Fundies this weekend!

[mruseless]

I finally convinced my wife to take Fundies with me, so we are doing it starting this weekend with Rob Calkins at Flatirons Scuba in Broomfield, Colorado.

As someone here once said (I don't remember who to credit), dive as much as you can on your current certification, and when you get bored, get more training. So that's what I'm doing. My wife is also getting into photography and agreed that more skills and emphasis on team would be a good thing.

We both have around 250 dives, and have done up through Rescue with PADI. We have decent trim and bouyancy, but neither of us have ever tried a BP/W or long hose. My wife's main concern is that she will end up with a provisional pass (we are just going for Rec) and will feel like it's all for nothing. I've been keeping her positive and focused on the journey and the learning experience. I'm sure she will change her tune and have fun during the class (she is a very upbeat person, I think she is just a little worried).

Since we are doing Fundies over two separate weekends, I hope to post a report after the first weekend and again after the class is over.

I'm really excited about it, wish us luck!

 

[TSandM]

I wish you luck, but even more, a fun learning experience.

Given that neither of you has used the equipment, you WILL be frustrated. It may take a dive or two just to get things perfectly adjusted. A provisional doesn't mean the time is wasted -- it means you just had more to learn than you could digest in the time allowed. I provisionaled in Fundies -- it took me six months to pass. I enjoyed the six months -- having the things to practice gave my diving direction and focus, in addition to just the usual fun of critter-hunting. And the effort is worth it, because your diving, your teamwork, and your photography will be better for having done the class.

Can't wait to read the report.

 

[xdjio]

Good luck! It's not about a pass or a provisional - it's about the journey and about learning. Heck, it took me a YEAR (long story) to pass Fundies and I never regretted it at all. I learned so much and it made me so much more skilled and confident in the water (and beyond that, the whole process was FUN).

Dollars to donuts says you are both grinning ear to ear when you do your first working back-kick. It sure happened that way for me!

 

[Slowrise]

I took fundies just a couple of weeks ago, and it was good fun and very rewarding. The first dive was my first ever in doubles and a bit of a circus, but at the end of the course I came away with a pretty short list of things to improve in order to get the tech pass, and a couple of new diving buddies with the same approach to diving as myself as well.

 

[Roko]

I'll echo what the others have said about not worrying about the pass -- Fundies is more about the learning than the card.

You mention your wife is getting into photography. I have found that the team-style of diving that GUE promotes makes photography that much more enjoyable during the dive. Before I began diving with GUE I would have to worry about dive buddies disappear on me when I wanted to take photos, or who would silt things out because they struggled to hold station while I was snapping a photo. Now when diving with GUE buddies, I never have to worry about these things. I can concentrate on a photo, and my team mates (Often xdjio) keep their light in my peripheral vision so I know where they are and that they're okay as I focus on taking the photo. Likewise they watch over me. The propulsion skills that fundies works to refine also come in very handy, especially when delicately positioning for a nice macro shot, and then backing out to continue the dive. Of course, this takes a very patient team willing to put up with a photographer (Thanks xdjio!)

Hopefully from that perspective, you and your wife will find the course worth it, and hopefully you'll both come away with a pass and big grins on your faces!

As a bit of advice, after the course when she starts diving with the camera again, practice drills while she has the camera. It adds a bit of complexity, especially when clipped off and potentially trapping/obstructing hoses. (I practiced through some embarrassing S-drills before I figured out how to best manage clipping off my camera in a fashion that doesn't get in the way)

 

[nimoh]

It's a great class, and I hope you have a great time.

It was an eye-opening experience for me as I had no idea how much more fun diving could be.

 

[Lorenzoid]

Let us know how it goes. My wife and I had never used a Hogarthian gear configuration before, either, so we decided that jumping directly into Fundies would leave us at a disadvantage. We took Primer a couple of months ago and learned a bit that we believe should help us in Fundies and help us select some gear for purchase. We're spending the intervening time practicing with the gear and plan to take Fundies in the Spring or Summer next year.