Can you pass fundies at all on your first try?

[johnkendall]

In the Common mistakes FAQ it states: Going into Fundies expecting a Tech pass.


As a diver that is striving to do GUE and go through the process I have some concerns. It seems that you get an amazing amount of info, and amazing training, and life long dive skills from the fundamentals class. Does anyone pass the class on the first try? Is it designed to take twice? I don't mean that in a mean/negative way, I just want to be clear. If I'm not qualified I understand that. I just haven't yet read anyone that passed on their first try. does it happen?

I know i have skills to work on, I am working on them. I am taking private lessons, I am practicing in the pools and in the open waters. I have begun educating myself and changing my gear to what I feel is the proper config ( it just so happens it is the GUE/DIR guidelines that I am adhering to.) Hoefully i don't come off as an @$$ I'm just trying to understand a bit more.

In Short, the answer is Yes, you can pass fundies first time.

I reckon that about 50% of my students pass the class at their first attempt and the majority of the rest get Provisionals. I have rarely had anyone come back for a re-eval fail to achieve it as well.

That said, maybe only 10% of students coming in to my classes manage to leave with a Tech Pass, this is because you need to be Comfortable, Confident and Competent to do this, and normally at least one of the above is lacking, as it takes time to achieve this.

However I agree with all the comments saying "Don't come into the class expecting a tech pass", as this tends to reduce the ability to learn. Basically come into the class expecting to learn loads and get better and you will do, and if at the end of the class you are good enough, you will get your pass. If not, then you'll need to practice some more until you are good enough.

HTH
John

 

[Sas]

I don't know anyone who has failed Fundies actually. Most have gone for a Tech pass and done fine. That being said I don't know any one inexperienced who has done fundies...

 

[beester]

I got a tech pass first try out. Instructor was Derek Remmers. Of the 2 others on my fundies 1 got a rec and 1 a provisional.

I had no previous real life contact with GUE divers except an meeting with a Belgian soon to be fundies instructor about GUE and their way of diving. So no run up dives with GUE divers, no instruction or practise runs on how all the different skills etc work.

I did however read up a bit on GUE obviously, read the fundies book but most importantly had when I started about 300 dives under my belt, of which at least 100 in doubles, at least 200 in drysuit, wreck diving, etc. So I felt comfortable in the equipment I was diving and except for some wing straps adjustments nothing needed changing.

I wasn't aiming for a pass (to be quite frank I didn't know about prov, rec or tech pass). I just wanted to improve skills because after I took my TDI Adv nitrox I was certain that my skills were not sufficient to use the stuff I learned (staged decompression) in a north sea wreck environment (no TDI comments here... I'm sure this was much more a case of bad instruction then standards). So I wanted to brush and learn as much as I could. And I tried... it was the most incredible learning experience in my diving career.

When they told me during the first talks during fundies about the goals of fundies and also the different ways to pass I told my instructor(s) that I wasn't interested in a pass or fail. I wasn't going to go any further into TECH or CAVE anyway because the deepest wrecks in my neighborhood are 130-140 feet and caves are a 500 mile drive away.

I've changed my mind on the last part though... I am becoming interested in cavediving and will probably attempt a C1 next year.