Fundies and no more?

[TSandM]

Over the last couple of years, it seems like almost everybody I know who has taken Fundies has gone on to do some kind of tech or cave training. (I sometimes think there are more cave divers in Seattle than there are in Florida!) So I got curious about how many people out there have taken Fundies for the skills for their recreational diving, and found that was enough. Is Fundies really a gateway drug?

 

[SparticleBrane]

Option 3: Took Fundies, going on to more advanced training but haven't done it yet...

 

[Darnold9999]

That would be me. Couldn't pay me to go into a cave and nothing deep particularly interests me. Great course, but not interested in going on. Also photography has pushed me to more solo diving than the team approach.

 

[NorthWoodsDiver]

what about option #4, have not taken fundies but plan to although I have already done some cave training.

 

[herman]

I have held a fundies card for a good many years, in fact they had just started issuing them when I took the course. I never had any desire to go farther. My objective in taking fundies was to learn the buoyancy and finning skills a make me a better diver and to see what DIR was all about. I saw a level of control and grace in my instructors that I had not seen in any other diver and they have been the model for me to judge meself against ever since. Plus I picked up some very useful equipment and diving techniques. Still, I have no desire to do any sort of tech diving....I am quite sure I am capable doing so but there is just nothing that interest me in going deep or into a cave. I am happy tooling around a shallow reef and having the control and grace only a very well trained and practiced diver can......and I still have a long way to go. As for most of the rest of the DIR divestyle, I found it something I did not need for my diving style. I can see it's use in tech diving but don't believe it has that much value in the low stress, easy diving I normally do.

 

[potablewater]

I'll just watch this develop from the sidelines for now...

 

[Belmont]

I took an equivalent course to Fundies from a DIR instructor but not under GUE.
My original intent was to get the best training possible for recreational diving, and that was after having gathered information here on Scubaboard.

Last march, the opportunity to dive the Cenotes came up and I did my Cavern and Intro cave.

I put my finger in the wringer and now this summer I'll be doing stage deco and probably have a looksee inside a few wrecks in the St-Lawrence.

All the while I keep diving at a recreational level and practising in a pool.

Fundies or DIR training has a potential to be a gateway drug.

 

[Jasonmh]

Option 3: Took Fundies, going on to more advanced training but haven't done it yet...

This would be where I am at as well.

I know several people who took fundies and were very happy with how it improved their diving but have no desire at all to do anything more technical.

 

[Mo2vation]

Took fundies, and that was it.

Since fundies my cash goes into, you know, actually diving and not more training to learn how to dive.

With the frequency I dive and the access to information that is available, I see no reason for me to take another class, ever.


---
Ken

 

[nadwidny]

Is Fundies really a gateway drug?

I doubt it since most of the people that I know that have taken DIRF have never gone further in the GUE or technical stream.

Off the top of my head I'm guessing that I've seen around 40 people take the DIRF course in my area and of that number only 3 have gone on to Cave 1 or Tech 1 courses and only 2 or 3 more have taken technical training via another (easier) route.

However my area is probably an anomaly as up until a month ago there was no GUE guy present to facilitate a mentoring process. I would bet that the ratio would be more even in a place like Kingston or Seattle where there was a permanent GUE presence.

Another interesting thing that I found out was that most of the people I know that did Tech 1 went on to do Tech 2-ish training outside of GUE. However those that did Cave 1 went on to do the rest of their cave training with GUE.