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December 2023 by Alyssa Johnson
My husband and I love John Pennekamp for many reasons but this review is about the employee in the dive shop, Lucas!He is one of the friendliest people I have ever met and he is full of good information pertaining to the area.We can’t wait to come back and say hi!
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October 2023 by Kenneth Tanner
We had a great time scuba diving with Dan and Zach of JP Dive Shop. They were very professional and informative. We will definitely use them again when in the area. Thank you!!
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July 2023 by christopher kyttle
Dan and Amanda were great. Our dives went amazing and they pointed us in the direction of some really good spots. They took our safety serious and helped us out in every way. Can’t wait to come back!
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June 2023 by CC Doz
Went on a snorkel trip in May. It was incredible. The team that took us out were fantastic and caring. Really helped us stay safe when someone took on too much water in their snorkel. They jumped in and made sure everyone was safe. I really appreciate these guys!
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June 2023 by Kimi Birrer
Very knowledgeable, friendly, and helpful staff. Definitely my favorite dive trip so far!
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April 2023 by Robert Berkstresser
Great dive experience yesterday. Travis and Amanda were great. Nice, unrushed experience. Saw so many cool fish and great coral.
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April 2023 by Diana M
Travis and Amanda were amazing and great fun to spend the afternoon with. They were both knowledgeable and entertaining! We will be back!
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December 2022 by Cayla Morningstar
I recently dived with this shop in the state park after several years. It was an amazing dive, the staff was awesome. They pointed out turtles, were very safety aware, went through a checklist with us before we left so we wouldn’t forget gear. When one of our regs malfunctioned, they swapped it out and helped us. Moss was amazing at pointing out animals and guiding us, and he was so fun to talk to between dives about the reef. Amanda and Travis were amazing too. The dives were epic, I will def be back!
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November 2022 by Sara Dorfman
Wow is all I can say! Captain & Zach put us tight in two incredible spots! Went to French Reef & a wreck dive and it was just so gorgeous. We have been all over the Caribbean diving over the last 6 months & this was by far our number 1. Been coming to Pennekamp for years & this was my first time experiencing the scuba bliss through the parks dive shop. Don’t think… BOOK! We will be back many times to come.
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September 2022 by Bryan Book
Stopped by to ask several questions on the area. All the staff were very friendly and helpful in giving their input on fishing and boating thought the area. Great boat slip.
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September 2022 by Terri E.
We decided on a whim to take the family snorkeling. Heard about this Snorkeling Tour from friends and wanted to try it out. It wasn't a bad price for the whole family either with gear rental and all. I think we paid $300 for 2 adults and 3 kids. You rent the life jacket, fins and goggles but you get to keep the snorkel mouth gear. We upgraded to the more expensive snorkel mouth gear and glad we did as its' more protective of water getting into your mouth gear.IMPORTANT: Please be mindful of using only "Coral Reef Safe Sunscreen". I honestly didn't know this was a thing until we read the instructions prior to the tour. Most of the stuff you have is probably not reef safe. Don't worry, they do sell reef safe sunscreen at the store at the park. Save the reef!!! Now I know and knowing is half the battle. ;)Chris was our captain and Sonya was our first mate. They were AWESOME! Very informative and helpful throughout the tour. So great with the kids too.Make sure you arrive at least 1 hour prior to your snorkel time. The line to get into the park was a bit long and maybe took us 15 minutes to get to the front. We went on a Sunday and our time was 3pm, we arrived at 2pm with enough time to get through line to pay for park entrance and parking ($10), check in for snorkeling, get our gear, wait for instructions, met the crew, loaded up on the boat and headed out exactly at 3pm. There was someone who was maybe 1-2 minutes late and they left without them. People, they tell you "DON'T BE LATE!" So just putting it out there to be early! They will leave without you. They go over so many details and instructions prior to leaving, I don't blame them for not wanting to do their schpeel again. Ha.The whole snorkel tour is 2.5 hours. It takes a little while to get out to our snorkeling destination. You have 1 full hour to snorkel once we arrive. The water is crystal clear!!! So beautiful. You get to scope out the coral reef, jellyfish, barracuda, rainbow fish, and so much more pending on where you're looking or when you go. A big jellyfish the size of my head was swimming right in front of me when I got off the boat and it was so mesmerizing to watch. I didn't want to leave. Ha. Just be careful and don't get stung by one because it does burn!!! I got stung by a jellyfish in Italy and it's not fun. Ha.Great snorkel tour all in all and worth the price point. The customer service was great and the whole family had a ton of fun. #worthit
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August 2022 by Elizabeth Jenkins
We loved our dives and the boat crew was exceptional! We appreciated that the captains found the right time to take us out and it was amazing that they were able to make today happen! I'm also so grateful for the knowledgeable information and consideration they gave the questions we asked about the area and other recommended dives. It was an absolutely amazing day!
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August 2022 by F S
This was a good experience. We specifically used the Scuba Diving shop right there inside the State Park. From the check in, gathering the equipment, and the dives themselves, everything was exactly as expected! However, there are a couple of things you need to know.......signing up and paying to scuba dive through the Park's scuba shop doesn't automatically get you into the park. You need to pay per person just to enter the park itself. Although not much, it's an extra fee you are not aware of. On our scuba dives, a dive master did NOT go with us on the dive but made sure we all had timers so that we would come back and surface in a hour (we were only doing 20-30 ft. dives) or surface if you run low on air. It wasn't complicated but "counting reefs so that you know how many to come back" is a bit of a distraction. All in all, the Park and the dives were good.
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August 2022 by Jordan Bulanda
Did the 9am snorkeling tour - amazing, well worth it! Everything was very well organized & straightforward, and we saw an awesome variety of fish & coral. Lieber is a very cool dude. Highly recommend.
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July 2022 by Jerome Hollon
Exceptional experience here. My partner and I chose John Pennekamp Dive Shop to do our open water certification to support the park system. We were taught by Amanda, and she was nothing short of amazing.The staff here is very attentive, very helpful, and we had a great time learning to dive. If you're getting a certification, ask for Amanda!