LiteHedded
Contributor
fundamentals is a class that should be priced lower IMO
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fundamentals is a class that should be priced lower IMO
i wonder when enough is enough. these classes keep going up and up while the economy goes down and down.
not everybody gets the same amount of benefit from a fundamentals class...
if people thing that a class such as GUE fundamentals (as one said a 'conduit' to tech classes) then they are going to choke when they see the price of the actual tech courses and all the gear you need to buy to do actual tech dives, not to mention the weekend cost of gas, etc...
if people are already whining about price at the fundies level for the conduit reason, then maybe they need to reconsider going into tech diving.
whether or not i take tech 1, Fundamentals was worth every penny i paid, DESPITE the fact that i've already paid thousands of dollars for 'other' tech certifications through the years and my trimix C-card says i'm 'certified' to dive 300+... Fundamentals made my every day diving, my work diving, video diving, teaching, and even some of my day to day life things more efficient. sounds silly, but it's true (and generally i wouldn't be considered a slacker in any of those areas for the most part - except housework - but thats another story)
I took Fundies because i wanted to learn 'another' way, and be able to apply that to ALL my diving. Once I finally 'grok'd' it, thanks to Bob Sherwood (i took fundies twice cause i'm a knucklehead) i realized i wanted to be able to pay forward that knowledge and mentor other folks.
I have not taken Tech 1 yet, i have plans to, but quite simply finances don't allow at this juncture. It would be for the learning, not for the C-card, because technically i'm already certified beyond that level. So obviously i really like what the GUE instructors teach. I like the methods and i love the fully thought out reasoning, and i want more people to be trained in the methodology, so when finances allow, i'll lead by examplebut in the meantime if that means i put in 2 or 3 days (or more) a week mentoring, shooting video, helping balance rigs, letting people use gear, i'm happy donating my time and energy... it grows dive buddies... it makes better divers... it builds a community...
fundies can be taken as a base for going into tech, or as a terminal course just for people looking to get past a plateau in their recreational diving.
Primer is indeed a fantastic intermediary (and for some all they want out of the GUE program) for taking someone right out of Openwater or Advanced and ease them into the program, allowing them to experience more success and not get as frustrated as if they jumped right in to Fundamentals.
It limits the people who take the class though, and its a pipeline to the cave and tech classes. I think its worth the money, but in the current economy, there are less people with $600 of disposable income.
if people think that a class such as GUE fundamentals <is pricey>(as one said a 'conduit' to tech classes) then they are going to choke when they see the price of the actual tech courses and all the gear you need to buy to do actual tech dives, not to mention the weekend cost of gas, etc...
if people are already whining about price at the fundies level for the conduit reason, then maybe they need to reconsider going into tech diving..
The cave classes on the other hand are getting scary expensive (at least in MX).![]()
I agree with Laura.
How much is Cave 1 in Fla?