20K 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.

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.

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, life long learning and adventure: close to earning her full OWSI rating and with her sights set on technical diving next, Toni is in her element deep diving 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. 

"Never let the fear of striking out, keep you from playing the game..."

Assistant Manager and Regulator Technician

Alex is a fantastic young gear technician who 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.

20k Founder - SDI Course Director- PADI Staff Instructor

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.

Dive Instructor · Public Safety Diver · Fire Battalion Chief

To Paige, safety and standards are paramount. Paige has spent more than 30 years in fire and EMS, and she's currently a Fire Battalion Chief and a National Registry Paramedic. She has been a public safety diver since 1998, working search and recovery missions across the country with several county dive teams. From 2013 to 2019 she was lead instructor and team leader for several county dive teams. She's an SDI and ERDI instructor and teaches everything from Open Water through Deep, Wreck, Dry Suit, Search & Recovery, Full Face Mask and DPV. She's also a full cave diver, trained in stage, sidemount and DPV cave diving. Outside the shop, Paige served as Dive Safety Officer for Ocean Exploration Trust's Channel Islands project and has helped collect research data on whale sharks, zebra sharks and great white sharks.

Highlights: SDI & ERDI Instructor · TDI / NSS-CDS Full Cave Diver · Public Safety Diver since 1998 · National Registry Paramedic · AHA BLS/ACLS/PALS Instructor 

PADI Master Scuba Diver Trainer (MSDT) 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 Assistant 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 PADI Assistant Instructor 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 (MSDT) 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 Assistant Instructor

Matthew is a PADI Assistant Instructor and is working toward his Open Water Scuba Instructor rating. His favorite class is Open Water, helping new divers learn to explore the underwater world. Matthew's favorite fish is any angelfish - all of them - especially the Queen Angelfish with the halo on its forehead. And his favorite dive? That's an easy one - the 'next' dive! Come take a refresher class with Matthew. Once he completes his instructor rating, he'll be teaching Open Water, Advanced Open Water and Rescue classes.