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Owners

Capt. Al Pyatak - 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.
  Capt. Mike DeCharles - First became certified in 1971, a NAUI instructor in 1975 and has been actively teaching ever since. Michael is presently a Course Director and was named as a NAUI Ambassador in 1982 for his work as a team leader in Australia. Michael is also a TDI and IANTD technical instructor for Nitrox, Advanced Nitrox, Decompression Procedures and two semi-closed Rebreather units, and a DAN instructor.
In the maritime field, Michael sailed on various U.S. flagged vessels as a licensed officer and holds a USCG Unlimited Master's License. He has taught at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy and served as Officer in charge of Nautical Science Waterfront. Michael is a lawyer specializing in Admiralty Law and has served as legal counsel for the International Submarine Races and local council for NAUI when the need arises.

 

 


Meet the rest of the Crew


302 DIVES!
 Cindy Rolland - 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.
JP Dunne - Shop kid extraordinaire, Jp joined us almost a year ago. He has been diving since he was 12 and has Advanced, Rescue and Nitrox certifications. He is now working on his Master Diver certification.
"I would go diving rather than school, anyday".

 


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.

 

Bob Sutherland (NAUI) - Bob has been diving since 1975. He has a diverse range of teaching experiences including Phys Ed and Scuba classes at Columbia High School. Bob is certified in teaching Red Cross First Aid, CPR, AED, and water safety. He is an experienced diver and has traveled to many Caribbean locations including Grand Cayman, Cozumal, Bonaire, and Aruba. Bob also enjoys diving the Northeast coasts of New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island and North Carolina. Bob has coached high school lacross for many years winning B Prep titles and was named coach of the year honors twice. During the summer you can find him at his summer home in the Finger Lakes region of New York State, where he enjoys diving the lakes.

 
Sal Andreano (PADI) - Sal has been diving for 30 years. He obtained his open water and advanced certifications in 1977 and Divemaster in 1978. In late 1979 Sal began a career in law enforcement and is now 'Captain of Operations' for the South Orange Police Department.
In 1992 he became an open water instructor and then in 2000 advanced to Master Scuba Diver Trainer. Sal holds specialties in Night-Deep-Wreck-Boat-Dry Suit and Nitrox Diving.
In addition to diving extensively in the New York, New Jersey, and the North Carolina area, Sal has dived throughout Florida, the Caribbean, British Columbia and Alaska.

 

Michael Franklin (NAUI) - Mike has been an active NAUI instructor since 1981. In addition, Michael is a TDI Nitrox instructor and an instructor for the HSA (Handicapped Scuba Association). When not teaching scuba for Lakeland Mike travels extensively in pursuit of the perfect dive. He has dived throughout the Caribbean as well as to the Middle East and the South Pacific. When not traveling the world, Michael dives locally in the Atlantic, enjoying the wrecks and the lobsters.

 

Greg De Metro (NAUI) - Greg was first certified in 1972 and has never regretted it. With the diving bug firmly implanted he continued to dive and in 1988 decided to gain more experience and get his Advanced Diver Certification. In 1990 he became a DiveMaster and in 1992 an Instructor. He holds a Nitrox certification and only breathes air on his surface intervals. Greg has taught many basic, advanced and specialty classes over the years. He has dove in the US, Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean, but always comes back to the Atlantic Wrecks. Greg enjoys researching the wrecks and the history that they present. He is an avid artifact hunter and spends many painstaking hours restoring his finds. You will see him rolling off the Sea Lion prepared to search for that next elusive artifact.

Congratulations to our newest Instructor!

Mark Jarrard (NAUI) - Mark started diving in 1998 with a boy scout group going to the Boy Scout Camp in the Florida Keys, Sea Base. He soon discovered that this was a diving itch, and in 2000 received his PADI Dive Master. The next three summers he worked at Sea Base working with and teaching Scouts about the underwater environment and conservation. Since then, he did a bit of diving in the South Eastern Inland waters of the US. In the summer of 2006, he moved to NJ were Mike DeCharles convinced him to move on to becoming a NAUI Instructor at Lakeland. Along the way, he found his passion again for Spearfishing with Joe Homsi and a local dive club. In December of 2007, he completed his NAUI ITC and started teaching in January 2008. "My favorite things to do while SCUBA Diving, sleeping underwater and Spearfishing".