DIR- GUE Finding teammates after failing fundamentals

[johndiver999]

If your computer is on a console get the wrist adapter for a puck computer and wear it on your wrist. This was a game changer for me in allowing me to always know what my depth was.

Something like this but depends on the size of the computer.

Well this is a DIR forum and I know that is the prescribed configuration, and I understand why, but it does NOT work for me. I do a special type of diving that makes that idea a very bad one and impractical. Don't want to violate the DIR Rules for this thread, but I appreciate your advice.

 

[larsdennert]

There are lots of people with 500-1000 dives who don't pass Fundies. It's a humbling experience even when you do pass. The real question is whether you learned stuff. If you did, that's success. If you want to learn more, try again after practicing. That means just diving and enjoying yourself. GUE divers will dive with anyone so long as everyone's limits are observed. Making better divers out of all of us in the process is a bonus.

 

[LanceRiley]

ive done my fundies and got tech pass. but that's like 7-8 dives AFTER the class.

I wear 3mm wetsuit since i live in the tropics. use al80 doubles.
i tend to flip forward.

i use jet fins with 2 lbs tail weight.


my significant other on the other hand uses OMS fins and NO tailweights. and she's fine.... trim.

 

[PR_SMITH]

I did Fundies in 2009, failed. I only had 25 dives when I did the course. I didn't pass, but learned a lot, and have continued to learn ever since. I dive with GUE divers, even though I never did the course again.

 

[larsdennert]

ive done my fundies and got tech pass. but that's like 7-8 dives AFTER the class.

I wear 3mm wetsuit since i live in the tropics. use al80 doubles.
i tend to flip forward.

i use jet fins with 2 lbs tail weight.


my significant other on the other hand uses OMS fins and NO tailweights. and she's fine.... trim.

Regs and manifold are heavy and that's noticeable when you are only diving a 3mm. Make sure you have a neutral rig because a large roving air bubble in the wing can do weird things. Are you using a steel plate? that could be adding more weight up top. There's also the possibility that you are actually to heavy at the feet and have to compensate by diving head down to shift weight forward. Sounds silly but it happens and then you become tippy (forward).

 

[AJ]

I did Fundies in 2009, failed. I only had 25 dives when I did the course. I didn't pass, but learned a lot, and have continued to learn ever since. I dive with GUE divers, even though I never did the course again.

That's exactly what the class is for. Took me three attempts to pass tech rating because of wanting to do Tech1, then quit GUE all togheter because I bought a rebreather and wasn't interested in the GUE ccr config. Fundies made me a way better diver however, glad I did it.

 

[LanceRiley]

Regs and manifold are heavy and that's noticeable when you are only diving a 3mm. Make sure you have a neutral rig because a large roving air bubble in the wing can do weird things. Are you using a steel plate? that could be adding more weight up top. There's also the possibility that you are actually to heavy at the feet and have to compensate by diving head down to shift weight forward. Sounds silly but it happens and then you become tippy (forward).

trim is perfect at this setup. yes. im using stainless plate. plate was adjusted to be at my lowest possible position in the back. fingertips just touching top of plate...

i have dived with 2 stages... its good now.

its not too heavy at the feeet. with light fins... id tip forward!

 

[larsdennert]

trim is perfect at this setup. yes. im using stainless plate. plate was adjusted to be at my lowest possible position in the back. fingertips just touching top of plate...

i have dived with 2 stages... its good now.

its not too heavy at the feeet. with light fins... id tip forward!

Ah ok I think I misunderstood your post thinking you were still tipping forward and trying to fix it. Yea everyone's different. Jet fins make me foot heavy even in a 7mm no matter how else I trim my shoulder weight so they are reserved for a drysuit only. Tough to trim anything in steel doubles as I carry zero weight but luckily they are ok.

 

[Sebs]

Thanks everyone! This actually makes me feel a lot better!

Technically, I was cut off the class early and didn't splash for the last dive on the last day. The class was 5 days and on day 1 we were told we have two more dives than normal. My near panic moment described above was dive 1 on day 4. After we surfaced, instructor and other student went back down to finish some skills. Then somehow I finished the entire second dive on day 4, we did another valve drill, s-drills and I did my first smb deployment ever - which was a super cool feeling

Oh, I forgot to mention that on day 1 the instructor told us verbatim that no one will "fail" the class. So after day 4 ended the realization that I'm about to fail a class that "no one fails" hit me pretty head on. After not sleeping at all that night (also, had to deal with mice in the hotel, not making excuses, but it did affect me) waking up for day 5 was tough. I didn't want to be in the water at all. I did a pretty poor valve drill, I almost took the backup out of my mouth with my right hand with my primary still clipped. Pretty bad stuff, my teammate signaled and was like wtf are you doing . I finished the valve drill but I felt that was about to lose it again. So during the next skill which was helicopter turn practice (my left turn was worse than my right so I imagine instructor wanted to sneak one more full isolated practice) I decided to call it before it got to a really bad state again. Teammate deployed an smb, we surfaced and I was told I failed and won't be diving anymore. At this point, I was glad to be out of the water and there was no way I was diving again that day.

So having two extra dives, I skipped one full and two half dives so I imagine I got close to the full experience so I don't feel too bad about not technically completing the class. I didn't do the no mask swim but this sounds like an easy skill compared to others. It's a swim, so trim, balance and stability is a lot easier.

Oh, also a really cool tidbit. Instructor told me he knew all the way during my valve drill that I was about to lose it again. He could see my diaphragm twitching so he knew my breathing was fast, shallow and bad. The situational awareness of GUE instructors is out of this world - they can see your internal organs moving.

Mate it sounds like your experience was very similar to mine doing ITT. My instructor taught ITT but basically ran through the GUE curriculum. After 3 hard days of about 5hrs per day in the water I also didn't "pass".

At the time I had about 60 dives and felt like I was ready. I wasn't. I was primarily a holiday diver who hadn't been in the water for over 6 months. It was my first time in doubles. First time wearing jetfins. First time deploying an SMB. First time someone really critiquing my kicking technique down to the millimetre. It didn't help that I wasn't comfortable with mask clear and remove. Struggled to stay in trim and had to kick to do so. I was mentally drained and you could tell on his GoPro footage how ******* frustrated I was. I wasn't enjoying myself. He said that he wouldn't be comfortable letting me continue on to ANDP (for good reason) and I needed to practice more. I 100% agreed with him. I did some more rec dives there with the doubles setup and haven't dived doubles since.

Now a few years on, I've bought a drysuit, dive locally on a weekly basis and will be buying doubles soon to start the whole process again.

My point is. I don't carry this as some huge failure on my part and neither should you. I'm still a competent and careful diver. I practice the basics on every dive now (S-drill, mask clear, finning, hovering) and if a buddy like you asked me if we could spend the last 10 minutes of a dive in the shallows practicing some skills or even just adjusting weights to get better trim I would be more than ecstatic. As long as you're willing to improve yourself and don't act like you know it all, nobody is going to hold a failed Fundies/ITT course against you.

You got this.

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

My point is. I don't carry this as some huge failure on my part and neither should you. I'm still a competent and careful diver. I practice the basics on every dive now (S-drill, mask clear, finning, hovering) and if a buddy like you asked me if we could spend the last 10 minutes of a dive in the shallows practicing some skills or even just adjusting weights to get better trim I would be more than ecstatic. As long as you're willing to improve yourself and don't act like you know it all, nobody is going to hold a failed Fundies/ITT course against you.

Can I get an amen!!!!?

You got this.

And now a second amen.