Lakeland Divers - Staff

Sea Lion Schedule

Lakeland Groupers

Owner

Capt. Al Pyatak (NAUI) - Al's first dive was with his Dad back in 1960, he didn't get certified until 1984 at Lakeland Scuba Divers. In 1985 Al became a NAUI instructor. He quickly became a very avid diver. He first used Nitrox in 1989 and hasn't use compressed air, by its self, since. Al earned his Master near coastal Captain's License in 1993 and is the holder of a USCG 100 Ton Near Coastal Masters License with aux. Sail and Commercial Towing endorsements. He is the Captain and owner of the dive boat SEA LION.
Al holds specialties in WRECK, CAVERN, NITROX diving. He is NASE Master Instr (inactive), IANTD and TDI Technical Nitrox Instructor, Tri-Mix Instructor, NACD Full Cave Certified, NSS/CDS Full Cave Certified, Mixed Gas Diver since 1989 and holder of IANTD Tri-Mix Diver certification #1.

Meet the rest of the Crew

Cindy Fish (PADI) - Dive Master. Avid Northeast Wreck Diver, you will find her on the dive boat "Sea Lion" during the dive season.

See Cindy's bio below.

Sal Andreano (PADI) - Sal has been diving since 1977 obtaining both his Open Water and Advanced certifications in that year. Sal has signed on as our all around information specialist and part time shop keep.

See Sal's bio below

Instructors


Mike "Arch" Archambault (NAUI) - Mike became a certified diver in 1994 and a NAUI instructor in 1998. He has been with lakeland Divers since early 1998. Arch is an HSA (Handicap Scuba Assoc) instructor for divers and dive buddies. He is a certified Rebreather and Nitrox diver. Arch teaches advanced scuba classes at Lakeland and is an Instructor Candidate Evaluator. When not diving or teaching SCUBA, Arch owns and operates Arch Carpentry. He has been teaching carpentry at Morris County School of Technology adult school since 1985. He has taken up the sport of sky diving, enjoys motorcycling, both on and off road, and is a marine aquarium enthusiast, collecting specimens for his tank while diving.
Alex Panas (NAUI) - Alex was first certified in 1983, at age 13, through the YMCA. He dove sporadically until he graduated college and started working. He re-certified in 2005 through PADI, and then went on to NAUI certifications in Advanced Open Water, Master, Rescue, and Dive Master. He also has a Nitrox certification through TDI. Alex dives regularly in the NJ/NY area, North Carolina , West Palm Beach , and Key West Florida .
Marta Chevere (NAUI) - Marta's been diving since 1996. Over the years Marta continued her dive education and currently holds certifications in Advance Scuba, Rescue Diver, TDI Nitrox Diver, and newly certified instructor. Marta enjoys working with Lakeland Divers students, and provides instruction with scuba classes, in the pool, and at Dutch Springs . She's also the Editor and Publisher of Lakeland Divers Quarterly Newsletter. Marta enjoys travelling and has dived various places in the Caribbean and abroad; her most memorable dive trip was Australia 's Great Barrier Reef . She enjoys underwater photography , wreck diving , and is becoming more proficient in Northeast diving and wants to learn more about spear fishing and catching bugs without getting pinched.
Sal Andreano (PADI) - Sal has been diving since 1977 obtaining both his Open Water and Advanced certifications in that year. In 1978 he progressed to Dive Master and began working as sales rep, dive master and assistant instructor for Divers Paradise that would eventually become Lakeland Divers. During this time Sal also crewed for Captain George Hoffman aboard the Sea Lion. In 1992 Sal received his Open Water Instructors rating advancing to Master Scuba Diver Trainer in 2000. His specialties are Night ; Deep; Wreck; Boat; Dry-Suit and Nitrox diving. In addition to his diving career Sal also managed to serve thirty years with the South Orange Police Department retiring in 2009 at the rank of Captain. Sal routinely dives the east coast from Jersey to North Carolina and has dived extensively throughout Florida and the Caribbean as well as British Columbia, Alaska and Scotland.

*Joe Homsi* (NAUI) - Joe grew up on the shores of the Mediterranean sea, swimming and skindiving for fish and sea urchins since the age of 10. His love for the sea never waned and he was eventually certified as a scuba diver in 1998 and then as Instructor in 2005. Joe is the first instructor certified by the NAUI Instructor Training Course at Lakeland. Diving anywhere there is water, Joe especially enjoys Northeast diving among all the wrecks and interesting features that the NJ coast has to offer, with a preference for spearfishing and lobstering. Joe is a member of the North Atlantic Tridents underwater hunting club, and teaches an underwater hunting specialty class at Lakeland. *Dave Mannix* “Maverick” (NAUI) - Dave became certified in 1975 and was hooked ever since. He is an HSA (Handicap Scuba Assoc) certified dive buddy. Certified in Rebreather and Avanced Nitrox Diver, Decompression theory, and Dry suit. Certified a NAUI instructor in 2009, Dave is teaching basic open water scuba classes at Lakeland. Sharing the experience of our fantastic undersea world and helping others sharpen their skills has great satisfactions. Dive Often, Dive Safe, When not getting his gills wet, Dave works as an HVAC-R Tech for a large heating and air conditioning company
Newly Certified Instructors Greg Harvey (NAUI) - Bio to post soon Ken Reichner (NAUI) - Bio to post soon

Dive Masters

Cindy Fish (PADI) - Dive Master and Shop manager. Avid Northeast Wreck Diver, you will find her on the dive boat "Sea Lion" during the dive season. Cindy has dived the Pacific Northwest, Belize, the Florida Keys and North Carolina's 'Graveyard of the Atlantic". One of her favorite trips was a recent adventure to Alaska. During the week you can find Cindy at the shop and she can help you with whatever you need. In the off, off season you will find her on the slopes. Cindy is a level 1 PSIA ski instructor and really loves being underwater or outdoors.

Moises (Mo) Girona (NAUI) - Mo was born on the shores of the Caribbean on the island of Puerto Rico. He learned to swim and was certified by the YMCA at the age of 11. Mo has been diving since 2004 and has many specialties as can be witnessed by the number of PADI, SSI, and NAUI certification cards he has in his log book. He has been in love with the Sea since his days in scouting where he earned many Merit Badges including: Swimming, Oceanography, Canoeing, and Rowing. He even earned the Mile Swim award! Mo was certified a Divemaster in 2010. Diving all around the world,most notably, Guantanamo Bay Cuba. Mo loves Northeast diving among all the wrecks and is an avid underwater Videographer and Photographer. He is a member of the North Atlantic Tridents underwater hunting club and has been known to capture the groups activities on video and pictures.