Being slow to adopt and not trying to cash in on every fad that comes along is not necessarily a bad thing. In fact it was what drew me to GUE. Thinking of agencies who try to market tech or rebreather courses to divers who have problems remembering how to setup their single tank OW equipment.
Sidemount is a useful tool for some situations. Is it the best tool for all kinds of diving? I don't think so. But a GUE SM course is something I look forward to.
Solo diving....you can bring backup equipment, but you can't bring a backup brain. Everyone makes mistakes some time. I've been in a few situations where someone followed the wrong line or made a wrong call. Nothing happened because buddies were there to correct the situation. I hope GUE never changes their stand on this.
This! I only joined the crowd of "GUE divers" two or three years ago, but I was attracted to GUE for exactly the reason you articulated.
Also, I keep in mind that GUE teaches a diving
system. (Disclaimer: The following is just my personal take on it--I am not "senior" or affiliated with GUE in any way beyond having taken Fundies.) The system is broader than just the gear/configuration. There are some core philosophies or principles that transcend the gear. Part of the system is the idea of team diving--a "unified" team. (So, yeah, I guess that will always preclude solo diving.) Not that non-GUE divers don't dive in teams--I believe it's common to all tech regimes--but in the GUE system the team philosophy is at the core or root of the system. Another core philosophy is uniformity of gear, at least among teammates. I can't imagine that a team choosing to dive sidemount is heretical to GUE core principles. Still another core philosophy that comes to mind is physical fitness. It sounds harsh and discriminatory, but the idea of my fellow divers and potential teammates being reasonably fit appeals to me. There may be others that don't immediately come to mind. But my main point here is that GUE is not just about the gear.
GUE will always appeal to divers who want to dive with like-minded divers. GUE will always appeal to divers who want to dive a
system, even if some peripheral aspect of the system, such as a particular item of gear that the team adopts, is beyond what was taught in any formal GUE course. In GUE
courses, very specific gear configurations and procedures are taught, because that provides a
foundation. On the point of uniformity, everyone is taught the same foundation. One could dive exactly as they were taught in class and be content for years. One could find GUE teammates anywhere in the world and presumably dive with each other that way without speaking the same language. But that doesn't prohibit a GUE team from expanding on the foundation, so long as any changes are made with the core philosophies in mind. Just as there are no scuba police, there are no GUE police.
With respect to change, despite the "DIR" stigma, GUE doesn't explicitly profess to teach "the best" system of all possible systems. GUE teaches what a bunch of highly experienced tech divers have found to work well. I have not interpreted GUE's teachings as saying that nothing else works well. I am confident that when enough of a consensus emerges from experienced GUE divers, GUE will act on it. And what does that even mean? Making a change in their published Standards? If a diver deviates from a standard, does that necessarily make him a non-GUE diver? Is he automatically excommunicated? In sum, I think a "GUE diver" is one who adheres to certain core philosophies. Published GUE Standards are what they are.
