SCUBA NETWORK STAFF
The Dive Shop Crew
Martha Katz
Owner, Course Director, Instructor
A Northeast diver for over 30 years, and owner of Scuba Network since the 1990's, Martha is the Den Mother to hundreds of Long Island Divers.
Martha has devoted much time to training persons with disabilities through the Handicapped Scuba Association,. She has also worked with veterans projects like Wounded Warriors.
Martha is a NAUI Course Director and SDI Instructor Trainer. and has dove all over the world from Fiji to Curacao, Canada to Costa Rico and everywhere in between!
Steve Scigliano
Course Director, Instructor Trainer
Swim and Scuba's former owner and resident PADI Course Director, Steve "Scuba Steve" Scigliano has been diving for over 40 years. He is also a SDI-TDI instructor and DAN Dive Emergency Specialist.
He brings a wealth of Northeast Dive experience and know-how to the scuba divers and Instructors he trains.
Robert Hecht
IDC Staff Instructor
PADI IDC Staff Instructor/SDI Instructor
Bob is a homegrown Long island diver and enjoys all kinds of diving both in cold and warm water.
He enjoys taking students out to explore the waters of Long Island and pointing out the varied sea life that exists here.
He is an avid underwater photographer as well, so feel free to ask him about that!
Steven Katz
Instructor
Steve has been teaching Long Island divers for almost 30 years as an avocation. Countless new and experienced scuba divers owe their dive chops to Steve's training.
Comfortable in both the cold Atlantic Wrecks and warm Caribbean reefs, Steve is always learning and willing to share his knowledge.
Dan Halloran
IDC Staff Instructor, Instructor Trainer
Dan is an IDC Staff Instructor and Technical Instructor with PADI, NAUI and SDI-TDI, he is also a DAN, EFR, and Red Cross Instructor Trainer. Dan is wreck penetration, full cave and trimix certified and has been diving since 1996.
He loves local diving and has been as deep as 330 fsw diving the wrecks of the deep Atlantic like the Andrea Doria and 280 ffw in the beautiful caves of Florida.
Nicole Simmons
Instructor, Shop Manager
Nicole is an Open Water Instructor for PADI NAUI, SSI and SDI. She has worked with Scuba Network since 1993, and has travelled the globe, staffing scuba shops n the Pacific and the Caribbean
With more than 10 thousand dives logged, she is always ready to Go Dive!
William Rifkin
Instructor
Bill started diving in 2007 at 57, and became an instructor in 2019. With over 420 dives, all with Martha Katz, Bill has dove all over the World: the Caribbean, Mexico, Costa Rica, Maldives, Galapagos Islands, Fiji, Chook (f/k/a Truk), and Indonesia.
Bill loves that there are no cell phones, IPads, or Blackberrys on a dive When experiencing the joy of diving and seeing new marine life, whatever you may have seen on television, or in the movies does not compare to seeing it in real life. Also, when you come back from a dive trip your friends and coworkers will be both jealous and envious because you went diving in a location that they could only dream of going and/or never heard of.
Jeanine Jennette
Instructor
OWSI - coming soon!
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Garder Robinson
Instructor
Born and raised in Toledo Ohio, Gardner served in the U.S. Marine Corps and shortly after moved to New York, and became a Correction's Officer retiring after twenty years.
On a trip to the Bahamas, he was introduced to scuba diving. "Don’t let the regulator fall out your mouth and squeeze your nose if your ears start hurting" - that was my first dive, in 2009 my instructor, Matt Meyer of Scuba Network took us to Beach 9th street Far Rockaway, NY. My Instructor journey began in 2016 and I’m very happy with it. Please remember….
(If You Get Tired, Learn to Rest Not to Quit.)
Chet Pietrzak
Instructor
Chet is a PADI MSDT and DAN DEMP Instructor. He has served in the US Marine Corps, and as a Medic. He is currently also an NYS EMT and Lifeguard Instructor Trainer.
Jonathan Watkins
Instructor
Jonathan has been diving on Long Island since 1985. He enjoys diving locally and around the world. He is currently a PADI Master Scuba Diver Trainer, an SDI, and HSA Handicapped Scuba Instructor
Oscar Ortiz
Assistant Instructor
AI- Coming soon!
Michael Castronovo
Assistant Instructor
AI- coming soon!
Pavel
Divemaster
DM- coming soon!
Michael Somer
Sales Staff
At the Sales Desk of Scuba Network Long Island's shop- here to help!