Thanks, Guy. This sounds like an interesting option for many. Basically if I understand correctly, this primer course a lite-version of the fundamentals course w/out a PASS/FAIL evaluation or certification ?
Out of curiosity, for those going into it with the expectation of continuing training (you seem to suggest that many do anyway), what would be the value of taking this primer course first ? Since it seems to be a subset of the fundamentals course, is there any upgrade path, or would you just end up repeating some of the same material again down the road? For those that are merely looking for some exposure to this system of diving, is there any significant cost difference between the two courses (primer vs fundamentals) ?
The Primer could be viewed as workshop on the fundamental skills of buoyancy, trim and propulsion. While this sounds straight forward (how hard can it be right?) any GUE graduate will attest that it is not as easy as it looks, particularly when we put in place some objective standards of reference (specific depths, etc.) There is some classroom work in the Primer but the majority of the time is spent in the water.
To answer your question about the "why", we need to take a step back and look at why students enrol in a Fundamentals class. First, there are the students who use the Fundamentals course as the gateway to further GUE training. Many of these students show up having prepared extensively for the course, while others slide sideways from other training agencies. Because our training is holistic in nature, we do not have "cross-overs". One of the excellent things about GUE trained divers is that they can, with very little effort, integrate into teams of GUE divers any where in the world and participate in conservation efforts, research and exploration with very little mess and fuss. This is so because every single GUE diver must complete the "full meal deal" There is no "buffet" where you can pick and choose from the salad bar and maybe some desert, but skip the main course. GUE graduates all follow the same course progression and if the instructor cadre does their job correctly, they come out the other end of the training system (where ever it may be) with the same minimum standard of skills and knowledge. This is the power of standardization in our training.
The Fundamentals program can be a bit of an eye opener for many divers who felt they were already skilled in the water. Sometimes, despite their best efforts and help from mentors before hand, they do not pass the Fundamentals course. Remember, the standards are objective and they are published for anyone to see. My experience has been that for this type of student (interested in moving up the GUE training ladder) the Primer offers an excellent introduction to what is going to be expected of them in the Fundamentals and later tech and cave streams. They can then move ahead and concentrate on the finer nuances of the skills they are learning in the Fundamentals class. As instructors we are encouraged to exceed training standards if we see fit and again, from my experience, students who have completed the Primer and then later the Fundamentals class are the type of students where I can "raise the bar" so to speak. One of the biggest hurdles for students coming to Fundamentals is that they often lack the solid platform that you need to conduct drills and skills. This is heavily emphasized in the Primer. Let me give you an example and time line that I have seen: a student completed the primer in one month, the Fundamentals course nearly two months later and completed Cave I two-three months after that. This student was new to doubles and his first introduction to GUE was his Primer course. I am sure his progress was atypical but he did a lot of diving in between courses and really worked hard on establishing that solid platform in the water, that emphasized precision buoyancy control and trim. This student, like many GUE students entered in to the training program with the desire for eventual Cave and Tech training. He worked out the path of "least resistance" as it were, and succeeded. In this case the Primer gave this student a leg up for his later training. They didn't have to "un learn" anything and they began from the beginning with the end in mind and wanted no wrong turns in their path. Sometimes this is available through mentoring, etc, but this is not always the case. This student was simply very pragmatic.
But GUE is not just about the "deep and the dark". Fundamental skills are just that: the skills a diver should have in order to safely and enjoyably experience the UW world while not damaging the environment. Some divers have no desire to continue into Tech or Cave training and just want to be better skilled divers. They also may not want to invest the time and money that the full Fundamentals course requires. They just want to be better, safer, and enjoy their time in the water more. Here is another excellent use of the Primer course. I have had several single tank divers who simply wanted to develop their buoyancy, trim and propulsion skills ("how do you do a back kick?") and then have more fun in their recreational diving. Because the primer is usually around half the cost of the Fundamentals course and half the time commitment, it is easier for these type of students to enter the GUE training stream. This is also a great opportunity for the "GUE-curious" to learn what we are all about. Interestingly, it is not uncommon for these type of students to change their mind about whether they want to continue or not, and actually do move ahead. They become comfortable enough in the water that the "buffet" was not enough and they want the "full meal deal".
This post turned out to be longer than I expected but I wanted to take the time to tell you what the course was about. You are correct in that there is no pass-fail for this class. As a parting note, I find it very interesting that those who took the primer and then several months later completed the Fundamentals program, showed very little stress and did not seem at all intimidated during the pass-fail Fundamentals program.
Hope that helps answer your question. I wrote an article for Quest magazine about this class and I expect to see it within the next couple of issues. At the end of the day, GUE really just wants safer, more skilled divers in the water who are enjoying the UW environment and leaving it in the same condition as they found it. I honestly believe that the Primer is an excellent tool for helping forward this agenda.
Best,
Guy Shockey
GUE Instructor
I agree with you nearly 100% but would like to add that because the Primer is heavily biased in favour of in-water skills, there is little to no time spent on much of what makes a GUE diver integrate so easily with other GUE divers in the sense of their knowledge of safety procedures, protocols, etc. 
