The Dive Shop Crew

Dan manages the Scuba Network Long Island shop and supervises diving - he is an IDC Staff Instructor, Technical, Scientific and Public Safety Dive Instructor with PADI, NAUI, and SDI-TDI-ERDI he is also a Red Cross, DAN, and EFR, Instructor Trainer.  Dan works with several local Fire & Rescue teams as their Public Safety Diver Training officer.

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Dan is wreck penetration, full cave and trimix certified and has been diving since 1996.  He has done work as a Scientific Diver, in Maritime Archaeology and with GIRT and teaches scientific and archaeology specialty diving.  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.

Steven Katz (Papa Smurf) has been diving since 1991 and an instructor since 1998. As a small child he always wanted to learn how to dive and he finally got his chance in Florida and New Jersey.  He took full benefit of diving by going around the world in places like Fiji, Maldives, Indonesia and Galapagos.  He teaches Open Water, as well as Advanced Diver up to Instructor. He also teaches Full Face Mask, Side Mount, Dry Suit and other specialty courses. He is certified to teach Handicap Scuba diving where he has taught blind, paraplegic and other injuries needing a specially taught dive buddy.

He has retired from the Air Force after 28 years and is a member of  Wounded Warriors. You can usually find him at the store on Saturdays. Ask him to tell you about the great and unique adventures that are there for scuba divers.
 

The Scuba Network family is very sad to relay that we have lost one of our staff - 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, SSI and SDI 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 Bonafice.

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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.