Frequently Asked Questions

With CUES, you will get a thorough, individualized, and fun SCUBA training experience. Every staff member of CUES is a dedicated and passionate SCUBA educator. In addition to teaching, our staff are always actively expanding their own diving skills, so you can rest assured that you, as our student, are going to get the best possible instruction. Finally, all course costs that don’t go directly to making your education possible enable CUES to execute our mission of increasing access to SCUBA for groups historically underrepresented in the sport. So you’re paying not only for an excellent dive education, but also supporting a more diverse and inclusive community in the sport!

CUES requires that all of our students (except Scholarship awardees) have their own Personal Equipment, which includes a SCUBA-quality mask, fins, snorkel, boots, log book, waterproof timepiece and surface marker buoy (SMB). This rule applies to certification courses – CUES will provide all equipment to Discover Dive students.

During your Open Water SCUBA Diver course, CUES will provide the use of BCs, regulators, weights, wetsuits, and tanks. For Continuing Education courses (anything beyond Open Water SCUBA Diver), there is a $100 fee for scuba gear rental with delivery. Please note that your course fee does not cover any additional admission fees that may be charged by confined or open water locations and does not cover drysuit rentals as CUES does not have a stock of rental drysuits.

CUES teaches through the National Association of Underwater Instructors (NAUI). NAUI is the world’s first and oldest independent certification agency and, like CUES, is a non-profit. NAUI shares many of CUES’ core values when it comes to training divers, including a level of quality that we stand behind — CUES trains skilled and safe divers, a key tenet of NAUI's curriculum.

Absolutely! CUES certifies students through NAUI (the National Association of Underwater Instructors), which is a globally recognized leader in SCUBA training. NAUI is a member of the World Recreational Scuba Training Council (WRSTC) and is certified by the International Organization for Standards (ISO). In fact, NAUI certifications require skills that go above and beyond the requirements of other industry standards, like introductory rescue techniques in the open water course.

We offer discounts, scholarships, and free courses to organizations and individuals that meet the scope of our mission; this is the reason why we founded CUES!

Please visit our Scholarships page for more information on these opportunities, as well as application forms for both individual and group scholarships. You can also reach out to mission@divecues.org with any additional questions about our mission programming.

Since we are an educational organization and not a dive shop, CUES does not sell any equipment. However, we are happy to offer guidance on what gear to purchase for your course! We are big believers in supporting local businesses, and there are some great dive shops in the Chicagoland area. Some of these shops include Dive Right In Scuba, DJ’s Scuba Locker, Underwater Safaris, Learn Scuba Chicago, and Scuba Sensations. Make sure to let them know that CUES sent you!

CUES does not offer refunds for any student that withdraws from a course less than seven (7) days from the scheduled start date. A credit for use in future courses will be given for any unused goods and/or service if the student withdraws less than seven (7) days from the scheduled course start date.

In the event that an event/course needs to be canceled, all reasonable efforts will be made to notify the students at least three (3) days in advance. Attempts will be made to reschedule as appropriate. If rescheduling proves impossible, a refund will be offered for services not yet rendered. 

There will be no refunds or credit given at any time for goods and/or services rendered, including (but not limited to) activated eLearning codes, class sessions that have already been attended, etc.

Questions? Email us at explorers@divecues.org.