Una
Stites, Owner.....PADI Master Scuba Diver Trainer, SDI/TDI Instructor and
Handicapped Scuba
Instructor
Una started diving in 1996 when she became an Open Water diver.
She fell in love with the sport and decided from her first
Open Water dive that
she had to find a way to make a living at it. Within 4 years of that first
dive, she was an instructor and store owner.
With the help from some very experience
people, Salty Dog Dive Center was opened in September 2000.
She started out as an
avid snorkeler but soon discovered that there was too much she wanted to see
under the water and
couldn't hold her breath very long, so the next step was to
learn to dive. She loves to teach and as owner of Salty Dog Dive Center
her
enthusiasm and excitement for teaching children and adults is the same. She is
an instructor in many specialties including a
certified Handicapped Instructor.
As an avid photographer she has been lucky enough to travel to some wonderful, exotic
places
around the
world, like most of the Caribbean, Australia, Hawaii, Honduras, Belize, Micronesia, Palau, Fiji, the
Philippians, Mexico, Costa Rica,
Cocos Island, Canada and of course don't forget the
East Coast.
She runs the PADI Seal Team Camp during the summer and has lots of
kids who repeat the course every year till they can become certified.
She is very passionate about diving and teaching, and feels very lucky to have
such an experienced staff at Salty Dog Dive Center.
She has just recently became a NRA Basic Pistol Instructor, and is now
developing courses at Salty Dog for the Boy Scouts of America.
Al Ponchak ..... PADI Staff Instructor and SDI/TDI Instructor
Al came to us as and Open Water diver who couldn't swim! He
wanted so much to be a diver that he went to the YMCA and took swimming
lessons.
He is now our main instructor and certified to teach many specialties. He became
a diver in 2002.
Maurice "Al" LaPlace .... PADI Master Scuba Diver Trainer
Al has been diving for a very long time, we call him
lovingly our "Ancient Mariner"! In fact he keeps trying to
retire, but we just won't let him! He started diving in the late 1950's! .......
Talk
about Sea Hunt days.....
But because of sinus problems he had to take it easy on diving at the time, then
he finally got certified in 1984,
and is certified to teach a number of specialties.
An avid photographer he also has had the opportunity to travel the world. He's
been to most of the Caribbean, Australia,
Truk, Palau, South Pacific, Canada and the Galapagos Islands.
Jennifer
Schneider.... PADI Master Scuba Diver Trainer and PADI Tech Instructor
Jennifer recieved her Open Water certification in 1995 and became
a PADI Instructor by 1999.
She loves all kinds of diving and will dive in any ocean, river or cave.
She has never ice dove so that is on the "to do list". She holds the
following certifications: Full cave certified through
NACD, TDI Trimix, Extended Range and Deco Procedures. She has dove all over the
world but her favorite diving is
North Atlantic shipwreck diving. She is certified to teach a wide range of PADI
specialties.
Walt "Cavu"
Novak .... PADI Master
Instructor and SDI/TDI Instructor
Trainer
Cavu started diving in the Navy as part of the Amphibious Warfare
Group with UDT/Seal Teams and experimental Diving Unit.
When entering civilian life, he became certified as a NAUI Open Water
Instructor, a PADI Master Instructor, a SDI Instructor Trainer and a
TDI Technical Instructor Trainer.
Cavu worked on liveaboard dive boats in the Bahamas and with dive operations in
the Florida Keys, conducting more than 800 dives per year.
He was owner/operator of Scuba Adventures Dive Center in Wilmington, Delaware
for ten years.
He built the first Nitrox blending station in Delaware and became the first
Technical Instructor in the state.
Cavu has traveled throughout the world leading divers on amazing
expeditions.
He is currently semi-retired and enjoying teaching private lessons at the Salty
Dog.
He also volunteers with the Handicapped Wounded Warriors of Iraq and Afghanistan.
His broad range of experience is a great resource for other divers and
instructors.
Frederick "Rico" Combs and "Cody" .... PADI Master Scuba Diver Trainer
After coming to work for us in 2001, Rico quickly discovered that
his Navy seal training didn't mean anything in the real world!
He was only considered an Advanced Open Water diver! Rico also served
in Desert Storm.
So, he decided
to do his civilian training all over again. He has been diving since 1989.
He worked with us till he became a Divemaster in 2003, then started to travel the world
and was gone for 7 years!
Some of the places he has traveled to are, Thailand, Europe, Ukraine and Egypt.
While in Egypt, he completed his Instructor's level of training.
Now he's back in the states and working for Salty Dog again, only this time as
an instructor.
He will be teaching classes for both English and Spanish speaking
students.
Dale Learish .... PADI Divemaster and Certified Senior Service Repair Technician
After doing a couple of Resort Courses in Grand Cayman and St
Croix, Dale decided to get certified in the spring of 2000.
Three months after that he came to work at Salty Dog as our Service Technician.
He has been factory trained for many brands
of scuba equipment. He is our senior tech and is now training a couple of future
technicians.
He has four children and Salty Dog has certified three of them, we are waiting
to certify the 4th!
Scott
Hemphill .... PADI Divemaster and TDI Tech Divemaster
Hollie Wyatt .... PADI Divemaster
Scott McCormick .... PADI and SDI/TDI Tech Divemaster, Certified Service Technician
Lolita Combs and her dog
"Blue" .... Retail and operations, Open Water Diver
Lolita is from the small European country of Latvia were she
worked as a model. She met Rico while he was traveling and came to
America for the first time with him. They married shortly after that and Lolita
now works at Salty Dog learning to become a diver
and learning Scuba the business.
The Security Team...Always on the Job !
Penny
Missy
Jake
4-15-94 ~ 7-16-08
Cody
Bunny
