Frequently Asked Questions
Orders (11)
If you don't know, we probably don't know either.
If your package was shipped via USPS, you should have received an email with the subject "GUE has sent you a package!" that contains a tracking number. US customers should see their tracking updated through delivery. International customers will see that their tracking information is updated until your package leaves the United States, at which time, it is up to the discretion of your national postal service whether to update it further. GUE does not have any more information than you do, and recommends calling your local post office if it has been more than 4 weeks since your order was shipped.
UPS provides updated tracking through delivery for US and International shipments.
Some postal services take longer than others to process items through customs. If there is anything we can do to make this process go more smoothly, please leave an order comment and we will be happy to oblige as best we can.
GUE has no control over what happens to an order once it leaves our office, and cannot take responsibility for lost merchandise orders that are the result of incorrect or incomplete addresses, mistranslation, inability to deliver, change of address, or postal service mishandling or loss. GUE is happy to provide any information about your package should you need to submit a claim to USPS, but we cannot undertake this process for you and cannot be responsible for following up on any claims made with USPS.
If you still have a question about your package, please email orders@gue.com.
For international shipments via USPS Priority or USPS First Class, the USPS cannot update your tracking information after the package is transferred to your home country's postal service. Whether your tracking information will continue to be updated at all is entirely at the discretion of the postal service of your country. If you do not receive your package within 4 weeks of it leaving the U.S., please contact orders@gue.com.
GUE gear stickers are made by a 3rd party vendor local to GUE HQ and thus take time to order, receive, and ship. Stickers are ordered on or around the 1st and 15th of each month, depending on business hours, and should be ready to ship within two weeks.
GUE and its partner vendor will do the best we can with any special or non-English characters. We are generally able to accommodate any requested characters, but if you are worried about the spelling of non-English-alphabet names or words, please leave an order comment and we will be sure to ask our vendor to lend some extra attention to the accuracy of your stickers.
The website estimates all shipping costs based on up-to-date prices and the combined weight of your merchandise. If the website overestimates your shipping costs, you will be refunded the difference in cost to the payment method used on your order, and you will receive an email explaining the refund. GUE HQ never seeks to profit in any way from shipping charges.
If you are looking for less expensive shipping options, there are a few that we suggest:
- You can consider choosing USPS First Class Mail, which takes a bit longer but can cost significantly less (often $20-$30 less) for international orders. USPS First Class International shipping is now available as a selection in checkout if it qualifies, meaning your order weighs 4 pounds or less.
- You can get together with other GUE divers in your area and place an order together, then split the shipping when you work out the individual costs among yourselves. This can be a very cost-effective way to get merchandise if you want a number of items and/or you know multiple other people who also wish to order merchandise from GUE HQ.
- You can time your order with a dive trip you or a friend plan to take to the U.S., then have your items shipped to your temporary address or, if you are visiting High Springs, pick them up from GUE HQ. In order to make sure your items are in stock and can be shipped at the appropriate time to arrive during your travel window, we recommend placing orders no later than one month before your/your friend's arrival in the U.S. This gives us time to order and receive any out-of-stock items, and to time the shipment of your order accurately so that it arrives during your specified window. If you plan to use this method, as always, we suggest contacting GUE HQ's shipping representative at orders@gue.com as soon as possible to get the best possible results.
- A final option is to see if there is a GUE Dive Center in your country or in a country closer to yours than the United States who sells the item you want to purchase. Please note that stock at GUE Dive Centers can be VERY limited and is chosen entirely at the discretion of the shop itself. They are under no obligation to fill orders they are not prepared for, and this is listed only as a resource for the convenience of our customers and the promotion of our officiap parenters. Dive Centers may choose to honor GUE Membership discounts, but they are not obligated to do so.
If you have any further shipping or merchandise questions, please email orders@gue.com.
If you have placed your order within the last 48 hours, there is a chance it has not yet been shipped. In this case we can easily adjust the order to reflect your request. If you are unsure of the status of your order, please email orders@gue.com or call 1-800-762-DIVE (3483).
If you are looking for less expensive shipping options, there are a few that we suggest:
- You can consider choosing USPS First Class Mail, which takes a bit longer but can cost significantly less for international orders.
- You can get together with other GUE divers in your area and place an order together, then split the shipping when you work out the individual costs among yourselves. This can be a very cost-effective way to get merchandise if you want a number of items and/or you know multiple other people who also wish to order merchandise from GUE HQ.
- You can time your order with a dive trip you or a friend plan to take to the U.S., then have your items shipped to your temporary address or, if you are visiting High Springs, pick them up from GUE HQ. In order to make sure your items are in stock and can be shipped at the appropriate time to arrive during your travel window, we recommend placing orders no later than one month before your/your friend's arrival in the U.S. This gives us time to order and receive any out-of-stock items, and to time the shipment of your order accurately so that it arrives during your specified window. If you plan to use this method, as always, we suggest contacting GUE HQ's shipping representative at orders@gue.com as soon as possible to get the best possible results.
- A final option is to see if there is a GUE Dive Center in your country or in a country closer to yours than the United States who sells the item you want to purchase. Please note that stock at GUE Dive Centers can be VERY limited and is chosen entirely at the discretion of the shop itself. They are under no obligation to fill orders they are not prepared for, and this is listed only as a resource for the convenience of our customers and the promotion of our partners.
If you have any further shipping or merchandise questions, please email orders@gue.com.
Classes (10)
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.
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 and 2.
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.
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.
Official Training Photo/Video Policy
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
Certifications (8)
If you choose to pay to renew your certification at the same time as placing a merchandise order, please note that for quality assurance purposes, these orders are handled separately, and your certification card will not be included in the same package as your merchandise order, unless you leave an order comment specifically requesting that one be held until the other is ready to ship.
If you haven’t received your card 4-6 weeks after your class is over (international mail can take up to 4-6 weeks for delivery) and have filled out your QC form and updated your contact information, then please contact certifications@gue.com.
If you do not have your certification card, either because you haven’t received it, have lost it, realized it needs to be renewed, or forgot it when traveling, please contact info@gue.com or 1-800-762-DIVE (3483) and provide all of your pertinent information. We will do everything we can to help resolve your issue based on the circumstances surrounding your request.
If you haven’t received your card yet, please be sure you have filled out your QC form. Please note that if a card is requested to be sent any other method than USPS First Class, you will be required to cover the shipping cost.
Membership (7)
GUE Membership offers a number of benefits, depending on the level, all of which are listed and up-to-date on our membership page.
This membership benefit can only be used during the one-year period of the membership with which it is associated. No membership benefits may be rolled over, banked, or in any way valid more than one year after purchase of a membership, even if it is renewed without interruption.
For example, you cannot redeem three free course registrations after renewing the Gold membership you have had for one year already.
Additionally, free course registration benefits cannot be applied to registrations purchased before the period of membership. These rules apply to all levels of membership that grant free registrations (Gold and Platinum). If this conflicts with your training plans, remember that course registrations are valid for 12 months from the date of purchase, and registration fees can be purchased independently from course application. If you have any questions about this policy, please contact GUE HQ.
GUE offers a range of membership levels to suit any budget. To view the various levels and their benefits, please visit our membership page here.
Version 3 had a few bugs (i.e., incorrect implementation of the on/off-gassing models) that were fixed in the release of version 4. The majority of these fixes will in some cases result in differences of around 1-1.5% of the dive time. However, one of the corrections can alter the result a bit more. This applies to the rate of helium off-gassing during a surface interval. If you plan repetitive dives with helium, any decompression plan following the surface interval will likely be shorter in version 4 compared to version 3. With this in mind, if you are used to planning repetitive dives in version 3, you would need to increase the conservatism for the repetitive dive in version 4 to achieve the same level of gas loading that you are used to.
Yes, repetitive dives are now supported through the "Logbook" section, which you will find in the main menu.
To plan a repetitive dive, tap the large + sign to plan your first dive. Then return to the Logbook page, where you will see an entry for the current day with the first dive listed under this day. To plan a second ("repetitive") dive, tap the smaller + sign on the day entry. This will open up a new planning page, where you will now find a "Surface Time" tab to the left of the active "Levels" tab. Enter your surface interval here, and then plan your repetitive dive as usual in the "Levels" tab.
Most of the books can be opened using Mac Preview and other PDF viewers, but all can be opened using Adobe Reader, a free download available here: Get Adobe Reader
Please note: When you buy a software program from GUE you will download it as a ZIP archive. This ZIP archive contains the program installer, and it is very important that you keep this file in a safe place. We highly recommend that you save the file to an external memory device such as a USB drive, CD/DVD, or external hard drive, so that in the event of a computer crash or theft, you will not need to re-purchase your software.
All data of the users is stored inside Google Firebase servers, with secure and exclusive access guaranteed by the dedicated login process.
If you want to completely delete your user and all related data from our servers please follow the instructions below:
1) login inside GUE Decoplanner Mobile app
2) go to the “Settings” page
3) click on “Delete Account”
4) click ok in the following popups
5) Your account and all your data is completely removed from our servers
About GUE (2)
- Divers use the same equipment configuration; this enhances safety and efficiency.
- Divers use the same well-defined set of breathing gases, including nitrox, helium and oxygen; standard mixes eliminate complexity and greatly enhance safety.
- Divers use a team approach during all dives, facilitating fun and safety.
- Divers must have a solid grasp of fundamental diving skills, including refined buoyancy, trim, and teamwork; these skills must be developed in concert with the type of diving being pursued. Difficult dives require very high levels of skill development.
Over time it became obvious that divers experiencing difficulty on advanced dives and during technical training were suffering from poorly developed fundamental skills. Among other deficiencies, basic skills were lacking, including good buoyancy control, efficient propulsion techniques, and effective gas sharing techniques; this was true despite the fact that applicants were often experienced divers. Consequently, the founders of GUE attempted to shift the industry away from quantity and toward a focus that insisted upon greater capacity from motivated individuals. Over time it became apparent that too many factors were discouraging migration to longer more demanding instruction. Profit-driven forces coupled with general inertia encouraged the persistent reduction of diver training requirements. As a nonprofit education, research, conservation, and exploration agency, Global Underwater Explorers appeared better situated to encourage robust training; ultimately this emphasis led to the expansion of GUE’s diver training division.
GUE.tv (8)
GUE.tv was created to provide a supplementary educational platform for scuba diving enthusiasts. We believe these materials will increase global awareness of GUE training, thereby inspiring divers from around the world to establish and maintain a unified perspective, help ease diver anxiety, enhance class readiness, aid in skill maintenance, and encourage otherwise undecided or unsure divers to seek out training.
GUE.tv is a production of Global Underwater Explorers (GUE), the 501(c)(3) nonprofit committed to high-quality diver education and to exploration and conservation of the world’s aquatic environments. Learn more at www.GUE.com/about.
When you sign up for GUe.tv for just $24.99/month, you receive full access to our growing library of subscriber videos including lectures, surface and in-water skill demonstrations, and project documentaries.
GUE.tv educational videos are made possible by dedicated GUE instructors with years of personal diving, exploration, and instruction experience. Check back soon for more information on our contributors!
Have a question? Email us at info@gue.tv.
Please note: by redeeming your code and signing up for a GUE.tv subscription you are agreeing to a recurring monthly fee of $24.99 that will be assessed to your chosen payment method beginning on the 4th monthly billing cycle. You may cancel your subscription anytime from the Subscriptions option on your GUE.tv Dashboard. Coupon codes are considered redeemed once they have been used on a subscription; users who cancel before the end of the three months cannot retrieve unused time.
Conservation: 30%, a $90 annual savings!
Silver: 50%, a $150 annual savings!
Gold: 100%, a $300 annual savings!
Platinum: 100%, a $300 annual savings!
GUE Members will receive a new discount code each year, which requires cancellation of the existing subscription and activation of a new subscription with the revised code.
Please note: by redeeming your code and signing up for a GUE.tv subscription you are agreeing to a recurring monthly fee of $24.99 minus your member discount that will be assessed to your chosen payment method for 12 monthly billing cycles. Beginning with the 13th billing cycle your monthly charge will increase to $24.99. You may cancel your subscription anytime from the Subscriptions option on your GUE.tv Dashboard. Coupon codes are considered redeemed once they have been used on a subscription; users who cancel before the end of 12 billings cannot redeem discounts on unused months.
Once you have reached your set due date and your subscription is no longer active, visit the subscription page to re-subscribe, making sure to enter your code in the Coupon Code field. Wait for the amount to update before selecting the Submit Order button.
Quality Control (1)
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