Scuba Houston Staff
Scuba Houston is staffed with highly professional scuba instructors and dive masters. We have spent years in advanced education and actual experience to offer you the hassle free dive education, trips, equipment and service you have come to expect and deserve from Scuba Houston....
Owner - Scuba Houston
Sergio Marquez- With over 20 years experience and 5000+ open water dives, Sergio is one of a handful divers in the world to be presented with the prestigious SSI Platinum Pro 5000 Diver card, the most prestigious award in the scuba diving community. Sergio also has his SSI Platinum Pro 5000 Instructor card, which is awarded to only a few instructors that have outstanding careers and services in the scuba industry. Sergio holds the rating of Instructor Trainer, and is considered by many as one of the finest instructors in the US.
Instructors
John
Buano- John began
scuba diving in 1979 at the University of Pittsburgh. His first open water
experience was in 42 degree water with snow on the ground. He also has dived
in the cold waters of the Channel Island and Monterrey Marine Sanctuaries.Today
he is an Advanced Open Water Instructor and has over 500 dives. He is a naturalist
and boat divemaster for the Flower Gardens Marine Sanctuary. John is a scientific
diver at Aquarena Springs and has volunteered at Moody Gardens.
Robert "Scuba Bob" Knapick - With over 20 years experience and 3000+ open water dives, Robert is known as "Scuba Bob" by his friends. His first love is the water and he enjoys providing local diving opportunities for our divers. Robert is a Dive Control Specialist Instructor. He teaches upper level courses and a myriad of specialty classes. He was voted best diving instructor in Houston, Texas by the Houston Press in 2002. scubabob.net e-mail
Sean Bailey- Sean began his diving in 1982, with Houston Scuba Academy. Graduated High school 1988, attended Ocean Corp. Academy to be a Commercial diver. Sean now designs off shore platforms and teaches diving. He enjoys teaching and his number one issue is safety.
Katie (Scuba Barbie) Fraser- Katie got her open water certification at the University of Arizona in 1996, and her Open water instructor certification in 2002. She is coined Scuba Barbie by her Scuba Ranger following. She has over 100 dives and has dove in the Galapagos Islands as well as in the Sea of Cortez. As a group leader to Cozumel, you will find that safety is her main concern and you can be assured that she will be watching out for you. She hasn't lost any body... YET.
Wendy McSwain- Wendy has been diving since 1986 and became an instructor in 1998. She loves the water and has been referred to as a mermaid. She takes awesome photos and when you come into the shop, you can see her handy work. Her favorite place to dive is Komodo, Indonesia.
Gordon Daly- Gordon is our Trinidadian Texan. He attends to details and is very helpful on trips and in classes. He is one of our Advanced Open Water and Adaptive Diver Instructors and is qualified to teach several of the SSI Specialty Courses. He brings with him a wealth of knowledge in dive travel and enjoys diving in Cozumel and throughout the Caribbean. His favorite diving experience was the Egyptian Red Sea.
Jean Luc Pous- Our very own Pepe Le Pous from France. Jean Luc is a very good diving instructor that attends to details and expects only the best. He has upgraded our Advanced Open Water Course by implementing safety procedures used in his European instruction. With his engineering background he brings a technical touch and perspective to our deep diving and Nitrox specialties. His favorite courses to teach are Nitrox and Stress/Rescue. He is a Dive Control Specialist Instructor DSCI# 5913 US/Fr and obtained Instructor certification in 1996 at our store. He is known as "The Commander" for his very easy going style.
Greg Mooney- Greg has been certified since 1985 and has been instructing since 1989. He enjoys photography and working with students. He has over 3100 dives. His favorite spots to dive are Roatan and the Flower Gardens where he has done over 50 dives.
Jerry Emerson- Jerry began diving in 1989. As an Open Water Instructor, he has certified over 500 divers. As our Spearfishing Instructor he coordinates and leads the majority of our Gulf Rig and Wreck Dive trips. Jerry is the manager of Scuba Houston and is a wealth of information about the scuba industry. Jerry is the leader in scuba parties. Each year he leads the famous Jerry Fest and Surf and Turf Lobster hunt at the Blue Lagoon.
Glenn Briggs- Number one fan of the splendid toadfish. When not diving he would rather be...er, diving. In addition to being an Open Water Instructor. Glenn is a Scientific Diver at Aquarena Springs. He is also one of our best First Aid, CPR , AED and O2 Instructors.
Mike Allen- Mike has been diving since 1985 and was certified as an instructor in 1996. He is a Dive Control Specialist Instructor and enjoys working in one on one private classes as well as group classes. His favorite dive site is Saba because it is virgin diving and he also likes Bonaire because it is relaxed, shallow dives, great macro photography and you don't have to go far off shore to get some of the best diving in the world.
Barbara Thompson, Stephen Harrell, Mary Beth Taylor, Sophie Wimberly, Darrell Demartino, Tony Frankie, Steve Jurbala, James Barry, Dick Gillis, Penny Baylor, Patty Harrell, Robert Cascino, Patricia Metzger,
Dive Control Specialists
Gary Ormand- Gary has been diving since 1972 and is one of our veterans in the scuba world. He has his own boat and loves to spearfish and fish in the gulf. He works well with students and provides a calming effect on those divers who are just getting started. Gary's favorite dive site is Cozumel's Palancar system and Punta Sur.
Terri & Ross Whiteside- Terri and Ross began diving in 1997 and have over 300 dives. Most of their dives have been on Roatan Honduras. Other locations include Palau, Truk Lagoon (Chuuk), Cayman Islands, Turks and Caicos Islands, Belize and Cozumel. They are interested in the REEF Foundation and have completed over 120 Fish ID surveys for the organization. They now teach the REEF Fish ID Course.
Greg Brantly -
Steve Richmond- Steve has been diving since 2001 with over 100 dives. He has been to Cozumel so many times, his room has his name on it. One of his favorite dives was in the Bahamas on the Black Beard Cruise. His goal is to retire and be a beach bum on a lost tropical island. Steve is a Scuba Ranger Instructor, Scuba Venture Instructor and an Adaptive Aquatics Instructor. He is also a boat divemaster for the Flower Garden Marine Sanctuary.
Rob Frederick, Holly Williams, Rosalyn Chappel, Jill Gardner, Larry Hack, Wade Woodard, Robyn Rhea, Gillian Tilbury, Rita Williams, Eric Beyer
Swim Instructors
Nicole Mink, Jill Gardner,