A somewhat sad conversation last night

[Debraw]

Guba- I hope you have read the follow up emails to the original email, you referenced, that was sent out about the give and take on the new scuba group forming in Texas. We are a work in progress and in no way feel like we are a secret society, with handshakes and black t-shirts as was suggested by Brother Bear. The idea for diving with a club member was actually taken from the Texas Swamp Divers. Now that we are conversing back in forth in emails with everyone who cares to join the conversation you will read that the idea is to dive with any member. More than likely those dives would be taken with several members present and helpful hints would be given on making sure their gear is in shape, no leaks, tanks hydro'd, bcd's that fit, hoses routed correctly, etc. GUE, DIR were talked about, but I know I am not interested in that and will participate as a UW photographer, DM when asked to assist if anyone new comes in and just wants some more experience, cooking, and trying to keep things light. We really are a work in progress and have chosen as a group to not post anything on SB because we really are not ready to go public, and this posting in this thread with the backlash that has been shown is exactly why we wanted to remain quiet. Staying quiet was not a holier than though attitude, we simply just are not ready yet. I have a pool and I am opening it to the members this Saturday, who are wanting to dust off the gear, eat, talk about plans for the group and have an open, non-judgemental conversation. Our motto is training, conservation, and safety, nothing less, nothing more. It is open to everyone, really it is. We are looking for divers who are interested in diving, improving their skills, help with gear, questions, answers, good food. We are not a club who are interested in a club loaded with divers who are interested in planning blue water trips all the time and drinking parties. We are local divers with a common interest.

 

[Guba]

UPDATE: For those who read my previous post concerning a newly formed dive group.

I've received an email from one of the lead organizers, and I feel I need to stand corrected on a few issues. I was mistaken when I stated the affiliated shop was "GUE oriented", and that the instructors mentioned were GUE instructors. In a previous email, a comment was made that stated there was "a GUE contingent within the group", but that the overall direction of the group was not intended to be GUE specifically. I sincerely apologize for misreading the intent of the messages and painting an inaccurate picture of the fledgling group. That was not my intent at all.
The leader also stressed that the "evaluation" was nothing more than to assure that the diver was safe in terms of buoyancy, buddy awareness, and posesses the ability to learn. He emphatically stated that the group is not just for GUE divers.
It does appear, though, that prospective members will still be brought in by "sponsorship" by existing members.

I sincerely apologize for any difficulties and hurt feelings my post may have caused. To damage or tarnish the image of this new organization was the farthest thing from my mind, and I was genuine in my understanding and my concerns at the time. Indeed, I still am not totally comfortable with the guidelines and timbre of the communications, but that's normal anytime one considers becoming part of a group. I still stand resolved to move forward with an open mind, yet I also stand resolute in my intentions to evaluate how suitable a fit the new group is for my diving needs and style. In my opinion, that's not being "judgemental"...it's simply a matter of being comfortable within the society, and it's what any one of us would (or should) do.


(addendum: Debraw, thank you for your post as well. As you can tell from the time stamps, I was writing this post pretty much as you were writing yours. Again, I'm truly sorry if my post caused anxiety or consternation...not my intent at all. Given the information I THOUGHT I had, I thought it was relevant to the topic of the thread. If I am to understand correctly, my concerns in that department are unfounded. I truly hope that is the case, and I hope the members of the group will forgive me for "jumping the gun" on this issue.)

 

[Cyprian]

Ok, since I am the lead organizer that Guba mentioned, I feel compelled to respond. My intent was to wait and respond in the morning as I am extremely tired and might start rambling in this post....lol...but I need to jump in.

First, Debra and Guba, thank you for your posts.

No harm, no foul Guba. I appreciate that you realize that you misunderstood my emails and again I apologize for any mis-representation. As everyone here knows full well, when you take the human element out of conversation, things can be misconstrued.

The new dive group that we are forming is merely in its infancy and new ideas are being brought forward to be discussed. One of these ideas was bringing in new members on a sponsorship basis or a dive with one of our instructors. The idea is nothing more than to make sure that the diver is safe and willing to learn and realize that (s)he can always learn. We are trying to avoid unsafe divers; divers who simply don't care or think they know it all.

That said, since this is a GUE thread, I will be the first to admit that I am a diver striving first for GUE Fundamentals and then on to Tech 1 and Cave 1. That is simply the path I have chosen. As Lynne mentioned, it is a system and I happen to like a systematic process where everything is laid out for me. All I need to do is learn, perform and follow the path. That's my choice. If it isn't yours, then I won't be dogging you about your chosen path. I will just applaud you as you reach certain goals.

There is a GUE contingent in our newly forming dive group....I mention that in case others were interested. There is also a forming UW Photography contingent, in case anyone around is interested.

So being a GUE diver, or wannabe if you prefer, I'll be the first to admit that I will dive with anyone safe. I dove with two guys in back-inflates this past weekend. Granted one is planning to follow the GUE path, he was still in a back inflate. I had zero problem diving with him or his friend. Two weeks ago I dove with a PADI/NAUI instructor who holds adv trimix, cave, etc certifications and he was diving sidemount. No, I didn't run over to him and tell him that he was unsafe and I couldn't dive with him. What did I do? I asked him to critique me on my dive and help me and that's exactly what he did. I'm already better at navigation because of a few points he mentioned. Will I dive with him again? In a heartbeat.

IMHO, people need to get off of this GUE vs Anti-GUE kick and just dive....heaven forbid, dive together. If the dive is technical enough to call for a standard configuration and that happens to be along GUE parameters and the dive is slated from the beginning as a GUE dive, then it is a GUE dive and all team members present should be prepared for that dive.

I'll echo PfcAJ here.....it's just scuba diving people! I hope to run into a bunch of you out there. We will enjoy some dives, burgers, dogs and/or fajitas on the surface intervals.

Safe dives,

Cyprian (Dan)

P.S. I apologize in advance for any typos, run-ons, grammatical errors....it's late, I'm tired, and I am not proof-reading this post!

 

[GROBIOG]

... the group is not just for GUE divers...

I was interested in joining but now...

 

[gcarter]

I was interested in joining but now...

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

That there's a pretty good example of how easy it is to misconstrue things ... and also how easy it is for misunderstandings to perpetuate stereotypes that often have little to do with the reality.

A few years back a group was formed here that was heavily GUE-based, but with every intention of becoming more inclusive. Unfortunately, inclusive sometimes means figuring out how to integrate someone into the group that just doesn't fit in with your mental model. This one fellow wanted to join one of the weekly dives using his Megaladon. Now, not only is it unusual for someone to want to do a 40-foot dive in a rebreather ... but most GUE-oriented divers aren't really mentally prepared to buddy up with a RB diver. So someone in the group chimed in that he'd need to bring his own dive buddy. Of course, that set off a howl among those who are inclined to see such suggestions as "elitist" ... but what the fellow really meant to point out was "we don't know how to dive with RB divers".

Having dived with this RB guy before, I offered to be his buddy ... he and I had already been to 200 feet together, so I figured we could handle a shallow dive OK. A friend of mine sent me an email all concerned and curious.

"What will you do in an OOA" he asked. Well ... given we were going to be on a site that is quite shallow, I flippantly replied "Stand up" ... In reality, it's simple ... we each brought a bail-out bottle, which RB divers routinely do anyway. And having dived with him before, I was sufficiently familiar with his rig to get him on an OC regulator and shut his unit down in an emergency.

The dive was quite a success ... we had a nice, varied group of divers show up ... everyone had a great time ... and afterward we all went up the street to the local pub and enjoyed each other's companionship ... which is how it's supposed to be ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[gypsyjim]

I was interested in joining but now...

Thanks. Sometimes we just need to take a breath and relax.

Too damn easy to take ourselves too damn seriously.

 

[nimoh]

PADI would have probably still given you the c-card if you paid for the course

What? PADI doesn't give out C-Cards for mere payment in full, you have to pass the class!

 

[CamG]

Great thread Lynne, interesting comments and the drifting themes are predictable.
I have found that I chose not to form opinions about any divers despite what ever group, DIR / GUE, NAUI, PADI, SDI / TDI, what ever agency they belong to.
Instead I choose an open mind to let their dive prowess speak for itself.
I desire an honest reality based foundation for any or all dive buddies that I dive with.

I have had the pleasure of sharing dives with some remarkable people of many different backgrounds and am very grateful for their impact on my own dive practices.
Of one thing I am certain you can NOT stereo type divers!
Kool Aid not a bad drink but just loaded with sugar!

Take care all and enjoy your dives!
CamG Keep Diving....Keep Training....Keep Learning!

 

[darylb]

Sorry if this has been answered, but I can't find it. What are DIR and GUE divers?