Round peg. Square hole.
Welcome to ScubaBoard, the world's largest scuba diving community. Registration is not required to read the forums, but we encourage you to join. Joining has its benefits and enables you to participate in the discussions.
Benefits of registering include
Sounds to me, though, that if GUE only allows their divers to train with equipment only 10% of the populous dives with, they're already setting them up for failure. Because let's face it, if you're doing any sort of resort diving or anything similar on location probably better than 95% of those divers will have trained using the same type of equipment everyone else is using rather than specialized gear. How many GUE divers are there compared to PADI, NAUI, SSI, etc.? So would it not be better to be proficient in using the typical "rec" style setup as opposed to a specialized setup like GUE, etc.? Imagine you've diving with say a PADI trained OW diver and they run into an OOA incident. Their training will likely have taught them to be looking for a brightly colored octo coming from the sharer's right side, rather than the dark colored primary in the sharer's mouth. Which of course leads into the bigger agencies teaching primary share. But even if they started that now, how many divers are out there that learned to share a secondary air source in an OOA situation?
I am in a CMAS club and I assure you that it has no comparison. I’ve done both by the way.
Exactly what I was thinking. The lack of flexibility is GUE's biggest weakness in my opinion. Well, that and the elitist attitudes that some (but not all) gue divers tend to have.
I also don't like their use of helium on OC at shallow depths (100-130'). That's a massive waste of a limited resource. My opinion is that if you're doing dives that require helium you should be doing it on a ccr. Not that I do either... between clowns making balloons and divers blowing helium out into the atmosphere it seems like a real tragedy.
Strengths? The focus on buoyancy, trim, and propulsion.. as others have stated, that's not really unique to GUE though.
Maybe look into RAID? I've not taken classes from RAID or GUE but just going by what I've read, RAID sounds like a "best of GUE" with some improvements type of agency. Maybe I've got the wrong impression.
I also don't like their use of helium on OC at shallow depths (100-130'). That's a massive waste of a limited resource.
Maybe look into RAID? I've not taken classes from RAID or GUE but just going by what I've read, RAID sounds like a "best of GUE" with some improvements type of agency. Maybe I've got the wrong impression.
To be clear, that is not a PADI system. PADI does not endorse any system.
It was created by others and is the most commonly taught system by almost all agencies in the world. PADI does not advocate any specific system. An instructor can teach a PADI class with a backplate and wing system, long hose, bungeed alternate, etc.
Oh Geez. I'm not a GUE diver, but wish I had started that route initially. I had never even heard of GUE until I took cavern. Alot of what you're saying just comes off silly to those informed about the realities of GUE. Sure there's some elitists, but that's a huge stereotype that gets thrown around. I think alot of it comes from people that wish they were GUE trained. Lack of flexibility is what keeps the GUE standards so high from instructor to instructor and student to student. Use of helium at 100-130 is definitely not silly. I really enjoy my Ginnie dives alot better with something like a 30/30 mix (not a GUE standard mix for 100-130 I know).
I think it can be argued that in real world diving, the OOA diver will go straight for the regulator in the buddy's mouth, despite being taught otherwise. A PADI OW instructor and I were chatting about some of the OOA situations he's encountered, and I asked him which regulator the OOA diver went for in his experience. I did not tell him I dived a long hose, and I know he dived a standard recreational setup. He said, with no hesitation, "They always go for the one in my mouth, always." That kind of settled that for me.
FWIW, at the time, I was thinking of going back to recreational setup, short hoses, secondary donate.
You forget that a large population of regular PADI style divers use Air2’s, so they are primary donate just like GUE. The only difference is it’s more than likely not on a long hose, and instead of a bungeed second they are fumbling for their inflator, but the principle is there.Sounds to me, though, that if GUE only allows their divers to train with equipment only 10% of the populous dives with, they're already setting them up for failure. Because let's face it, if you're doing any sort of resort diving or anything similar on location probably better than 95% of those divers will have trained using the same type of equipment everyone else is using rather than specialized gear. How many GUE divers are there compared to PADI, NAUI, SSI, etc.? So would it not be better to be proficient in using the typical "rec" style setup as opposed to a specialized setup like GUE, etc.? Imagine you've diving with say a PADI trained OW diver and they run into an OOA incident. Their training will likely have taught them to be looking for a brightly colored octo coming from the sharer's right side, rather than the dark colored primary in the sharer's mouth. Which of course leads into the bigger agencies teaching primary share. But even if they started that now, how many divers are out there that learned to share a secondary air source in an OOA situation?
Yes , failures are found before the dive and always wet breath regs and bubble check before descent.GUE EDGE is your answer. GUE divers check their whole gear setup and dive plan before dive start. If done properly the chance of a non working backup is about zero. Furthermore do GUE divers (at least the ones I know) train regurlarly faillures and procedures including S-drill (= air sharing). It's part of how they dive.