Our Staff
Anyone can teach you to dive. When you are selecting a training facility the dedication to a superior education in a fun & relaxed atmosphere and the love of the sport are the intangibles you should be looking for in those who are offering their services to you. Here is a brief dive-ography of our staff:
Seth Orenstein
PADI Master Instructor
Seth has been diving for over 24 years.
He currently holds the rating of Padi Master Instructor and looks forward to one day reaching the level of Padi Course Director.
He is a second generation Dive Store owner.
Some of his favorite dive locations include the Florida Keys, Grand Cayman and Palau.
You can easily contact Seth at the store to discuss how to get certified or just chat about diving.
Heather Harter
Rescue Diver
Heather is a zoologist that is currently working on her Masters in Animal
Behavior and Conservation. It was her love of animals that drew her to scuba
diving and the diving itself that kept her advancing. She hopes soon she will be
able to start her Divemaster and Instructor course so that she can teach others
the sport she loves.
When Heather is not working at Adventure Scuba or studying, you can find her
scrubbing tanks at the New York Aquarium at Coney Island.
Ray Okayama
IDC Staff Instructor
Ray found himself addicted to diving as soon as he strided into his first open water dive.
Since then he has tried to go on a diving trip every three months or so mainly to Caribbean destinations
He enjoys taking lots of underwater photos and having fun with photoshop once he is back home.
Ray loves to teach new divers, we always hear him saying "can't wait sharing how scuba is fun!"
Christophe Thomas
Instructor
Christophe started his diving career in 1984 as a member of “Federation francaise d’études et de sports sous-marin” in the south of France.
During the 90’s he also accumulated many military dives as he was serving as a First Lieutenant. He came to PADI early in the 2000’s and recently became an instructor with the clear goal of being able to teach his children.
He really enjoys the diversity of diving with so many different dive sites and experiences around the world. Spending time teaching new divers is an incredibly efficient way for him to relax.
Antonio Simonini
IDC Staff Instructor / Tec Deep Instructor
Antonio is an avid wreck diver and technical diving instructor.
Diving wrecks anywhere in the world both at recreational depths and at the technical level is his true passion. As an instructor he loves to share this with others on boat dives locally in the NY/NJ area, Florida and anywhere in the world.
When he is not diving he can be generally found sailboat racing or travelling carrying way too many cameras.
Antonio will gladly discuss with you any gear configuration, from recreational to advanced technical setups.
Juan Garcia
Instructor
Since early age Juan was introduced to diving through the sport of spearfishing in the tropical waters of his natal Cuba.
Since then, he has been an avid diver who these days enjoys exploring the local shipwrecks of the New York/New Jersey area, particularly those with historical significance, as well as the practice of underwater photography.
Juan is a PADI instructor who is also qualified as a HSA (Handicapped Scuba Association) instructor. He loves sharing his passion for the subaquatic world with all his students.
When not diving Juan can be found working as a professional of another extreme environment, that of the financial markets in New York.
John Cassidy
Instructor
Almost with his first breath underwater John fell in love with diving, and later with teaching diving. As a diver, his passion is East Coast diving, whether it is the often challenging dives off NY, the warm water wrecks off North Carolina or the reefs of Key Largo.
After doing lots of diving and lots of learning, John became a PADI Instructor in 2007. He particularly enjoys helping nervous divers get comfortable in a new environment.
Tom Moran
Master Scuba Diver Trainer
25 years ago I was given a scuba class as a birthday present. Who knew? I worked my way up the ascent line, from Divemaster, to Instructor, to Master Scuba Diver Trainer, now with 22 years of teaching experience and over a 1,000 dives logged. I have dove the local wrecks off NY, many islands of the Caribbean, Asia, the Pacific, and my favorite the Red sea. I look forward to being your future scuba instructor.
David Gallo
Instructor
A long time resident of Yorkville, David enjoys both learning and teaching scuba. He is an avid local diver and counts exploring shipwrecks as one of his great passions.
In a dive career spanning only a few years he has had the pleasure of diving on wrecks as far south as Honduras to the northern regions of Alaska. “Discover Local Diving” is David's favorite PADI program and he is always excited to share with others the beauty, wonder and history of the shipwrecks here in our own back yard. David is also a bit of a “gear head” and always happy to advise students on safe, quality gear purchases, equipment configurations, and maintenance issues.
When not diving he can be found working on Broadway as a Scenic Designer.