Everything you need to know

Diving carries risk, and nothing eliminates it entirely. Safety is a shared job.

Your part:
• dive within your training and experience
• be medically fit, and answer the Diver Medical form honestly
• check your own gear, and monitor your own air, depth and limits
• follow the plan, stay with your buddy, and end the dive if anything feels wrong

Jess’s part: a safety and site briefing, a dive and emergency plan, an equipment check and a debrief on every guided dive. Jess is a Rescue Diver, oxygen provider and CPR/First Aid certified, and carries DAN insurance. See her qualifications.

Being comfortable in the water matters more than being an athlete. PADI Open Water asks for a 200-meter/yard swim (or 300 with mask, fins and snorkel), untimed and with any stroke, plus a 10-minute float or tread.

GUE sets a higher bar: for GUE Fundamentals, a 300-yard/275-meter swim in under 14 minutes without stopping, and 50 feet/15 meters underwater on one breath (GUE standards, PDF).

Not there yet? Tell Jess where you’re at and she’ll map out your next step.

Being medically fit to dive is what counts, and that’s different from being very fit. Before diving with Jess, every diver completes the official Diver Medical form (PDF); any “yes” needs a doctor’s sign-off.

GUE treats fitness as part of dive preparation, and requires everyone on its courses to be fit and a nonsmoker (GUE standards, PDF). Its book Fitness for Divers is a great place to start.

Getting certified is your first step. Jess’s guided dives and refresher sessions are for certified divers; as a Divemaster she doesn’t issue certifications herself, but she supports instructors on their courses. Jess trained with Ed Hayes at Evolution Scuba in Portland, CT, and there are many excellent instructors in the area.

Pick the way back that suits you:
• Dive Refresher Session: rebuild your skills with a briefing, a skills session (12 in-water skills, including buoyancy control) and a guided dive
• Guided Dive + Skills: ease back in with a guided dive day, practicing the skills you want to work on

DAN’s Return to Diving Safely guide is also worth a read.

Launching in the 2027 dive season: a Lake Hydra dive day on the first Saturday of every month during the season, where up to 4 GUE divers come together to practice skills and stay sharp. It’s free, and open to GUE-certified divers, divers apprenticing or studying under a GUE instructor, and divers who have completed Elements at Evolution Scuba. You’ll need active dive insurance, and you pay for your own Lake Hydra ticket, rentals and gas. See the details.

Bring your own gear if you have it. If not, rent from Atlantis Aquatics in Bethlehem, PA, and call ahead so they can set aside what you need; Jess can recommend what to reserve. Going wreck diving instead? Use the wreck diving checklist and FAQ. If you’re curious what Jess dives with, see her gear list, and DAN’s dive packing checklist is a good start.

Jess is based in the New York metro area and leads refreshers, guided dives and GUE Community Days at Lake Hydra in Bethlehem, PA (about 1.5–2 hours’ drive from Manhattan), plus guided wreck dives off New York and New Jersey for advanced divers. She has dived in Malaysia, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, India, Thailand, Iceland, Egypt, Oman, Australia, Mexico, Canada, the Caribbean and the United States.

Every service and price is on the Services page, from free GUE Community Days to guided local wreck dives. Choose Book now on the service you want, tell Jess when you’d like to go, and she’ll reply personally within 24 hours to confirm. Not sure which to pick? Ask Jess.

If conditions aren’t right, Jess moves the dive to a better day, so you get the dive you came for.

Cancel or reschedule free of charge up to 48 hours before; later cancellations owe the full guide fee. Boat charters and Lake Hydra tickets follow those businesses’ own policies.