Mike is now a PADI Master Scuba Diver Trainer, a milestone that recognizes both his experience and his ability to teach a wide range of advanced diving specialties. From deep dives to drysuits and full face masks, Mike helps divers go beyond the basics and explore new challenges safely and confidently. His calm, encouraging teaching style carries through every level of training — blending technical precision with real-world diving experience. Whether you’re working toward your next certification or refining your skills for public safety, scientific, or adventure diving, Mike’s goal is the same: to help you become a capable, confident diver who truly enjoys the underwater world.

When Mike became a PADI Open Water Scuba Instructor, he also became the friendly face behind Finn’s Up Dive School. Mike guided divers through everything from brisk New England wreck dives to warm tropical reefs. He’s known for breaking skills into easy, confidence-boosting steps and creating a welcoming, no-pressure atmosphere where questions are always encouraged. Mike communicates clearly and patiently, keeping safety front and center while making every lesson fun and memorable. Whether you’re brand new to diving or brushing up on rusty skills, you’ll leave Mike’s class feeling relaxed, capable and excited for your next plunge.

Before founding Finn’s Up Dive School, Mike worked as a PADI Divemaster, spending countless hours assisting courses and guiding dives with CT Scuba and New England Dive. During that time, he honed his leadership skills underwater — helping students overcome nerves, perfect their buoyancy, and fall in love with diving. Whether lending a hand to instructors or leading local charters through New England’s chilly wrecks, Mike built a reputation for being patient, reliable, and genuinely passionate about sharing the dive lifestyle. Those early experiences laid the foundation for his teaching philosophy today: calm guidance, clear communication, and a focus on creating confident, capable divers.

From 2011 to 2015, Mike served as a crewmember aboard USCGC Forward, where his ship’s crew conducted sustained drug‐interdiction patrols throughout the Caribbean—most notably in Colombian waters—intercepting hundreds of kilograms of illicit cargo and strengthening multi-agency coordination. In addition to his watch-standing duties, he was selected to join the Damage Control Training Team and the Engineering Casualty Control Training Team, where he helped develop and deliver fleet-wide readiness exercises. He received the Coast Guard Meritorious Team Achievement Medal and the Coast Guard Achievement Medal in recognition of his role in the Forward’s outstanding operational success.

Mike currently serves as a Rescue Diver and standing Vice President for Newtown Underwater Search & Rescue. In the water, he leads search and recovery dives—often in low-visibility or challenging conditions—always putting team safety and established protocols first. On land, he manages meeting minutes, and volunteer training schedules. Balancing hands-on rescue operations with administrative leadership has honed his attention to detail, strengthened his communication under pressure, and reinforced his commitment to protecting both divers and the wider community.

Since 2022, Mike’s volunteered as a diver at the Maritime Aquarium in Norwalk, conducting in-water sessions with the Sand Tiger Sharks in their open-ocean exhibit and delivering live shark presentations. Wearing full-face scuba masks and a wired microphone, He explains shark biology, debunks common myths, and answers audience questions in real time. Between shows, he scrubs the exhibit’s rock-work, inspects and maintains the habitat, and performs general cleaning—ensuring a safe, pristine environment for the sharks and an engaging experience for the visitors.

Mike earned his AAUS Scientific Diver certification through CT Scuba Academy and immediately put those skills to work alongside Sound School students on their artificial reef project. He guided teens through underwater sites, gear rigging and systematic reef module deployment—ensuring each structure was placed safely and according to habitat design plans. While he’s at the start of his scientific‐diving journey, Mike’s hands‐on mentorship and emphasis on dive planning and safety helped turn classroom theory into a living reef off the Connecticut shore.