The Cypress Sea is crewed by highly-trained, enthusiastic, and entertaining individuals. A rescue swimmer and deckhand accompany the captain to ensure a safe and fun experience. All crew members are trained in managing diving emergencies and have a wealth of knowledge about the local dive sites.

Captains

» Phil Sammet
Phil has intimate knowledge of the dive sites surrounding the Monterey Peninsula and Big Sur coast. If he's not topside running the Cypress Sea, he's probably exploring the depths below. He has many, many, many stories to tell, all of which provide endless entertainment during travel time and surface intervals.

Phil is also a dive instructor and teaches all aspects of technical diving. » Mark Jones
» Mike Minard

Deckhands

» Sean Swing
» Eric Fitzgerald
Eric is an EMT/DMT that serves as a Reserve/Paid-Call Firefighter for the City of Carmel and has been involved in Public Safety for many years. 5 years were spent with Pacific Grove Ocean Rescue as a Rescue Swimmer/Diver and he still serves as Safety Director and Technician for the Pacific Grove Hyperbaric Chamber. He has been on or below the ocean for most of his life in a professional capacity whether as Kayak Program Director (10 years at Adventures by the Sea, Monterey), Owner/Operator of Yak Man Adventures in Maine (6 years kayak rentals-tours and Commercial Diver year round), Lobster Fisherman (6 years in Maine) or Divemaster assisting class instruction and leading diving tours on the Monterey Peninsula since 1995. One of Eric's specialties is full facemask diving with wireless communication. That diving mode enhanced his commercial diving work tremendously and has proven to be extremely effective for challenged/disabled divers to experience the underwater world. From Eric, "I am the luckiest man around working for Cypress Charters , being Daddy-day-care for my new infant son (Jack) and pursuing a full-time Firefighter career."
» Cole

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