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January 5, 2021

Home » Archives for January 5, 2021

learning to scuba dive

Learning to Scuba Dive: Where to Begin When You’ve Never Dived Before

Posted on05 Jan 2021

Are you new to the world of scuba? If so, you’re in for a treat. After all, there’s nothing quite as inspiring...

Upcoming Events

Open Water Diver Class Part 1-Pool and Academics
January 22
Open Water Diver Class Part 1-Pool and Academics
January 29
Open Water Diver Class Part 1-Pool and Academics
February 5

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Scuba Guru

Learn More About PADI Master Instructor

Michael Ranieri

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5.0

Based on 311 reviews

Jennifer Eliassen

16:01 21 Feb 20

The ScubaGuru team has been awesome to work with throughout the entire process. My husband and I were working with a... short time frame to get the confined water session pool and academics done before our trip and we accomplished just that. With a small student to instructor ratio we were able to get a more intimate learning experience and feel very comfortable getting in the water. They answered all of our questions and concerns and never made us felt rushed. We recommend using ScubaGuru for any and all of your underwater training and experiences!read more

15:51 21 Feb 20

The ScubaGuru team was fantastic for our confined water class and academics for our PADI open water certification. The... class was 4 people with two instructors so there was a ton of 1-1 instruction, which was great. Great experience and highly recommend!! We can’t wait to finish our certification in Belize.read more

01:30 18 Feb 20

I enjoyed getting my PADI open water certification with the Scuba Guru team. Mike was an excellent instructor and Dutch... Springs was a great location to learn initial skills.read more

17:44 24 Jan 20

Very Informative. Felt way more comfortable after we did the closed water training. Highly recommend.

15:22 10 Jan 20

Mike was very accommodating-scheduled a session for us with little advanced time notice, helped with all our questions... and picking out our gear, and made the class and training fun! Took our time in the pool session to make sure we were comfortable and answer all of our questions. Ample time for running through all scenarios. Would highly recommend!!read more

15:22 10 Jan 20

Scuba team was very accommodating and was able to schedule us with short notice. Learned a lot of crucial skills in the... pool with a small group pool session. Made us feel comfortable in the water and was happy to answer any of our questions.read more

15:39 20 Oct 19

What a Guru Team! A truly wonderful experience. Informative, knowledgeable, thorough, and fun! My daughter and I are... looking forward to taking what we've learned and diving some reefs in the near future! Thanks for preparing us to enjoy our next vacation!read more

15:37 08 Oct 19

I always wanted to learn scuba diving but wasn't sure how to go about it. I researched many place for scuba diving in... NJ, and decided to call Scuba Guru. They helped me every step of the way. I am now a certified scuba diver with a lot of confidence. Thanks to the amazing Scuba Guru team, I can now dive the world. I am able to experience the underwater world and a very excited. Big kudos to the Scuba Guru team.read more

Kristen Rutigliano

19:37 06 Oct 19

I was nervous about signing up for a scuba diving certification because I wasn’t sure what to expect. So, I... researched different places and felt most comfortable with Scuba Guru. From the first minute with the instructor on the phone to my ending open water checkout dives, they were informative, hands-on, professional and helped me overcome my fears and concerns. I am now a certified PADI Open Water Diver . Thanks to the Scuba Guru team I was able to realize a dream.read more

Kitty Applegate

15:46 06 Oct 19

The scuba guru team is great! Nobody else in the area has small classes like this. They focus on safety and make sure... that I felt comfortable in the water. And the team took the time to focus on every single skill that I needed to work on. You MUST choose scuba guru for your open water certification!read more

12:35 02 Oct 19

I signed up for the PADI open water certification with Scuba Guru. At the beginning I was very apprehensive, but the... Scuba Guru team put me at ease. I had a bit of apprehension about being under water. We did the pool session. I had to redo some skills but got through the confined water fine. Then it was time for the open water checkout dives and was a bit anxious about descending to the quarry platform at 25 feet, but surprised myself that I did well. I think it was because of the support that the Scuba Guru staff gave us. Also the really small class size of 4 people made it feel like I was paid attention to. Thanks to the Scuba Guru staff for making my first scuba diving experience a rewarding one.read more

12:22 01 Oct 19

Just did our open water certification with the Scuba Guru team. They were very informative and the small class setting... helped us to be comfortable in the water. It turned out that my wife, was uncomfortable in the pool session and they told us not to worry and she could re-visit the pool session free of charge. That was further reassurrance that we picked the right outfit to learn scuba diving in NJ. Thanks to everyone at the Scuba Guru team.read more

11:27 29 Sep 19

Scuba guru team was great and very attentive to working all skill levels of myself and classmates. Classes were very... small 2-4 students and 2-3 instructors, so we always had direction when we were going over the skills underwater and we would continue to do these skills until we perfected them.This is a class I would definitely recommend to others. Thank you Mike Greg and Borisread more

21:30 28 Sep 19

Be careful that you understand what you're signing up for. This is an accelerated course, not with a dive store or... resort, rather an independent instructor. You'll be expected to complete skills testing in a matter of hours and if you don't do well or aren't feeling comfortable you won't get special attention, you won't be given/offered options or time to work on the anxiety or panic. Instead you'll be told you can pay more money to join another classes and take the place of a full paying student, which still won't help you work on gaining comfort and confidence.Additionally, you want to make sure your equipment fits and should try on EVERYTHING and ask questions (we aren't the professionals that are experienced and know). After panicking and having anxiety about the pool experience with Scuba Guru, I wasn't going to give up on myself and my desire to dive, so I consulted with other dive shops only to realize that the curriculum for the pool skills testing was accelerated, the mask I was given didn't fit, wasn't sized properly and the fins were super stiff and too long.Everything I received from Scuba Guru had to be repurchased and I was not offered any type of refund. I did not go on the trip to do the open water portion I paid for, no refund offered. I understand I signed documents stating no refund however I want others to know what happened to me and hope that if you're looking to do scuba you NEVER have the HORRIBLE experience I had!!!! Best part is now I've found an amazing place to learn to dive with and can't wait to become a Padi Master Scuba Diver!read more

Kaylee Czachorowski

14:24 12 Sep 19

The Scuba guru team was amazing! I did my advanced with specialties and rescue diver course, all while in high school.... They made it fun and exciting and I really learned a lot. I recommend them to everyone. Can’t wait to use my skills in the future!read more

16:22 01 Sep 19

The Scuba Guru Team is top notch. I just spent three straight days with them at Dutch Springs, PA as they took my 15... year old son through the certification process. They are very detailed and have a great teaching approach....patient, fun and share real life experiences. I will be coming back to them soon for my other son’s certification.read more

16:55 25 Aug 19

To the Scuba Guru team thank you. I was a little worried because I had my daughter who was10 years old and you never... know what to expect. They really gave her the one to one attention I was hoping and they went over the top to make sure she learned and she was safe learning. I highly recommend this scuba instruction outfitread more

16:20 18 Aug 19

The SCUBA Guru team has taught me well in my training to be certified. I had a lot of fun and I learned so much from... them. They are all great teachers/instructors. Thank you so much for this opportunity!read more

20:47 11 Aug 19

Mike and the Scuba Guru dive team are fantastic! The class days/times were super convenient. I especially loved the... small class sizes and the one on one instruction. All the pool and open water training was highly personalized with the perfect emphasis on safety and comfort in the water balanced with a fun personable team. Great weekend PADI certification experience!read more

18:00 21 Jul 19

The scuba guru team does NOT mess around. If you are looking for a thorough understanding of your gear, as well as... feeling comfortable under water doing skills without being prompted, this is your man. 4 stars for having to wake up insanely early, and also if you are afraid of diving, this might not be a good pick because the learning environment is very intenseread more

16:16 14 Jul 19

On behalf on my son and I, I’d like to sincerely thank the Scuba Guru team. The experience was exceptional! Michael... came every day with highly qualified instructors, enough for a one on one experience, which lead to a very efficient and knowledgeable experience. Following my sons qualification , he feels confident that he has learned and understood the information, all thanks to Michael. I would highly recommend this place for anyone who wishes to get certified in the Central and North Jersey area.read more

17:43 07 Jul 19

I did the Scuba Guru’s open water diver certification course to get refresher dives in before my vacation. The team... was very thorough with their certification and I felt it was safer and much more detailed than my original certification. There were four divemasters to five student divers; I can’t emphasize enough how safe it was. I was very satisfied with the service and my dad, who was getting certified for the first time, felt the exact same way. The team will go over every skill until everyone understands it and makes everyone understands the content 100%. I also had a very fun time and had a great weekend overall, and I would recommend this course to anyone who wants to get scuba certified for the first time.read more

17:22 23 Jun 19

Got my Open Water Dive certificate from Scuba Guru. Had a really good time. Scuba guru team was very helpful, patient... (I struggled in the beginning), and detail oriented. Nothing was done just to check the box but the team goes thru every drill in detail and repeat it until you are comfortable and confident with it.read more

Stephanie Grinis

11:42 17 Jun 19

The scuba guru team was amazing! Really thorough and patient as they certified my 11 year old for our trip. They were... very accommodating and would highly recommend them.read more

Christy Daughterty

16:58 15 Jun 19

Scuba Guru Team was awesome! A lot of Knowledge that will definitely build on my experience level even as an open... diver for 5 years already. I am preparing to deploy and very adaptable to my time schedule and availability. Felt 100% safe the entire time and very concerned with what I as an individual takes away from the course. Will definitely return for all future training.read more

Perpetual Pilgrim

17:16 09 Jun 19

Scuba guru staff knows what they’re talking about. There’s a lot of attention to detail and a genuine desire for... you to learn and know your skills. If you want to learn for real, see scuba guru. You want to learn from someone like people in this staff.Scuba guru is also super reputable - 5 stars.read more

14:52 09 Jun 19

The scuba guru team really worked with me to help me get certified. I have Eustachian tube issues and wasn’t able to... complete my open water checkout dives as scheduled. Mike worked with me to reschedule. Greg spent the entire weekend going slow at my own pace so I could complete the certification. Had fun diving with this great team!read more

16:21 02 Jun 19

I took the Open Water certification course this weekend with the Scuba Guru team and they were very supportive and... attentive to detail while teaching the students. I had a great time and was able to learn in a comfortable setting. They will go as slow or as fast as you need for learning. Would highly recommendread more

16:57 26 May 19

The scuba guru team is amazing! Even though I was very nervous, my instructor Mike was very supportive and helped me... through my nerves. I feel confident going to Thailand this summer to scuba dive because of Mike and his team. Thank you!read more

16:56 26 May 19

Truly had an awesome experience from the open water class. The Scuba Guru team made me feel so confident and did a... great job at making sure everyone felt good. Deff recommend scuba guru for any diving classes!read more

16:50 19 May 19

I had a great experience with scuba guru. I was very inexperienced with knowledge on diving and getting certified... taught me a lot. I’m happy I chose them to get my certification because they made it fun and exciting!read more

16:49 19 May 19

The Scuba Guru team did a great job. The course was very educational and fun at the same time. Very engaging and I now... feel comfortable diving in the future! 👌🏻read more

16:34 11 May 19

Scuba guru definitely makes you feel comfortable in the water, I had a moment of panic and with the teams help I was... able to collect myself and now I feel as comfortable as I do on land... Will be doing my advanced dives with scuba guru. You won't regret choosing the guru teamread more

15:49 05 May 19

The Scuba Guru team was wonderful in helping me get certified for diving. I had a limited amount of time to get my... courses in before a trip to the Philippines and they worked with me to get everything done in plenty of time. They were efficient, professional, and I always felt safe and comfortable in the water! Highly recommend!read more

Scott Bernstein

15:49 05 May 19

The team at Scuba Guru was fantastic! Highly recommend them for any level of scuba training that you’re interested... in. Highly informative about all aspects of what to expect from the dive and patient with the students to ensure everyone is comfortable with skills before moving on. Great equipment provided including 7mm wet suits for a cold weekend! Great time.read more

Joseph Bommarito

14:38 19 Apr 19

The Scuba Guru Team,We had a blast during our Part 1 Open Water Training with you! When searching for scuba open... water certification in New Jersey, we searched google for scuba dive instruction and spoke to Mike at Scuba Guru for more information. He was awesome! Very helpful and the guy really knows his stuff! We decided to do Part 1 of our Scuba Open Water Certification with Scuba Guru in preparation for my trip to Palau and Southwest Asia! After I finish our Open Water, we will be back for my advanced diver! Highly recommend!read more

13:39 12 Apr 19

The Scuba Guru Team is outstanding. I have a pretty big fear of being underwater from a past accident but also really... want to dive. The Scuba Guru Team is patient, safety minded and knows how to help you get your mind in the right place to master all the skills. Plus we got the course done thoroughly and efficiently. Great great team and I am grateful for the support and coaching they provide!read more

19:42 01 Mar 19

Awesome experience! Mike and his team really know their stuff and make you feel confident that you’ll be prepared to... dive! The team provided a lot of tips and tricks to make diving accessible for the widest audience, and I'm confident in approaching my open water certification dives.They were fun, friendly and knowledgeable. I would recommend this place to anyone that wants to get certified.read more

14:31 08 Feb 19

The Scuba Guru team made our enclosed diving class a great experience! To the instructors were very informative,... knowledgeable and down to earth. The class size was very small so we really got the attention needed and were able to fine tune the skills we learned in the pool. We took this course in hopes to prepare for our open water checkout dives on vacation. I feel I am more than confident and overly prepared to take the next step in diving!Thank you Scuba Guru team!read more

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