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Facility |
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Lancaster Scuba Center is a recreational, technical, and commercial diving facility.
- The Education Department provides courses in scuba diving ranging from the initial certification all the way through the most advanced and technical certifications.
- Our store includes a large, well-stocked showroom to meet all your scuba, snorkeling, swimming, and water sport equipment needs.
- A wide selection of rental equipment is available at our facility.
- Lancaster Scuba Center operates an extensive equipment repair and service department.
- A scuba cylinder filling station offering the highest quality air pumping and gas blending services is located on site.
- In the pursuit of exploring the seas of the world, we organize and lead travel excursions to local, domestic, and international diving destinations.
- Our commercial diving division is ready to meet your underwater repair, recovery, and inspection needs.
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History |
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The Lancaster Scuba Center was established in 1993. Founder John Walker built his business upon two very important pillars. The first of these pillars is a constant adherence to the pursuit of safety. By providing thorough diver educational development, professional gear servicing, and the pinnacle of quality merchandise, Lancaster Scuba Center ensures the highest standards of safety in the sport of Scuba Diving. The Lancaster Scuba Center is also involved in an unending mission to protect the environmental and historical riches the underwater world has to offer. Every member of the Lancaster Scuba Center’s Staff fosters a common respect for the diverse biological beauty of the seas and the pieces of shared human history that lie below the waves.
The second pillar upon which Lancaster Scuba Center was constructed is John’s wish for every person to be afforded the opportunity to experience the pure joy and exhilaration that comes from time spent in the underwater world. We at the Lancaster Scuba Center strive to ensure that every person, from the beginning snorkeler to the most advanced Scuba Diver is experiencing all the fun that the underwater realm has to offer. We wish to bring everyone, of all diversities, into contact with the unending discovery, unparalleled beauty, and unimaginable fun that is to be experienced in the rivers, lakes, and seas of planet earth.
“From birth, man carries the weight of gravity on his shoulders. He is bolted to earth. But man has only to sink beneath the surface and he is free.” - Jacques Yves Cousteau, Father of Scuba |
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Staff |
| Our staff and instructors are committed to the safety, education, and enjoyment of every one of our customers. Lancaster Scuba Center’s Diving Professionals – our Instructors, Assistant Instructors, and Divemasters – have logged hundreds to thousands of dives each. Our Dive Professionals and Staff have extensive travel experience to all corners of the earth. Whether diving in the streams and lakes in your own back yard or plunging into the far off waters of Palau, Galapagos, or Australia; our Staff has been there. All our sales consultants are avid scuba divers, who research and use the equipment sold in our store. This allows them to better advise our customers on an individual basis to ensure that equipment is tailored to the needs of the individual. Our service center has Master technicians on staff, and all our equipment technicians are manufacturer certified. Our entire staff carries out their duties with the ever present mindset of ensuring the safety and enjoyment of every one of our customers. |
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Instructor Ken Boltz 
Ken Boltz
I became an Instructor in January, 1990, and a Master Instructor in April, 1998. I enjoy teaching any class in scuba, but Open Water is my favorite. Teaching this class has given me the opportunity to help people overcome some of their fears and discover a new world. I enjoy getting to help mold the divers of the future.
I have several favorite places to dive. The first is Utila, Honduras. There is usually a limited number of divers here. The beauty and diversity of the reefs, along with the ease of diving makes this a great place to relax and enjoy. On the other extreme is the Galapagos. The diving here is challenging, but the marine life is incredible. Lastly, I would list Belize among my favorite destinations. The diving is easy and relaxed, the coral formations are great, and the fish life is abundant.
While diving I enjoy photography, videography and helping others become better divers. Each year I give a scuba talk and demonstration to a local 4th grade class.
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Instructor Chuck Dowell 
Chuck Dowell
I began diving in 2000, when I became Open Water certified. After that, I took many of PADI’s specialty courses including Rescue Diver, Night Diver and Ice Diver. In February, 2008, I became certified as an Open Water Instructor.
I have experience diving in many different environments ranging from local rivers and quarries to the Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea. I have had the opportunity to dive both the east coast of Florida as well at the Florida Keys. I’ve also been diving in Cozumel in Mexico, the islands of Roatan and Utila in Honduras, Puerto Rico, Grand Cayman, Aruba, Barbados and many others.
I enjoy reef watching and am particularly interested in the ecology of the coral reef and reef fishes. When not diving, I volunteer on the Board of Directors for Lower Dauphin Communities That Care and the Hummelstown Swim Club.
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Instructor John Gross 
John Gross
My love for diving is the result of watching “Sea Hunt” on TV, and I began my diving career as an Open Water diver in 1995. I became a PADI Divemaster in 1997 and an Assistant Instructor in 1998. Three months later I received my PADI Instructor Certification and am currently a Master Instructor. These days I can usually be found at the Ephrata Rec Center, Lancaster Scuba Center, Bainbridge Scuba Center or Dutch Springs teaching diving. Besides teaching scuba diving, I also teach Emergency First Response Provider and Instructor, DAN Oxygen Provider and DAN Marine Life Injuries courses.
My favorite places to dive are Cozumel, Bonaire, Grand Cayman, Dutch Springs and Bainbridge. (If you want to know where something is at Bainbridge, just ask me – I know that quarry like the back of my hand.) Other dive sites I’ve been to include Dominica, the Bahamas, North Carolina and Delaware. I enjoy watching and studying marine life. My favorite specialties to teach are Navigation, Search and Recovery, Photography, and Videography.
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Instructor Gary Hartman 
Gary Hartman
It was in 1987 when I first became an Open Water diver. Just three years later, in 1990, I was certified as a Divemaster. It was during the internship of the Divemaster class that I decided to become a PADI Open Water Instructor. I have been a Master Instructor since 1995.
Although I have been diving in a variety of places, I prefer the warm waters of the tropics. I really enjoy teaching others how to scuba dive and taking dive trips to various parts of the world. Now that I’m retired, I hope to be even more active in diving, teaching and traveling.
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Instructor Rich Holmberg 
Rich Holmberg
While looking for new adventures after graduating from my California high school, I became a certified diver in 1971. All of my diving at that time was done in Monterey Bay. I moved east and became a Divemaster at Lancaster Scuba Center in 2001. I received my Open Water Scuba Instructor certification at ProDive in Florida in 2004, and am currently an IDC Staff Instructor. I am also a DAN Instructor, an Emergency First Response Provider Instructor, and an EFR Instructor Trainer.
My favorite classes to teach are Rescue Diver, Divemaster, and any of the specialty courses. I enjoy diving anywhere in the Caribbean, especially Grand Cayman. My favorite local place to dive is Dutch Springs, where I also work as lake lookout and safety staff.
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Instructor Jen Mohler 
Jen Mohler
My journey to becoming an instructor began in 1999 when I was certified as an Open Water Diver. In 2004, I went to Florida for further training and became an Instructor. My favorite class to teach is Rescue Diver. My background as a registered nurse makes me partial to health-related classes. In addition to being fun and challenging, the Rescue Diver course helps to make divers more aware of other divers. It also gives them the training they need to assist in an emergency situation.
I have several favorite places to dive. I enjoy Bonaire because of the availability of so many shore dives. The pristine conditions of the Pacific Ocean and the absolute beauty of the sea life make Papua New Guinea a wonderful place. In the Galapagos Islands, I enjoy the challenge of the diving as well as the schools of Hammerhead sharks and Whale Sharks.
My main interest in diving is to take pictures which I can use later to identify fish, coral, sponges and other sea life. The beauty and diversity of sea life is always amazing to me, especially when I get to experience it first-hand. Once a month I serve as a volunteer diver at the National Aquarium in Baltimore.
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Instructor Rob Mohler 
Rob Mohler
I was certified as an Open Water Diver in 1999, when a friend encouraged me to learn to dive so that I could be his dive buddy. When I first began, I was a very poor swimmer, but I am glad that I persevered. I became an instructor in 2005, and a Master Scuba Diver Trainer in 2007.
My favorite class to teach is Digital Underwater Photography. I especially enjoy showing others the beauty of the underwater world. By teaching them to take better pictures, I am helping them to convey the beauty and value of the underwater environment.
When it comes to great places to dive, one of my favorites is Bonaire. The beauty and variety of dive sites here is truly amazing. I also enjoy Papua New Guinea, where the underwater world is truly untouched by the masses. Few tourists have ever ventured below the surface. During my time in the Galapagos Islands, I saw tons of hammerhead sharks and beautiful marine life. This is also a premier venue for Whale Sharks.
The primary reason I spend so much time teaching diving is so that I can help my students to develop a true fascination with the underwater world. I am excited when I see students deepen their appreciation of the value and diversity of the marine ecosystem. I am especially interested in coral reef ecology and PADI Project AWARE. Once a month I volunteer as a diver at the National Aquarium in Baltimore.
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Instructor John Peters 
John Peters
In September, 1991, I became an Open Water Diver and received my Divemaster certification in July, 1992. As a Divemaster I enjoyed working with classes and decided that the privilege of teaching new divers personally was the course I wanted to follow. I became an Open Water Instructor in 1995, and have been a Master Instructor since 1999.
I like teaching all classes, but Rescue and Divemaster are my favorites. I particularly enjoy training divers to assist and take responsibility for others. It is rewarding to lead them down the path of becoming a professional.
I love to dive in the Caribbean and have been to the Bahamas, Mexico, the Dutch Antilles, Roatan and Grand Cayman. One of my most memorable trips was to the Caroline Island group in the Pacific – Truk, Palau and Yap. The Pacific dives offered the opportunity to see so many things I hadn’t yet seen in the Caribbean. For several years I have led a trip to Beaufort, NC, to expose divers to the manmade reefs created by the intentional sinking of ships. While I am teaching my main focus is giving the best training possible to my students. When diving on a personal level, however, I enjoy the experience of viewing wildlife that so many people will never see and shooting video so I can relive the experience.
I volunteer as an EMT with New Holland and Leola Ambulance. I also volunteer at Adventure Aquarium in Camden, NJ, every other Saturday.
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Instructor John Walker 
John Walker
John Walker’s love of the ocean and scuba diving began during childhood, born by the spark of his imagination. Books including 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and Moby Dick and television shows like “Sea Hunt” fueled John’s imagination as he explored local creeks and ponds wearing his first set of “scuba gear” fabricated out of milk containers by his mother.
John Walker took his first giant stride into the underwater world in 1976 when he became a certified scuba diver. With every dive John made, he knew that he wanted to share his love of the underwater realm and his appreciation for the sport of scuba diving with others. On the pillars of safety, education, and the excitement of diving, John established the Lancaster Scuba Center in 1993. John has been involved in teaching scuba diving for more than twenty years and has been a PADI Scuba Instructor for more than fifteen years. John feels privileged to have had a chance to dive the Shipwrecks of Truk Lagoon, assist archaeologists on sunken vessels off New Jersey, swim with reef sharks in the Caribbean, and experience countless other unforgettable underwater activities.
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Gary Sanderson
Rick Atkins
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