Hampton Dive Center
Custom built in 1998 for training divers to become professionals in the dive industry, Hampton Dive Center has an indoor 20 x 40, 10 ft. deep gunite pool. The pool is for scuba training, not open to the public for swimming and uses a salt system instead of chemical chlorine. The dive center houses two classrooms as well as top-of-the-line equipment testing/ service, rental, and retail areas. Rated by the Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI) as a 5 Star Instructor Development Center, over 300 students receive dive certifications from beginner through instructor levels annually.
HDC is the only dive shop on Long Island that has access to our one-of-a-kind, private open water site, Hampton Springs. Conveniently located in Westhampton, our fresh water site is close by and has anywhere from 15-40ft visibility year round. Hampton Springs features underground playground that we use for training and club dives!
Whether you’re interested in training programs, conservation, travel diving, local trips/events, or are in need of equipment- you’ve come to the right place!
Randy Randazzo
Born and raised on Long Island, Randy Randazzo has been scuba diving since 1976. His passion for the underwater world led him to San Diego, California, where he attended PADI International College, directed by Commander James Williams (USNR). In addition to becoming a dive instructor, he became a marine research diver and underwater photographer under the instruction of Dr. Bert Kobayashi (UCSD/Scripps Institute).
In 1983 Randy moved back to Long Island and started teaching diving. He has spent many years training fire and police department scuba rescue teams. In 1996, Randy was involved with the Navy, FBI, State and County Dive teams during the TWA flight 800 recovery.
His dream of building a career training center for divers took shape in 1998, when he constructed Hampton Dive Center. Randy is a PADI Master Instructor/Technical Dive Instructor, has logged more than 5,000 dives and has certified over a thousand students to all levels of diving.
Exploring local wrecks and leading groups of divers to exotic places like Papua New Guinea or the Maldives are highlights of Randy’s 40+ years of diving. However, some of his favorite stories come from the moments he introduced scuba to famous TV/Movie stars at their homes in the Hamptons.
Ditte Preker
Ditte Preker received a Masters Degree in Molecular Biology from the University of Wageningen and attended a PhD program at the University Utrecht. Originally from Amsterdam, the Netherlands, she has always had a great appreciation for nature.
In 1994, she expanded this appreciation by submerging into the underwater world and becoming a certified diver. Teaching comes natural to Ditte and in 1996 she became a PADI Scuba Instructor. During her work experience as dive guide/instructor/biologist, from 1998-2002 in Bonaire, Netherlands Antilles, she taught hundreds of divers the importance of a precious and delicate underwater environment.
In 2003 Ditte joined the team of Hampton Dive Center . Shortly thereafter, she developed the shark cage diving program for Atlantis Marine World. During the course of 8 years, Ditte introduced aquarium shark cage diving to more than 7,000 people.
She also achieved her Course Director rating at PADI headquarters in 2007. The students she has prepared to become instructors, have been very successful in the dive industry. Ditte has completed over 3,000 dives around the world and teaches all areas of diving, from beginners to instructors and technical divers. Whether she is leading a dive expedition to Wolf and Darwin Islands in the Galapagos, or teaching a youngster how to dive, her knowledge and experience has made her an outstanding educator.