fundamental schedule

[BluewaterSail]

Based on my experience, I recommend that you do take it now, with the Rec pass in mind.

Having nothing to do with any passes, being a rec level fundies grad is the best thing I ever did in my diving studies. It is so much more fun and relaxing to dive, when you can control your position in the water with ease. Any diver can benefit from these skills.

Also, the longer you wait, the more bad habits you might form which would make it harder in the end.

 

[gsk3]

Another vote for split the class in two and take it in a single tank.

You want to be comfortable. Once you have the "Fundamentals" down, you can always go back and go for a tech pass. In my experience those who have trouble transitioning to doubles tend not to have their buoyancy/trim right in the first place. That's not a critique of them, just a comment that doubles seem to be fairly easy once you've got control over your trim.

 

[esears]

I think the best bet is to take Fundies in single tank now to learn the skills sooner than later.

At the beginning of the class, share the possible intent of upgrading to tech pass with your instructor, and ask for advice.

Perhaps there will be time to demonstrate the additional skills needed to earn a tech pass.

Ask your instructor the policy for a tech check off.

Polish the fundies skills after the class.

Once you've nailed the skills, you can either take a GUE "Doubles Primer" or find a GUE mentor to help you into doubles & help prep for the tech check off.

It might be useful to take Fundies using a light can (if you have one) and learn the extra skills.

Have fun & good luck!

I did something similar where prior to taking my Fundies course (actually scheduled to start on Tuesday) I went to the instructor and dove with him 4-5 times to have him evaluate my skill set prior to taking the course. He recommended based on my current skills status to take the course in doubles. He then set me up with a rig to use for the other 3-4 dives. I've since bought a doubles rig and have been practicing in that for the past two months. I really found the initial evaluation extremely valuable as it really cemented to me that I was in the right spot to even take the course.

 

[Griffo]

Another vote for splitting it. My Fundies ended up being spread over 3 weekends of diving due to weather. The first weekend was pool and theory, with the OW dives binned. I was quite glad, as it gave us the opportunity to spend a couple of solid hours in a pool practicing trim and propulsion. Without that I doubt I would have passed. The second weekend had dives in marginal weather in water that was at the limits of our comfort temperature wise, so we elected to complete the dives 600miles further north in warmer water the week after.

I'm glad that it was split up as it gave not only practice time, but also time to reflect and really think about everything and letting it all soak in. I did it wet, in singles, and with a can light for a rec pass. I'm glad that I didn't try it in doubles, gear familiarity was the only thing we had going in our favour.

 

[TSandM]

I think, honestly, that the biggest value of the Fundamentals class is for people who dive a single tank and never intend to do anything more.

After all, if you do go on to some kind of technical training, it's likely your instructor will get into trim and buoyancy and non-silting propulsion, and bag shooting, and maybe even some situational awareness stuff. And of course, any tech training will teach you some dive planning and gas management.

But if you are a single tank, recreational diver, and intend to stay one, where else are you going to learn those things? I can tell you that my single-tank recreational diving was far more fun, less stress, and more productive (and remains so) from the skills I learned in Fundamentals. Can you swim up to something, spot it and stop on a dime? If the water is pushing you over the critter, can you back up to avoid being pushed away? Can you pull out your wetnotes or slate and write a note to your buddy without losing depth, trim, or awareness of where you are? Do you respond to your buddy's signals instantly, or do they have to swim up and pull on your fins to get your attention?

Fundies is a fantastic class, and the skills taught there would be useful for anybody doing recreational diving, period.