How it works
From pin to payout, step by step
Everything happens in the app: the pin, the offers, the payment and the proof. Pick your side to see the whole path.
How does Scuber work?
The customer drops a pin where the item was lost and describes it. Nearby divers send offers (jobs start at $50) and the customer picks one and pays by card in the app. The payment is held until the job is done: when the diver marks the item recovered, the customer confirms it, or it is released automatically after 48 hours unless the customer opens a dispute. If the item is not found or the customer cancels before the dive, the customer is refunded in full.
Illustrative screens from the app design. The app is not in the stores yet.
For customers
You lost something in the water
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Step 1 of 5
Drop a pin where it went in
Open the map and place a pin. You can do this before you make an account. Scuber shows you the water body, and how deep the water is there when we have data for it.
Then tell us what you lost, add up to six photos, and pick a budget.
Depth shown with how sure we are
No account needed yet
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Step 2 of 5
Divers nearby send offers
Divers near the spot can see your job and send one offer each, with a price and a note. Jobs start at $50. Offers show the total price.
Each diver card shows their certification agency, the depth on their card, rating and completed jobs. Compare them and pick one.
Certification reviewed by a person
One offer per diver
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Step 3 of 5
Your payment is held
When you accept an offer, you pay the diver's price plus Scuber's service fee by card in the app. You see the total first. The money is held through Scuber's payment partner until the job is done. It is not paid to the diver yet.
You make an account at this point, not before.
Payment held
Card only. Never cash.
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Step 4 of 5
The dive
The diver confirms, and a chat opens between you. Your exact pin is shared with that diver only.
The diver can share their live location while they are on their way, if they choose to. You can follow the job on a simple timeline.
Exact pin for your diver only
Chat stays in the app
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Step 5 of 5
Check the proof, then confirm
If the diver finds your item, they mark it recovered and add a proof photo. If they don't find it, they may ask for a search fee (up to 25% of the job price, $25 minimum) and the rest is refunded to you, or you get a full refund if they ask for none.
Tap confirm and the payment is released to the diver. Scuber's fees are taken from the payment, not added later. Then you can leave a review.
Released when you confirm
Not found? Refund of the rest
For divers
You're a diver
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Step 1 of 5
Go online and browse
Open jobs show on the map with a price and distance.
Until you are hired, the pin is shown only roughly (about 650 feet off), so a customer's exact spot stays private.
Approximate area until you are hired
Price and distance up front
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Step 2 of 5
Send an offer
You send one offer per job and can edit it. The customer sees your price plus Scuber's service fee. Scuber's marketplace fee comes out of your price, and you see what you receive before you send.
If a job is deeper than the depth on your card, the app shows a warning and asks you to confirm you understand the risk. It never decides for you.
You see your share before you send
Depth warnings, your call
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Step 3 of 5
Get hired
When a customer accepts, you get a notification, the chat opens and you see the exact pin.
Their payment is already held before you get in the water.
Payment already held
Exact pin and chat unlock
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Step 4 of 5
Dive and report
Tap "On my way" (live location is shared with the customer for this job only), then "In the water".
Afterwards mark the item recovered with a proof photo, or mark it not found and say what area you searched. You can also log a depth reading.
Live location for this job only
Proof photo when recovered
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Step 5 of 5
Get paid
When the customer confirms, the payment is released to your bank account.
If they do nothing, it is released automatically 48 hours after you mark the item recovered, unless they open a dispute. If the item is not found, you may ask for a search fee; the rest is refunded to the customer.
Paid by bank transfer
48 h auto-release, unless disputed
At a glance
One recovery, start to finish
One recovery, start to finish (scrolls sideways on small screens)
- Pin dropped On the water, no account yet
- Offers arrive From divers nearby
- Accept and pay Card only, payment held
- The dive Exact pin for your diver only
- Proof photos Marked recovered, with a photo
- You confirm Or dispute in the 48-hour window
- Released Diver paid, less the marketplace fee
Where your money is
You pay by card only. There is no cash option, and Apple Pay and Google Pay are not supported. Scuber can only protect payments that go through the app.
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You pay
$59.99
The $50 offer plus a $9.99 service fee, by card when you accept. Never cash.
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Payment held
$59.99
Held by Scuber's payment partner. Not paid to the diver yet.
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Diver receives
$45
When you confirm, or 48 hours after the diver marks it recovered, unless you open a dispute.
Scuber's fees: the $9.99 service fee you pay on top, and $5 taken from the diver's price. Card processing is paid by Scuber out of its fees.
Cancelled before the dive: full refund of $59.99. Not found: a search fee if agreed, the rest refunded.
The 48-hour auto-release
After a diver marks your item recovered, you have 48 hours to confirm it, or to open a dispute if something is wrong.
If you do nothing, the payment is released to the diver automatically at the end of that window. This keeps divers from waiting forever. It is not a way to rush you: if there is a problem, open a dispute before the time is up and the payment is paused for a Scuber admin to review.
Step by step
- Before you accept an offer: nothing is charged.
- After you accept: your card is charged and the money is held until the job is done.
- If the item is not found, or you cancel before the dive: you get a full refund (the job price and the service fee).
- After the recovery is confirmed: the money goes to the diver, less Scuber's marketplace fee.
Cash is never allowed. Details are on the pricing page and the trust and safety page. The rules are in the Terms of Service.
Good to know
- No offers after 24 hours? The app suggests raising your budget or widening the search.
- Offers are for a recovery attempt. Scuber and the divers cannot promise that an item will be found.
- Underwater recovery is dangerous. Divers dive at their own risk, and may decline a job if it is not safe.
- Keep everything in the app: no phone numbers, no side deals. See trust and safety.
Last updated:
Ready to get started?
The Scuber app is on the App Store for iPhone and on Google Play for Android. Pick your path to see how it works.
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