Sign Up as a Dive Center

The purpose of this application form is not only to determine if you can become a Cousteau Dive Center: if any of your replies do not meet our criteria, we will inform you of what steps to take in order to meet our standards and accompany you to receive our accreditation. After validation of your application, the Cousteau Divers who visit your dive center will regularly verify the accuracy of the information provided.

All information collected on this form is strictly confidential and will never be shared by Cousteau Divers to any third-party.

What is a Cousteau Dive Center?

Cousteau Dive Centers are safe, reliable, professional and environmentally responsible operations. As such, they serve as permanent observatories of their dive sites, are allowed to teach the Cousteau Diver course to any entry-level diver or snorkeler, and sell Cousteau Divers merchandise at advantageous rates. In addition to this, we develop activities and standards for Cousteau Diver Missions and Excursions and we encourage and help you to have your dive sites declared marine protected areas. Each Cousteau Dive Center pays an annual membership fee to become a Cousteau Dive Center. In exchange, your dive center (and only your dive center, not any other activities) may market itself as such to the consumer. We advertise for the dive center(s) on www.cousteaudivers.org, orienting divers your way as a high quality, safe, environmentally friendly operation. You also link to our website and promote us on site.

Teaching the course

Cousteau Dive Centers can teach divers and snorkelers the Cousteau Divers course, as they would any other specialty course. This includes the course materials, online registration of participants and a one-year membership for the participant who receives a certification card. The course can be taught with approximately 2 hours of classroom work and one dive. Exact course standards are given once the dive center is accredited.

What you cannot do as a Cousteau Dive Center

• You may not use the Cousteau or Cousteau Dive Center trademarks for any political or government programs without prior written consent from Cousteau Divers.
• You may not use these to promote any other activity than diving or snorkeling.
• You may not use these to facilitate or conclude any partnerships with any other organization without prior written consent from Cousteau Divers.
• You may not use the Cousteau or Cousteau Diver trademarks to raise funds without prior written consent from Cousteau Divers.
• You may not claim to represent, or speak in the name of, the Cousteau Divers organization at any public or private event.
• You may not use the Cousteau or Cousteau Diver trademarks to promote any other profitable, non-profitable, governmental or non-governmental organization or any products.
• The Cousteau Divers organization may revoke your membership at any time if you fail to comply to these requirements, whether this is supposed or demonstrated.
• In case of infringement of the above requirements, you or your organization are liable to pay Cousteau Divers financial compensation for any material or moral damage caused.

Safety and the Cousteau Dive Center

COUSTEAU DIVERS supports and recommends the DAN "Diving Safety Partner" Program, designed for recreational scuba dive resorts, charter boats and live-aboard vessel operators.

The program is designed for professionals in the recreational dive industry who work hard to be safe and responsible dive operators.

Becoming a DAN Diving Safety Partner is not automatic, but it is not unreasonably difficult – and the rewards are great. The program consists of 3 Levels. The division is based on size and nature of the dive operation.

The following is a checklist of important requirements a dive operation must have to enter Level 1:

Please check all that apply

As a partner of DAN's DSP program, we recommend that your dive operation observes the following guidelines:

• Demonstrate staff emergency preparedness
• Equipment preparedness
• Procedure preparedness

Your operation should be able to effectively deal with emergencies that have occurred. You should typically:

• Be able to rescue injured persons (including diving emergencies, but also other non-diving-related injuries)
• Be able to provide life support and basic first aid
• Be able to administer oxygen and have sufficient oxygen supplies
• Be able to conduct a neurological examination of an injured person
• Be able to contact emergency service providers (including DAN)
• Have a feasible emergency assistance plan in place (for lost divers, diving emergencies and non-diving emergencies)

You should have appropriate oxygen, first aid and emergency equipment available and the staff members of the facility should have the following qualifications (DAN or equivalent):

• Oxygen first aid for Scuba diving emergencies
• Basic Life Support
• First Aid / First aid for hazardous marine life injuries (if these injuries can be caused in the region the provider operates in)
• On-site neurological assessment for divers

For more information or to apply for the program, please contact dsl@daneurope.org.