Fundies kicked my a$$

[elan]

I will say, this has turned into a kinder, simpler war.

Oh, what is the DIR accepted speargun? And does it go left or right?

Well it's Doing It all with Right in fact it depends which side you are swimming on relative to the leader. The rule is the leader should feel that his ass is on the line ... Of gun's sight

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

A few days ago I forswore any other higher level of training, ever.

This too shall pass ... for me, the hardest part about Fundies was overcoming the urge afterward to trade in my gear for a set of golf clubs.

At the time it was Uncle Pug who urged me to not turn skills practice into a job ... always keep in mind that we do this for fun ... but to take some time during each dive to practice the things I needed to work on. In my case, that started with just learning how to completely relax in the water and maintain whatever position I wanted to be in. Once I overcame that hurdle, a lot of things started falling into place.

Oh, and learning the back kick was seriously entertaining ... I'm hoping those videos never show up in public ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[TSandM]

Backwards shrimp dance! Thank GOODNESS the instructors never release Fundies footage . . .

 

[knowone]

Poked myself a few compartments into the front of a narrow silt laden sub one day

Then upon realising my predicament and due to that course that sounds like it has
been nick named, after a gay rescue package for a financial institution, not having
reared itself, a light bulb appeared above my head, and I began finning backwards

Just like that

I then swam along on my own merry way splurging an equivalent
amount of money on another 50 boat dives finding, poking myself
into other compartments, doing the only legitimate course there is

DIVING


Not that there is anything wrong with wanting to achieve, within
the group the highest of skill levels standing yourself in the best
stead possible for your diving future unless you have to think for
yourself


Doing it regimentally so as to endear oneself
is, of monumental Shakespearean proportion

[video=youtube;lsrOXAY1arg]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lsrOXAY1arg&feature=player_detailpage[/video]


So what, I just found out how to embed video.


I'm just going to phone the ocean and ask her to stop raining
Not that there is anything wrong with that either

 

[TSandM]

knowone, you may be unique in the history of diving for having intuited a back kick without having been shown one or instructed on how to do it. For the rest of us, that particular kick can be an enormous challenge to master.

Honestly, for how much I use it, if I had gotten NOTHING else out of Fundies, it would have been worth the cost.

 

[Mossman]

knowone, you may be unique in the history of diving for having intuited a back kick without having been shown one or instructed on how to do it. For the rest of us, that particular kick can be an enormous challenge to master.

Honestly, for how much I use it, if I had gotten NOTHING else out of Fundies, it would have been worth the cost.

I believe knowone was trying to say that he extricated himself from his situation by remembering the back kick he learned in ___ Fundamentals. Even so, I doubt he would have been unique. I figured it out without being shown one.

 

[vladimir]

I believe knowone was trying to say that he extricated himself from his situation by remembering the back kick he learned in ___ Fundamentals. Even so, I doubt he would have been unique. I figured it out without being shown one.

No, TSandM is correct, I think, in her interpretation of knowone's post. I huddled together with Google translate and a team of linguists and cryptographers, and we think you may have overlooked the key phrase:

due to that course that sounds like it has been nick named, after a gay rescue package for a financial institution, not having reared itself

Our team interprets it to mean that knowone figured this out (a light bulb appeared above my head) on his own, before the Fundies course was available. Okay, back to deciphering ancient hieroglyphics.

 

[Mossman]

On second look, no make that fourth look, I do believe you and TSandM are correct. The "splurging an equivalent amount of money" should have been a clue. I was never very good at interpreting poetry, especially Australian poetry.

 

[Leejnd]

So I'm going to "dive" into this discussion (probably unwisely) and say that I am a Fundies-trained diver with feelings of ambiguity. I took my Fundies class in November and didn't pass, which was a disappointment but not unsurprising. I really really really struggled with the math. I'm not a stupid person, and have managed to raise a family and hold down a pretty challenging job in Biotech for years now...but that class made me feel dumber than I've ever felt in my life. I just...didn't get it (the math). I remember doing fine in math class back in school, although that was longer ago than I want to say . But I just don't use much algebra in my daily life - I'm a writer and a trainer, and my skills are with words and presentation, not with numbers. And to be honest, I felt that the class materials didn't give those of us who don't use math much in our daily lives the basics we need to pick it back up again. The timeline for the class is so fast, and while I really loved the immersion aspect...I just couldn't spend enough time on the math to really assimilate it. I kept hearing that it was all going to come together to the point where I could do it in my head at depth...but it didn't. I barely got through that part (although I did manage to pass the test - ironically it wasn't the math that kept me from passing, it was struggling with some of the skills & drills).

Shortly after finishing my class I went on vacation to Costa Rica where I got to do a whole bunch of dives, but none of them with anyone DIR-trained, so I didn't get to practice what I learned...although there were definite and marked improvements in my buoyancy, breathing, propulsion, and overall comfort in the water. But right after that, I had to have major surgery...so I couldn't dive at all for many months, and was focused exclusively on recovery.

Now I'm trying to get back into diving, and I want to use what I learned. So I pulled my materials out to review them...and the math is even more impenetrable than before.

I learned of an opportunity to go on a boat charter with all DIR divers next Saturday, so I signed up, figuring the best way to get back in it is to plunge in with a bunch of DIR divers. But now I'm realizing that I've forgotten so much of what I learned, especially about the gas management and, really, all the math stuff. And now I'm wondering if I've gotten in over my head.

I realize I would not be in this situation if I hadn't just dropped it all right after class. My own fault...although not something I had control of. I know I should just take the plunge and pay for some 1:1 refresher training with my instructor...and that's likely what I'm going to do. I'm just frustrated that it's all seeming so impenetrable now. And it's not like I forgot everything - I did a couple dives last weekend (with non-DIR divers) and was pleased to see that my gains in buoyancy control and propulsion skills are not all gone (abeit rusty). But when asked to help plan our first dive for this upcoming charter, involving gas planning with dissimilar tanks, I looked at the formulas and they looked like Swahili to me.

Anyway, kudos to Crush for passing it on the first try - neither I or my fellow Fundies student (there were only two of us in our class) did. He has since passed - kudos to him too! Hopefully I'll get there someday. Maybe I need to go back to take remedial algebra or something. I'm just feeling a big discouraged right now.

 

[Crush]

Thanks for the congratulations, Leejnd!

Hopefully I'll get there someday. Maybe I need to go back to take remedial algebra or something. I'm just feeling a big discouraged right now.

I know how you feel - being "beaten up" can be a good and a bad experience. Whoever said "that which does not kill us makes us stronger" forgot that sometimes you just end up maimed...

FWIW, the most "fun" that I had in a scuba course was in Cavern (NACD) at Ginnie Springs - I would recommend that you try it. We learned similar gas management skills and calculations, needed to demonstrate trim and buoyancy, and were introduced to helicopter turns as well as the frog and flutter kicks. The level of proficiency required for the kicks was lower. You will learn line drills and carry out silt-out exercises. Ginnie was a great venue as the water is warm and silting out was not an issue in the regions that we were permitted into. It was fun and highly recommended!