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: Retired teacher; Owner at Miller Travel and Adventures
Diving Credentials: PADI IDC Staff Instructor, EFR Instructor, with 40+ 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.
Micky I.
Role: Instructor
Day Job: Structural Engineer
Diving Credentials: PADI Master Scuba Diver Trainer (MSDT), EFR Instructor, 8 PADI Specialty Instructor ratings, with 8+ years diving experience
Personal Interests: Way too many to count, and the list constantly gets updated anyhow.
Favorite Dive Locations: Cayman Brac is still the most memorable one, but anywhere Caribbean would be great.
Personal Thoughts: I’d rather live a meaningful life than exist in a quiet insignificance.
Matt M.
Role: Instructor
Day Job: Regulator for the State of Colorado
Diving Credentials: PADI IDC Staff Instructor/EFR Instructor, with 20+ years diving experience (with UnderwaterPhantaseas since 2007)
Personal Interests: Backpacking, hiking, cross-country skiing, snowboarding, eating great food, exploring new places and new countries
Favorite Dive Locations: Anywhere underwater! But to be more specific: The Great Barrier Reef, Tahiti, Thailand, Cozumel, Grand Cayman, Iceland
Personal Thoughts: “The sea, once it casts its spell, holds one in its net of wonder forever.” ― Jacques Cousteau
Mark F.
Role: IDC Staff Instructor with 20+ years experience
Day Job: IT Consultant
Diving Credentials: PADI OWSI, PPB Instructor, UW Nav Instructor, S&R Instructor, Night Instructor, Deep Instructor, Altitude Instructor, EFR Instructor, EANx Instructor, Emergency O2 Provider Instructor
Personal Interests: Ice Hockey, Travel, Legos
Favorite Dive Locations: Fiji, Raja Ampat, Little Cayman & Bonaire
Personal Thoughts: I most enjoy that moment when a new student starts to gain confidence and begins to understand what it is to be a PADI Open Water Diver. I have been diving for the better part of 20 year and have had the pleasure to dive all over the world with UWP. Diving is one of the best ways to see the world and get to know more about the people we see and work with at Underwater Phantaseas.
Jill G.
Role: Instructor, Weekend Shop Assistant
Day Job: Technology Sales
Diving Credentials: PADI Master Scuba Diver Trainer (MSDT), 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, dine.
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
Christian A.
Role: Instructor
Day Job: Telecommunications Executive
Diving Credentials: Master Scuba Diver Trainer
Personal Interests: Travel, Snowboarding, Mountain Biking, Motorcycles
Favorite Dive Locations: Maui, La Paz, Iceland
Personal Thoughts: Please do your part to protect the world’s oceans. Boycott industrial fishing, and support initiatives for cleaner water.