I took GUE Fundies as a beginner, maybe 60 dives total. I had numerous conversations with my GUE instructor before the class, because I really had no idea if I was ready for such a class. My GUE instructor advised me to take the class regardless of my skill level. After the class began, he convinced me to go for a tec pass, and he put me in double tanks (which I had never used before).
The class turned out to be more of an audition than a teaching class. My GUE instructors (3 of them) spent the class ridiculing my lack of skills in doubles. Turns out I was taking GUE-F with other divers who were certified cave divers who were entering the GUE pipeline for GUE cave diving classes.
The GUE instructors took video during the dives, and they played video of screw ups over and over and over, laughing hysterically at me and making rude comments the entire time.
Despire all this, I got a provisional tech pass. When I returned to Florida a few months later to try again, my GUE instructors put me in impossible situations for a new diver, and again humiliated and ridiculed me the entire time. For instance, they took me out into stiff current in doubles, and had me try air sharing drills while trying to back kick into the stiff current. Mind you, I had just learned to back kick. When I drifted into the instructor, he punched me and forcefully shoved me back with excessive force. He didn't pass me, but had me come back again for another attempt to pass. I never went back.
Despite all this, I went back home with a much clearer idea of what constituted REAL dive skills. I got very serious about diving, bought a compressor, learned gas mixing, serviced all my tanks and regs, dove several days a week back home, mastered the skills, and went on to complete my cave diving certification. I have been diving all around the world and have a couple thousand dives under my belt.
So... I still recommend that you take GUE-F, but understand what you're getting into. Learn what you can.
The GUE folks will chime in here, calling me a liar, etc., which actually just validates what I say here is true. GUE folks have a superiority complex, and instead of trying to fix their problems they attack people who tell the truth about their bad GUE experiences.
