Meet the staff

Course Director

Dan’s passion for diving and sharing that experience with others is what inspired him to start Ranger Sport Scuba Adventures. For the last decade Dan has dedicated himself to diving at the highest level all over the world for both the US military as well as for exploration. As a former Army Special Forces Combat Diver, Dan has been through numerous civilian and military diving courses acquiring accreditation as a NAUI Course Director.  He is currently the Lead Scuba Instructor at the Divers Institute of Technology.  Dan is also an active member of Force Blue, a non-profit organization that trains and repurposes special operations divers in ocean conservation.  Whether shore or boat diving he loves to be in the water. Of all the places he has been he has found the Puget Sound to be his home.  Dan has found Saltwater State Park to be his favorite dive site here but has yet to find a location that he doesn't like.  Dan’s commitment to the sport and his students’ safety, knowledge, and proficiency is unparalleled. He loves teaching divers of all ages and backgrounds and provides an innovative learning environment.

 Office Manager/Training Assistant 

Jolynda discovered diving on a Hawaii vacation in 2018.  The decision to become certified was after another discovery dive in Cozumel in 2020.  Jolynda and her husband Michael went through open water together in 2020. From there the joy of diving turned into a passion.  The passion continues to grow with assisting new divers to explore new places, help divers find their strengths and to give encouragement.  Jolynda enjoys diving in the Puget Sound and admits that vacations now are all about discovering new locations throughout the US and beyond. Her ultimate goal is to become an instructor sharing those discoveries with others.

 Course Director

NAUI #3091

 Walt started scuba diving in 1961 and was hooked.  He spent 4 ½ years in the Navy as a member of the Underwater Demolition Teams (precursor to the SEALs) diving and serving 3 tours in Vietnam.  After he left the Navy, he opened his first Dive Store in Tacoma.  In 1975 he sold the store and went to work for NAUI (National Association of Underwater Instructors) in California as their Marketing Director.  In 1982 he went to work for ScubaPro, as Director of Special Projects.  In 1984 Walt became a Consultant for Skin Diver Magazine, at that time the largest dive publication in the United States.  He also consulted for NASDS (National Association of Skin-Diving Schools).  From 1990 to 1992 he managed a Resort in the Bahamas.  Walt reopened Scuba SET in 2000 one of the premier dive stores in the US.  Walt retired from the dive shop business in 2017, as one of the original NAUI Course Directors he has been a consultant and mentor for dive professionals throughout the Pacific Northwest. 

 Instructor Trainer

Rich’s road to diving started at a young age, he was an avid swimmer of swimming pools, lakes, and rivers as a kid. He learned to dive in the military as a member of US ARMY Special Forces in 2010 and continued to dive for work and recreationally from then on. In 2020 Rich attended the NAUI Instructor Course, and later the NAUI Instructor Trainer Course after assisting in several instructional programs. Rich has made a life out of being on the water whether it be teaching America’s elite to dive or swimming on the lake with his three boys. His favorite dive is showing new divers the wildlife and underwater features of Redondo Beach. Rich’s love of diving, attention to safety, and knowledge is apparent, and you can find him diving year-round in the sun or snow. He enjoys teaching divers of all ages and abilities and has the ultimate goal of becoming a course director and owning his own dive boat. 

Instructor Trainer 

Mark learned to dive in 1987 while stationed at Fort Lewis. He spent 6 months on the Sinai Peninsula, in Egypt on deployment and was able to explore the Red Sea. After returning from deployment Mark made it a mission to become a Scuba Instructor and a Dive Store owner.  He spent the following two years diving every chance he had into the waters of Puget Sound, The Strait of Juan de Fuca, Washington’s San Juan Islands, surf diving off the coasts of Washington and California and explored shipwrecks off the coast of South Carolina and in the Pacific Northwest. He was certified as a NAUI instructor in 1989 and has certified hundreds of Scuba divers. He was the owner of “Another World Diving” in Auburn in the mid-1990s. His favorite aspiration in diving is helping others achieve their goals. He has helped countless divers obtain and achieve their goals by certifying them from Basic to Divemaster. He shares his passion other instructors to organize, facilitate, and teach NAUI Instructor Training Programs. Mark lives by his motto "Live – Learn – Dive".