Meet Our Staff

Jim began recreational diving in 1989 and quickly turned  his passion into a career when he became a PADI Instructor.

He opened Fantasea Scuba in 1993 with his lovely wife (me) Julie.
Jim has taken his career to many levels becoming a NAUI Course Director and NAUI Technical Course Director #36510.

I began diving in 1992 when Jim required me to become certified before he would marry me......
Together we opened Fantasea Scuba in 1993.

In 2003 I became a NAUI instructor #42033 and  you can find me behind the counter with my assistant Jack and our newest trainee Dudley.

Jack  loves to lay at the front door so you will have to stop and say hi  along with a belly rub. Dudley is just a year old and is under close supervision by Jack.

Paul began scuba diving in 1980 and turned it into a part time career in 1987 when he became a  PADI Instructor #41890.  His favorite dives are on some of the great wreck’s in the Keys and believes that a bad day of diving is better than a good day at work.  

He was a Lieutenant with the City of Punta Gorda Police Department for 22 years and leader of the Punta Gorda Police and Fire Department Dive Team until he retired in 2000.

Paul has since furthered his education and became a NAUI Instructor #40709  in 2003. He teaches part time at Fantasea Scuba with a full time job at Publix Bakery.

Paul and his wife Lora  and have been married for 40 years and have 2 sons and 4 grandchildren .  

Don Hooglander

Don began diving with Fantasea Scuba in 1993 as a open water diver.

He enjoyed diving so much he became a PADI Instructor in 1999 and continued his education to become a NAUI Instructor. Some of his favorite dives are in the Keys and is happy anytime he can be underwater.

Don is a first time Dad with a great little boy Nicholas who he spends most of his time with. If he is not running around with his son he enjoys biking, and skydiving.

Kinga is originally from Poland and has been in US since 1996.Outside the dive store she is a licensed Physical Therapist.

She began diving with Fantasea Scuba in 1999 as an open water student and continued her training becoming a NAUI Instructor in 2003.

Love for travel and diving took her to some great dive spots in Belize, Galapagos and Great Barrier Reef. Locally she enjoys fossil hunting in Venice, FL

Kinga likes teaching open water classes since"it's all about the adventure and it's fun to take new people along"

Matthew is a transplant from New York when he moved to Florida in 1988. Enjoying the Florida waters he began his diving May 1989.

He began his diving career in 1992 by becoming a YMCA/CMAS instructor and then furthered his education as NAUI Instructor in 2001.

He has logged over 1,000 dives and enjoys wreck diving especially the Spiegle Grove in the Key’s.