Frequently Asked Questions - Classes

No, GUE certification and membership are entirely separate designations. Anyone who fulfills the course prerequisites is eligible to take a GUE class.

GUE Fundamentals training is an immensely popular course, affecting the way many individuals think about scuba diving. Initially, GUE Fundamentals was structured to prepare divers for the rigors of technical diving and was established as a prerequisite for this training. However, most difficulty in diving relates to poorly developed fundamental skills; therefore, GUE began to promote this course to a broader community. Divers around the world have embraced this training as a way to greatly improve the safety and fun within their diving.

GUE Fundamentals may be conducted in a single tank for recreational divers; technical divers interested in advanced GUE training will use twin (double) tanks. To enter GUE Fundamentals, individuals must hold an Open Water rating from a recognized agency (most major agencies are acceptable). GUE training focuses on foundational skills, including theory and practical application of buoyancy, trim, teamwork, rescue skills, nitrox and other breathing gases, gas consumption, dive planning, equipment configuration, decompression theory, and more. GUE Fundamentals dives are video-recorded and used as a teaching tool to help improve diving skills.

You can learn more about GUE Fundamentals on its course page or in the GUE Standards.

The cost of a GUE class can vary, as GUE HQ does not set guidelines as to what instructors are required to charge. The only fee that we require to be paid directly to HQ is the registration fee, which gives you access to your class materials and allows you to apply for a class. This fee covers the cost of those materials, processing, and certification. This fee varies from $45 for non-certification classes (Doubles and Drysuit Primers) to $95 for foundational training (including GUE Fundamentals and the Recreational Diver track) to $150 for advanced training (including the Cave Diver and Technical Diver tracks).

The registration fee charged by GUE HQ is separate from any course fees charged by your instructor and covers the cost of materials, processing, and certification. It is valid for 9 months from the date of purchase.

This fee varies based on the class you are taking:

• $45 for Doubles or Drysuit Primer (no certifications), Gas Blender, and Triox, Navigation, and Rescue Primer.
• $40 for GUE Fundamentals Part 1 and Recreational Supervised Diver to Rec 1 Upgrade
• $55 for GUE Fundamentals Part 2 and Recreational Supervised Diver
• $95 for GUE Fundamentals, Recreational Diver 1, 2, and 3, Documentation Diver, DPV 1, DPV Cave, Cave Sidemount, Underwater Cave Survey, Scientific Diver, and Photogrammetry Diver.
• $125 for CCR1, CCR 2, CCR Cave, and PSCR Diver.
• $150 for Cave 1 and 2, Tech 1, 60, and 2.

The first step towards registering for a GUE class is to verify with your instructor that there is a spot reserved for you. GUE HQ (and thus our website) does not substitute for direct communication with the instructor concerning class availability.

The next step is to create a free account on GUE.com and complete your Student Profile, located under the My Account menu. Once you have done this, you can find the class you want to take by selecting the "Find GUE Classes" button on the Diver Training menu. Once you find the class you wish to sign up for, you will be prompted to pay the registration fee. Successful payment of the registration fee applies you for the course, and both you and your instructor will receive an email confirmation.

Check to make sure that you have entered something in every field. If you have left anything blank, your form will not be processed. Once you have made sure that there are no blank fields and it still shows as incomplete, please contact info@gue.com.

GUE offers a wide variety of high quality, comprehensive scuba classes, ranging from recreational open water training to advanced technical and cave diving. GUE courses include:

• GUE Fundamentals, our most popular course
• Recreational open water courses
• Cave diving courses
• Technical diving courses
• Specialty training courses, including scientific diving, DPV, and photogrammetry
• CCR and PSCR courses
• Specialty primer courses in topics like doubles, drysuit, rescue, and navigation

The structure of GUE training can be found on the Explore GUE Courses page, which includes links to more extensive course descriptions.

For the most up-to-date and complete descriptions, including prerequisites, topics, required skills, and equipment, you should always review the current version of GUE Standards.

Because of GUE’s continuous growth, our Instructors can be found all over the world. To find an instructor in your area, visit our instructor page. Can’t find one close to you? Don’t worry! Many of our instructors are flexible and willing to travel. For more details, visit the instructor’s resume page by clicking on their name.

We're so glad that you're interested in GUE training but, no, you cannot undertake GUE training while you still use these items. E-cigarettes, vape pens, shisha, hookah, etc. all fall under GUE's no-smoking policy. Once you have discontinued use of these items, we'd love for you to join a GUE class!

Underwater training videos or photos taken during class can only be used during that particular class for training purposes, and they must be deleted after training is complete . No students, instructors, or instructor candidates may retain this content post-class. However, there is some flexibility with other content captured during the course, so please review GUE's official policy below.

Official Training Photo/Video Policy

1. Training imagery (video or photo) recorded underwater and during class must be focused on student learning and refining performance. These recordings are not to be used outside of the class setting and are to be deleted after training is completed.
2. Non-training imagery (video or photo) recorded underwater may be taken after all training and evaluation is complete. In this case, all divers joining the dive must be informed and agree to public use of the imagery.
3. Training imagery (video or photo) recorded above water may be released publicly under the condition that consent is given by the course instructor and all represented participants.