Fundies Rec/Tech?

[gsk3]

Here's what I said about the issue in my Fundies report:
http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/dir/340216-fundies-report-dutch-springs-10-a.html#post5316608
"-Doubles vs. singles - I had wanted to take Fundies in doubles. Bob didn't exactly say no, but he made one of his trademark faces when I told him I had never dove them before. So I split and plugged my brand new doubles into singles, and dove singles instead. I have mixed feelings about this. On the one hand, given that I passed and dove doubles competently the next week, I think that allowing myself to improve skills without adding a new and major piece of equipment was probably the right call. Who knows how difficult it would have been diving doubles while learning everything else, and I may well not have picked up on many subtleties because I was so absorbed with learning how to dive the new kit. On the other hand, I'm still not at all happy with my hose routing, and having Bob's genius sense of how to route the hoses and the exact positioning of the bands on the tanks and so forth would help immensely. However, I'm sure I'll get it sorted out, and will even likely run into Bob at the quarry some time when he gets back from teaching abroad and take advantage of his incredible generosity in sharing his time and knowledge. If I had to do it over again, I think that, as always, Bob was right and singles was the correct choice."

 

[kathydee]

I think you might enjoy my fundies report about our local instructors http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/dir/326408-gue-fundies-what-amazing-class.html I was lucky to have Beto, Rob and Susan for instructors ! What a class!

We are lucky here in the SF Bay area to have local instructors who are very generous and quite available for questions and ongoing support, as well as a huge community of supportive GUE members. Last I heard BAUE BAUE Home Page had 50+ local members .

 

[TSandM]

I think it's ideal to take the class in a single tank . . . and then go off and enjoy how much more fun your single tank diving is when your skills are better. There is a whole WORLD of diving that's perfectly accessible in a single tank. As one of my very best instructors, a wonderful man named Joe Talavera, told me: Do all the dives you can do with the certification you have, and when you are bored with all of it, go get more training.

Enjoying the increased fun you get with better skills in a single tank (and polishing those skills) makes the transition into doubles, when you need them, much easier. I've seen people try to do it the other way, and get into doubles early and learn the skills in them, and it seems much more difficult, and they seem to struggle a lot more.

 

[mikeguerrero]

Aquaregia,

Going from singles to doubles really helped me out. I learned so much on the single, got the chance to refine the skills later and then pushed to doubles when I was ready.

Ready to me means, I was done exploring the areas that the single tank held me to.

Doubles opens up a new window but you should have your skills honed in before venturing into bigger more massive tanks, it just makes sense.

The transition to the single is a bonus treat, when you have been diving doubles and you slip into the single, you almost feel naked in the water.

My tanks in my garage both love me because they know I don't dive just the doubles, they both get to go out with me.

Hope that helps out just a little on tanks...

MG

 

[textilet]

I've been mulling over this same question, thanks for posting it. I have 8 dives in the doubles now and I'm at the point where I fear teaching myself bad habits in them before having had the oppurunity to be properly educated on them. At the same time I wouldn't want to take the class in new and unfamiliar gear though, so it's a bit of a Catch-22. Maybe the single is the way to go.

 

[TSandM]

Really, the only down side of taking Fundies in a single tank is that you can't get a tech pass. And you only need a tech pass to get into technical or cave classes. If you're new and uncertain in doubles, you aren't ready for Tech 1 or Cave 1 anyway; do the class in a single tank, enjoy the learning and the improved skills, and play with your doubles. When you're ready to check out, you can do it. For you, it's only a short drive. I think the problem is much bigger for people who have to fly to take the class, or have to bring in an instructor.

 

[rhlee]

I agree with the advice on this thread. Having seen people rush into doubles before a fundies class, and also having worked with people who took fundies in the singles and then later transition to doubles, it almost always works out more smoothly (and more fun) the latter way. As mentioned previously, the tech endorsement is something that usually a matter of scheduling a checkout dive with one of the instructors.

I typically recommend people to take the class in whatever tanks, etc. you are comfortable and accustomed to diving. The course material is 99% the same whether you take it in singles vs. doubles, so once you know how to work with your body and equipment to build a stable platform in a single tanks, it's more a matter of tweaking and dialing-in to transition to doubles.

Regards,
-Rob