DIVE TEAM

OWNER 

 

Derek Prosser

Role: Owner
Diving Credentials:  PADI Master Instructor, with 30+ years diving experience
Personal Interests:  Hunting
Favorite Dive Locations:  Galapagos
Personal Thoughts:  My Scuba career started in 1983 when I got PADI scuba certified in Lake Travis in Austin, TX. By November 1984, I had completed my PADI Open Water Scuba Instructor program. In 1985 I was eager to do more ocean diving and less lake diving so, I moved to Florida and started teaching full time at Divers Unlimited. In 1992 I moved to Colorado and started working part-time for Underwater Phantaseas. In April of 2005 after working on the sales floor and teaching at Underwater Phantaseas for 13 years I purchased the business. It’s been a wonderful journey and I want to thank my wife, three kids and all the wonderful staff and customers of Underwater Phantaseas for their support.


OUR STAFF

 

Dave R.

Role:  Retail Staff, Equipment Repair Technician
Diving Credentials:  PADI Master Scuba Diver Trainer (MSDT), with 20+ years diving experience
Personal Interests:  Starbucks, camping, bow hunting
Favorite Dive Locations:  Fiji
Personal Thoughts:  If I would have known that a last minute impulse to get scuba certified would lead to a decade long career in this awesome industry, I would have done it much sooner!  I've been in charge of gear servicing for the last few years, if you have any questions on gear feel free to give me a call!

 

 

 


 


Mark W.

Role:  Course Director

Day Job:  Chiropractic Neurologist, Business Owner, Researcher
Diving Credentials:  PADI Course Director, EFR Instructor, with 16+ years diving experience
Personal Interests:  Science fiction geek, hiking, camping, fishing, hunting. I am also, the newsletter editor and program chairman for the Shark Bait Dive Club.
Favorite Dive Locations:  Wherever I'm going next!
Personal Thoughts:  Healthcare is my vocation and I love it. Diving is my avocation! I am happiest when sharing my love for diving with others. Diving is life; everything else is a surface interval.

 

 


Tim R.

Role:  Course Director
Day Job:  Retired, Scuba Instructor
Diving Credentials:  PADI Course Director, Instructor Trainer in Altitude, Deep, Enriched Air, Emergency O2 Provider, Underwater Navigation, EFR Instructor Trainer, 12 Specialty Instructor ratings (including full face mask), with 7+ years diving experience
Personal Interests:  Hiking, biking, golf, or that next great bottle of wine
Favorite Dive Locations:  Wakatobi Resort, Bonaire, Hawaiian Islands, or just about anywhere!
Personal Thoughts:  I love to continually reinvent myself and seek out new adventures. After serving 20 years in the United States Marine Corps flying the A-6 Intruder and jumping out of perfectly good airplanes, I’ve been able to run in the Hawaii Ironman (long time ago!) and run the Denver Mint. I love to see students transform from being apprehensive in the beginning to flashing those huge smiles when they come up from their last open water dive and are certified.


Kathy M.

Role:  Instructor
Day Job:  7th grade Social Studies teacher at Mandalay Middle School
Diving Credentials:  PADI IDC Staff Instructor, EFR Instructor, with 31+ years diving experience (with Underwater Phantaseas since 1988)
Personal Interests:  Traveling, photography
Favorite Dive Locations:  Red Sea, Fiji, Guanaja, Honduras
Personal Thoughts:  I was an underwater archaeologist for the Dutch in the Caribbean for 20 years. I love getting people excited about scuba diving and teaching them to dive!

 

 


 

Kevin S.

Role:  Instructor
Day Job:  Hydrologic Tech for USGS
Diving Credentials:  PADI Master Scuba Diver Trainer (MSDT), 12 Specialty Instructor ratings (including ice diving), cave diving certified, with 25+ years diving experience
Personal Interests:  Snowboarding, coaching football for my son's team
Favorite Dive Locations:  Galapagos
Personal Thoughts:  When life gets tough, I just keep swimming.

 

 


Richard S.

Role:  Instructor
Day Job:  Jewelry Shop Owner
Diving Credentials:  PADI Master Scuba Diver Trainer (MSDT), with 30+ years diving experience
Personal Interests:  Sailing, studying French in Nice, France, "Jeeping", riding my motorcycle
Favorite Dive Locations:  Bahamas, Fiji, Tobago
Personal Thoughts:  Sound's trite, but, I try to live life and enjoy friends. I meet new people and make friends everywhere I travel.

 

 

 


Kevin B.

Role:  Instructor
Day Job:  Biologist
Diving Credentials:  PADI Master Scuba Diver Trainer (MSDT), 5+ PADI Specialty Instructor ratings, EFR Instructor, with 15+ years diving experience
Personal Interests:  Triathlon, camping, traveling
Favorite Dive Locations:  Roatan, Utila

 

 

 

 


Matt M.

Role:  Instructor
Day Job:  Regulatory and Policy Analyst with the State of Colorado/Cattle Rancher
Diving Credentials:  PADI IDC Staff Instructor Candidate, PADI Master Scuba Diver Trainer, PADI Specialty Instructor, EFR Instructor, with 10+ years diving experience
Personal Interests:  Raising my daughter, hiking, camping, fly fishing, hunting, exploring 4x4 trails
Favorite Dive Locations:  Grand Cayman, Cozumel, California Coast
Personal Thoughts:  I've moved around a lot, but ended up marrying a Colorado-girl, so here I’ve been for the last 10 years, and have loved every minute of it. I am passionate about the environment, especially the aquatic environment, and the need for us all to protect and preserve it. The more people that get to see the amazing underwater world, the better a chance we have of preserving it.

 


Danya G.

Role:  Instructor
Day Job:
Diving Credentials:  PADI Master Scuba Diver Trainer (MSDT), EFR Instructor, 7 PADI Specialty Instructor ratings, with 15+ years diving experience
Personal Interests:  Mountaineering, photography, motorcycles, theater, all things geeky and zombies
Favorite Dive Locations:  Philippines
Personal Thoughts:  A mountain girl from Steamboat Springs, I have always found myself drawn to the water and the critters that live there, especially the sharks. I worked on the Baja Peninsula 2010-2011 conducting courses in English and Spanish. Returning to the US, I'm thrilled to be the newest addition to the Underwater Phantaseas team.

 


 

 

Jill G.

 

Role:  Instructor

Day Job:  Technology Sales 

Diving Credentials:  PADI Open Water Scuba Instructor (OWSI), EFR Instructor, 5 PADI Specialty Instructor ratings (including Emergency O2 Provider), with 20+ years diving experience

Personal Interests:  Traveling to new locations for diving, yoga, finding places to dine and wine.

Favorite Dive Locations:  Bonaire, British Virgin Islands, Honduras, and Australia. Anything with warm waters is my favorite!

Personal Thoughts:  I love traveling, learning about the culture, history, (and of course FOOD).  

 

 

 

 

 


Fleur F. 

 

Role:  Instructor

Day Job:  Biology Professor 

Diving Credentials:  PADI Open Water Scuba Instructor (OWSI), EFR Instructor, 5 PADI Specialty Instructor ratings (including Emergency O2 Provider), American Academy of Underwater Scientists, Marine Biologist (M.S.) Research diver, with 20+ years diving experience

Personal Interests:  Backpacking, kayaking, camping, fly fishing, snowshoeing, traveling, snowboarding, sailing.

Favorite Dive Locations:  Isla Guadalupe, Bonaire, Belize, and pretty much anywhere else I can get in the water!

Personal Thoughts:  I fell in love with the ocean and diving pretty early on in life!  After pursuing a career in marine biology, my love for the ocean just exploded!  I love to teach students in all sorts of settings, and if I can get them to appreciate the oceans and all of the life it has and all the life it supports, I am a happy gal!  Travel is a huge part of my life, and I have lived and worked in many lovely locations throughout the world!! 


Rusty G. 

 

Role:  Instructor

Day Job:  Auditor

Diving Credentials:  PADI Open Water Scuba Instructor (OWSI), EFR Instructor, 5 PADI Specialty Instructor ratings, with 5+ years diving experience

Personal Interests:  Mountain Biking, Swimming, Running, and Traveling

Favorite Dive Locations:  Cozumel, Roatan, and California’s Channel Islands

Personal Thoughts:  I caught the diving bug after a Discover Scuba in Jamaica, and have been hooked ever since! Every dive is an opportunity for new discovery. I’m excited to share my love of diving and the underwater world.

 

 


Maxwell M.

Role:  Instructor
Diving Credentials: 
PADI IDC Staff Instructor, Sidemount Instructor, International Association For Handicapped Divers Instructor, with 10+ years diving experience
Personal Interests:  Outdoor activites, running, watersports, dogs
Favorite Dive Locations: Grand Turk, TCI
Personal Thoughts:  "Laughter is timeless, imagination has no age and dreams are forever."
- Walt Disney

 

 


Larry S.

Role:  Instructor

Day Job:  Computer Programmer - COBOL/DB2 Financial Systems

Diving Credentials:  First certified 1976, recertified 2006 and advanced to Instructor level in 2020.

Personal Interests:  Triathlete, BSA Shooting sports instructor, Emergency First Response Instructor, camping, fishing, hunting, other various sports and activities.

Favorite Dive Locations:  Roatan, Cayman Islands, Tahiti

Personal Thoughts: Life should be lived with no regrets

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