20,000 Leagues Scuba Shop Owner

Robert Brandes has been diving since 1990, and more than thirty years on, the water still calls him back. His favorite place to dive is Indonesia, drawn by the extraordinary variety of marine life — the diversity of both hard and soft corals and the manta ray feeding stations, where he can watch these giants glide and feed in the wild. Robert's path to owning 20,000 Leagues was a personal one: he bought the shop out of a passion for his children's diving careers, turning a family love of the ocean into a home where the next generation of divers — his own and everyone else's — can learn, grow, and go pro. Away from the water, Robert has had a very successful corporate career in engineering, and he brings that leadership and operations experience to building the shop's future. He brings a builder's mindset to the business, investing in its instructors, its training, and its future. Deeply proud of his German heritage, Robert carries that pride into everything he does — a commitment to quality and to doing right by the people the shop serves.

20,000 Leagues Scuba Shop Manager

Mike Gentile keeps 20,000 Leagues running, serving as Shop Manager since 2025 and a working Divemaster since 2026. A Navy veteran who served as an aviation structural mechanic, Mike brings a mechanic's eye for detail and a service member's discipline to everything from the sales floor to the dive deck. Before the dive world, he spent his career behind the lens and the screen — as a Digital Asset Manager at Glock and a professional photographer — a skill set that shows in how he captures the shop, its trips, and its divers. He's happiest underwater around Micronesia, drawn to the region's incredible marine diversity. An Eagle Scout and a devoted father— Mike is an indispensable part of the 20K team.

Marshall Goldman is the founder and Head Instructor of 20,000 Leagues Scuba and Outdoors — a PADI IDC Staff Instructor and SDI Course Director who trains divers from their first breath underwater through the professional ranks. After nearly four decades in telecommunications, including 30 years at MCI, he turned a lifelong love of the ocean into a second career. He's dived destinations from the Galápagos and Socorro to Egypt and the Philippines, volunteers some 300 hours a year at the Georgia Aquarium, and is an avid underwater photographer.

Open Water Instructor

Kevin has been diving for over 20 years and his entire family dives. Kevin brings extensive knowledge and experience to our programs - both educational and of course diving. Kevin is a Divemaster and Instructor candidatae and is active with his diving family and with open water students. Best yet, Kevin is lots of fun to dive with!

PADI Master Scuba Diver Trainer (MSTD) and SDI Instructor

Instructor · Lead — Public Safety, Full Face Mask & Dry Suit

Russell Davis is ex-military and an outdoorsman at heart, with a passion for scuba diving that shows in the water. A PADI and SDI Scuba Instructor holding 14 specialty instructor ratings, he serves as the shop's lead instructor for public safety diving, full face mask, and dry suit courses. Russell dives as often as he can, and his favorite class to teach is Open Water Diver — whether he's leading a class or simply out for the love of it — and is also an avid drone pilot, loving father, and animal lover.

PADI Master Scuba Diver Trainer (MSTD) and SDI Instructor

A financial and regulatory analyst by profession, Don brings that same precision to the water. A PADI and SDI Scuba Instructor, he guides divers through their core training — from Open Water through Rescue Diver — and loves watching a nervous first-timer relax and start to enjoy the dive. Don splits his time between Georgia and Puerto Rico, trading his home waters for the warm Caribbean whenever he can, and volunteers as a SCUBA diver and Hospitality Host at the Georgia Aquarium.

PADI Divemaster

Matthew is currently a PADI divemaster and is currently working to become a PADI Assistant Instructor rating and SDI Instructor. Hi favorite class the Open Water class, helping new divers to learn to explore the underwater world. Matthew's favorite fish is any angelfish - all of them - especially the Queen Angelfish which has the halo on their forehead. And, of course his favorite dive - that's an easy one - the 'next' dive is his favorite!  Come take a refresher class with Matthew. And of course, Matthew is working on completing his Open Water Scuba Instructor certification and will be available to reach open water, advanced open water, advance open water and rescue class shortly.

Assistant Manager and Regulator Technician

Alex is one of the shop's junior equipment technicians and has been diving for nine years, holding Advanced Open Water and Enriched Air (Nitrox) certifications. On the service bench he's factory‑trained and currently qualified to service Scubapro, Sherwood Scuba, Aqualung, and Apeks gear — the life‑support equipment divers trust their safety to. He has his sights set on gaining more technical service certifications like full face mask and CCR. His favorite dive is the wreck of the Hilma Hooker in Bonaire, and he'll always make time to hang out with a moray eel, his favorite creature to photograph since they're endlessly photo‑worthy. Away from the water, Alex is an Eagle Scout, a history buff and an avid gamer.

Veteran Program Director / Business Development Manager

Toni Prows is the Veteran Program Director, Business Development Manager, and an Assistant Instructor at 20,000 Leagues. A decorated Army combat veteran — a Chemical Biological Radiological Nuclear specialist, recruiter and pre‑deployment instructor — she brings that training‑and‑mentorship experience directly into leading the shop's veteran program. She pairs years in the scuba industry with a genuine love of the water: close to earning her full OWSI rating and with her sights set on technical diving next, Toni is in her element deep or exploring a wreck, and loves hunting fossilized megalodon teeth. Drawn to the ocean for as long as she can remember, she loves traveling the world to dive and explore. She is especially passionate about helping fellow veterans discover the therapeutic benefits diving has to offer. Above all, she treasures her family: her husband and life dive buddy, Rex, and their dog, Jax- who is the bestest boy.