robert moved to Germany after his Army service where he met Carola, his first wife and mother of his two offspring, Natascha and Pierre. He worked as a hod carrier on building sites in Germany and Tenerife and worked as a civilian for DynCorp on helicopter maintenance for the US Army in South Korea in 1984-86. He worked on helicopters in Saudi Arabia during the Gulf War in 1990-1991 and later in Afghanistan.

He also recently spent two years in Bangkok Don Muang Airport successfully training a crew of about twenty Thai mechanics to restore and upgrade from basic airframes eight Bell “Huey” helicopters for the RoyalThai Police.

A project which was successfully completed in 2016. He was a natural language speaker and was fluent in French, German, Spanish and of course English. He was also learning to speak Thai and understood some Korean. Whenever he was asked where he came from he replied “I am an Earthman”. Perhaps Roberts greatest love was SCUBA diving and he became a PADI Master Scuba Diver Trainer.

He opened a dive shop in Soi Yamoto in 2004. In the same year he married his second wife Saifon Hong Se Thong, the start of a new era, and they have been together until now hosting Robert Camp Scuba Adventure, better known as Adventure Divers. The business soon moved to a larger premises in Thappraya Road where it still operates today under the same name. He built with the help of his first boat captain, Sombat, his very own dive boat and named it “Saifon” after his wife. Saifon boat has been meticulously maintained ever since and remains, arguably, still the best dive boat in Pattaya.

Adventure Divers has many customers and “family” from around the world who come back year after year to dive due mainly to Robert and Saifons hospitality, warm professionalism and enthusiasm. Many will recall the magic of diving from the Saifon boat with Robert and Freshy and enjoying the excellent food served up by Saifon herself. Messages of condolence have flooded in from friends and family from all over the world wishing Robert a peaceful rest and a speedy journey to the next life.

Thank you Robert Camp for the privilege of knowing you and the joys of your company, you shall be remembered always.

by Jim Munday