Nicole Simmons
January 2022

The Scuba Network family is very sad to relay that we have lost one of our staff this week, Nicole Simmons.  As one of our longest serving employees, Nicole has been with Scuba Network at various times from 1993-2021, most recently as our store manager.  Nicole was an Open Water Instructor for PADI NAUI, and SSI and has taught hundreds of students around the world.  She spent her free time as a volunteer diver at the New York Aquarium and was an advocate for coral reef conservation and caring for her pet rabbit Boniface.

 

After working with Scuba Network in the 1990’s she then travelled the globe, staffing scuba shops in the Pacific and the Caribbean, gaining valuable experiences and bringing her love of diving to people young and old.  A native Australian, she has dove everywhere she could from the Pacific rim to Long Island Sound.  When she returned to New York, she resumed work at Scuba Network Long Island.  Rejoining staff here in 2019, she became the shop manager and Scuba Network has been blessed to have her with us since then.

 

With more than 10 thousand dives logged, Nicole was always ready to Go Dive, and she will be sorely missed by her friends, colleagues, and students.  Nicole’s family lives in Australia and California, so no local funeral arrangements have been made.  In lieu of flowers we suggest donations be made to dive conservation efforts, which she promoted like Project Aware and the Coral Reef Conservancy. 

 

The Scuba Network family will be renaming the annual dive in Glen Cove to honor Nicole, as the Nicole Simmons Beach and Shore Cleanup Annual Dive.  We are also planning a memorial service at the February Dive Club Meeting, to remember Nicole.