Beginners doing GUE fundamentals?

[NothingClever]

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.

I don’t think you’re a liar and I do believe that you had a genuinely bad experience.

However, it seems like it's been a real challenge to move beyond the matter.

If you formally communicated your experience to GUE and a GUE representative hasn't contacted you, it rather begs the question whether it's healthy to continue lamenting the experience in public given so many others have had a positive experience. Maybe I'm mis-interpreting your tone but the sustained distress and class-action indictment against all of GUE seems to draw attention away from GUE and really focus it on you.

I sincerely hope you can overcome the trauma and grudge you've shared so many times here on ScubaBoard.

 

[DCN]

Reading a bit more about fundamentals, practicing lot of skills beforehand might be counterproductive.

But how can we best prepare for a basic fundamentals course? What is recommended? (besides improving overall fitness)

 

[Imla]

Reading a bit more about fundamentals, practicing lot of skills beforehand might be counterproductive.

But how can we best prepare for a basic fundamentals course? What is recommended? (besides improving overall fitness)

Go diving! and have fun! (In other words... don't overthink it)

You have already met and dived with your instructor. He most likely gave you very sound advice.
Maybe do a nightclass so you can join the local GUE crowd a the Tuesday afternoon dives. Might prove to be inspiring. Go for a dive with @steinbil. He's superchill and also "relatively" recently started his path with GUE. (From Rec to Fundie through C1 and T1)

 

[gregbenson314]

I agree that perhaps practicing the in water skills beforehand might be counter-productive. However, if you're not already on a backplate, wing and single harness set-up, I'd switch to that as a matter of priority, even before the class starts.

One thing that's very helpful (and I'd argue almost required) is to go through the worksheets that are provided before class begins, so that you have an understanding of things like minimum has calculations, useable gas/turn pressures etc.

It'd also be useful to read through the GUE SOPs. I believe that these are available on the GUE website once you formally sign up for a specific class. Don't worry about actually practicing anything yet, but having a read through will begin to familiarise yourself with how certain things are done. Obviously cave/technical sections don't need to be studied yet.


Another tip I'd suggest is to take a deep dive into the equipment set-up: not just what it is, but the reasoning as to why. I assume you're taking fundies in a single tank. I took the previous version in a single tank with 2 other divers in twinset, but it was helpful to understand the why behind certain choices, before the class begun (e.g. the primary reg being on the right post so that it's less likely to "roll off" whilst passing a restriction).


A thing that I didn't do but wish I did was to work on my core/posture more before the class. I've got a reasonable level of cardio fitness, but for the dry runs etc of trim position, kicks etc, I definitely feel I could have came in at a higher base level. Perhaps some yoga/pilates/stretching routine in the lead-up to the class would have mitigated this.


Edit: just read that you're already diving backplate and long hose. Great, that will set you up well for the class.

 

[DiveLikeAMuppet]

Reading a bit more about fundamentals, practicing lot of skills beforehand might be counterproductive.

But how can we best prepare for a basic fundamentals course? What is recommended? (besides improving overall fitness)

Be happy and comfortable underwater and get in few dives if you haven’t dived in the past few months so that you are not overwhelmed. Spend a minute underwater breathing without a mask if you haven’t done it recently. Otherwise - just do the e-learning and talk about any gear that you plan to bring with your instructor?

It’s not a boot camp, it’s just a (proper) dive course.

Like I said.... Deny and attack, the GUE way of doing business.

I’ve trained with four different GUE instructors, all of them were incredibly professional, never made any demeaning jokes and no matter the starting point, each student on the course improved their skills.

 

[DCN]

Go diving! and have fun! (In other words... don't overthink it)

You have already met and dived with your instructor. He most likely gave you very sound advice.
Maybe do a nightclass so you can join the local GUE crowd a the Tuesday afternoon dives. Might prove to be inspiring. Go for a dive with @steinbil. He's superchill and also "relatively" recently started his path with GUE. (From Rec to Fundie through C1 and T1)

We'll definitely go diving as much as we can. We also got some good advice from the instructor, we're just afraid we might bother him way too much with our beginner questions
Daylight time is getting longer and longer, so we maybe we'll get a few Tuesday afternoon dives done.
We might meet up with @steinbil this weekend.

One thing that's very helpful (and I'd argue almost required) is to go through the worksheets that are provided before class begins, so that you have an understanding of things like minimum has calculations, useable gas/turn pressures etc.

That's a good point!

A thing that I didn't do but wish I did was to work on my core/posture more before the class. I've got a reasonable level of cardio fitness, but for the dry runs etc of trim position, kicks etc, I definitely feel I could have came in at a higher base level. Perhaps some yoga/pilates/stretching routine in the lead-up to the class would have mitigated this.

Oh yes, are there any particular exercises/routines that are recommended?

Edit: just read that you're already diving backplate and long hose. Great, that will set you up well for the class.

Yes, we've strictly done cold water dives in a drysuit with bpw & longhose since our OW course, so we don't really have to spend a lot of time getting used to that.

Be happy and comfortable underwater and get in few dives if you haven’t dived in the past few months so that you are not overwhelmed. Spend a minute underwater breathing without a mask if you haven’t done it recently.

We dive as much as we can, but we haven't done mask off recently, so that's a good idea.

 

[JoeTPhilly]

There is a lot of required reading for Fundamentals. There are two books you will need to read. Doing it Right: The Fundamentals of Better Diving and Beginning with the End in Mind. There are also supplemental readings and the course and worksheets. Also, there is an online course in GUE Academy and you will want to view a lot of the videos on GUE TV.

Do the readings and course material and get your gear squared away to GUE standards. Save the practice until you have learned what needs to be practiced.

This video series may be of help:

 

[ChrisMBC]

I think 'Deco for Divers' is a great book to give an overview of decompression theory, and set me up well for the classroom portions of Fundies. Even if the material is not a 1:1 match with the deco 'philosophy' of GUE, it's an excellent overview of the history, the different schools of thought and where the science is good vs hazy.

 

[DiveLikeAMuppet]

Honestly, just have fun. Fundies are a four day remedial open water course with very basic intro into GUE mindset that somehow attained an almost mythical reputation. You will improve your foundations a lot and learn about teamwork a bit. The actual learning starts after Fundies, once you get through level 1 and or level 2 courses and ... go diving .

You don't need a massive amount of theory to study or practice much in advance, just be open-minded and comfortable underwater.

 

[ginti]

Yes, this is also true of the British Sub Aqua Club. However that is the viewpoint of the organisation not the people that enrol on the instructor training courses.

Unfortunately, I have to agree. Also, instructor trainers make quite some money by making new instructors...

To the OP: do it now, and enjoy the process, for all the valid reasons mentioned above