We live in an unprecedented times of ongoing crisis for our oceans. Whether it be from over fishing, plastic pollution or climate change, the seas that are so critical for our survival are in peril. Our scuba diving community understands the beauty of the underwater world and see first hand the destruction and danger. Scuba divers are by nature stewards of the ocean but becoming a scuba diver can be costly especially for a new generation of stewards. Scuba Educational Alliance of Connecticut formed in 2022 as an organization dedicated to fostering this new generation of scuba divers and ocean stewards

Meet our team

Jeff Cinciripino

Jeff Cinciripino
Founder and President

Jeff is a professional scuba diving instructor and one of the owners of Scuba Shack in Rocky Hill, CT. He is also the host of a bi-weekly podcast, Scuba Shack Radio supporting the dive shops mission of empowering individuals to venture underwater and to advocate for ocean health and sustainability. Jeff is also the author of Your Next Dive, My Adventures in Scuba Diving and writes a weekly blog titled Scuba Shack Weekly. He created Scuba Educational Alliance of Connecticut to help young people develop as scuba divers and thus become a new generation of ocean stewards.
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Jeff is a Friend of the Boston Sea Rovers and a member of the Dive Equipment and Marketing Associations Retailer Engagement Committee.

Elizabeth Weller

Elizabeth Weller
Board of Directors - Youth Outreach

Elizabeth Weller’s passion for marine ecology and ocean conservation began when she became a
certified scuba diver at 14 years old. In 2019, she became a PADI scuba instructor, where she has
opened the wonders of the ocean to new divers. Elizabeth has worked as a scuba instructor at Scuba
Shack in Rocky Hill CT, and while a student at University of Florida. During her summers, Elizabeth
teaches scuba and marine science at Action Quest, which provides educational summer experiences for
teens throughout the world.
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Elizabeth graduated cum laude in 2021 from the University of Florida Honors College with a BS in Marine
Science. As a student, she worked at the Sea Turtle Conservancy, where she tracked migration patterns
of sea turtles to build healthy populations. She also assisted professors in research to build the lobster
populations. Elizabeth is currently enrolled at McGill University in Montreal as a Ph. D candidate in
biology, focusing on environmental RNA.
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