Cost of GUE fundies

[victorzamora]

I use slipstreams and I always considered them a heavy fin. What would you suggest as currently I have to run a tail weight with doubles.

This is getting away from the purposes of the thread, but Slipstreams are neutral(ish) in the water. Jet Fins and Hollis F1s are great fins if you need tail weight.

 

[victorzamora]

I dive twin AL80s in the Middle East and Steel 12s in UK and have the same faith both. I use a Halcyon soft pouch with 4lbs in the bottom in warm water and a 2kg tail weight in cold.

Was just wondering as the OMS I have look exactly the same as my wife's jet fins. Almost like they came from the same factory...

They look kinda the same in that they're of the same style....but they are different. The important thing isn't the look, but the buoyancy characteristics. The OMS fins are much, much lighter in the water.

 

[Dave Bevan]

Ok I'm going to weight both. My wife's jet fins are new so I wonder if they are heavier. Or maybe they changed the design. I'll do some investigating.

 

[Dave Bevan]

I will try F1s if I get the chance.

 

[Dave Bevan]

My fundies was $90 for the course reg and $500 dollars for the course. 4 days instruction. That doesn't include fills and boat costs etc.

 

[Rainer]

Was just wondering as the OMS I have look exactly the same as my wife's jet fins. Almost like they came from the same factory...

Same mold, different material. The Jet Fins are more negative.

 

[Ayisha]

My Fundies was 650 US$ plus the $90 US registration fee, plus the cost of our student-shared accommodations and fills. The students shared the cost of taking the Instructor for a dinner and lunch. It wasn't required, but appears quite customary.

I have seen the Fundies for $750 US here now.

Especally with skills like OOA and reg removal where you have a good volume of air in your lungs to get you through the demonstration.

bold added

Here's a hint: Do skills with a half breath, not a big, full breath. The natural reaction when it's "your turn" is to take a big breath in anticipation, and students rise up and mess up their buoyancy just as they're about to become task loaded, even if they wouldn't normally. Just take a small breath and exhale only so slightly as you're completing a skill or task loading.

Same thing with maintaining your position in the water column. Set yourself as neutral in between the low and high of your inhalations and exhalations if you want to be really precise.

I dropped to 22 ft shooting an SMB, and the Go Pro immediately went for my depth gauge.

It's amazing how those GoPro's go right to the evidence.

 

[sea_otter]

It's amazing how those GoPro's go right to the evidence.

When I stared it was constantly pointed at my fins... so I'll call that improvement!

 

[beester]

No it doesn't.

There are divers who can get into perfect horizontal trim with a bcd. And there are divers who cannot with a wing and a backplate.

People need to stop pretending equipment is a big deal for trim and buoyancy. It's not. I was recently playing around with my bcd and was able to hold exactly the same position as I do with my twinset and one piece harness.

Ok let me rephrase..."equipment SETUP". Of course you can make everything work if you play around with all equipment, weights, weight location, etc. But you need to know very well what you are doing and you need to be aware what impacts what. Most don't.

I mean horizontal trim as in: hover without moving anything (hands or feet or body) and staying horizontal. That takes a finetuned equipment setup and is frankly much more easy to realise with a BP/Wing setup (because the main weight is under your point of gravity) than with a classic bcd.

Since some above are discussing fins... Let me give you a fins example... I'm using turtles. They combine very well with my drysuit (heavier fins and loftier legs), but if I would use those same turtles in tropical water with a 3mm wetsuit I wouldn't be able to hold horizontal trim without moving because my feet would be slightly heavy.

In short equipment SETUP is a big deal for trim and buoancy. Of course I can manage horizontal trim with all equipment, but unless it's setup right I would need to use position of hands, head, feet and slight movement of feet to keep horizontal. Not an issue but I prefer to be able to hold 100% horizontal trim without moving.

 

[Diving Dubai]

Ok let me rephrase..."equipment SETUP". Of course you can make everything work if you play around with all equipment, weights, weight location, etc. But you need to know very well what you are doing and you need to be aware what impacts what. Most don't.

I mean horizontal trim as in: hover without moving anything (hands or feet or body) and staying horizontal. That takes a finetuned equipment setup and is frankly much more easy to realise with a BP/Wing setup (because the main weight is under your point of gravity) than with a classic bcd.

Sorry but I have to disagree in part.

Once you understand how to hover and appear motionless (I say appear because my fins always move a little for balance, much like you are always correcting balance with your hands on a bicycle), then switchign gear should be no problem

Case in point, I purchased a BCD (AL Axiom) for pool work. I've taken it boat diving using my same steel cylinders and shop Ali 80's. The only thing I need to change is the lead and tha's it. I throw the cylinder on, jump in and dive. I can still hold a horizontal stop no issues without any of this fine tuning nonsense.

Eqaully I dive dry for 3 months of the year, and use a completely different harness and backplate (my summer wing has no plate) Again I can jump in and still make stops despite not having used that configuration for 9 or 10 months.

Sure it may be easier to teach someone to balance their rig and how to adjust their body position for a horizontal hover with a wing but they can learn that with any gear BCD or wing.