GUE Fundamentals

[BlueTrin]

Just be aware that fundie is a "shallow" course; skills are considerably harder at 6m than at 20m Therefore, your high SAC issue may not be an issue during the course. If you really want to work on it, be proactive with the instructor and ensure that he/she is aware of your limits.

Agree with @ginti : tell the instructor your goals before the class, because breathing is not a particular focus of the class.

If that helps, I have the same issue than you. For me, practicing drills a lot in neutral buoyancy until I didn’t need to think about your buoyancy too much helped me to reduce my sac while multitasking.

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

yes the GUE Fundamental is in itself a good course and if you were asking about it 10 years ago, I would have tell you to go straight for it.
Now in 2022, a lot (it should be "all") of non GUE instructors are teaching the same curriculum with the same degree of seriousness.

I wish that were true.

And GUE instructors are also like everyone: some are good, some not so good. Don't believe in the hype that GUE instructors are all go(o)d.
Talk to the instructor first to see if (s)he can help you to get that you are looking for.
Enjoy your dives

Some instructors are a bad fit. But the sequence/content of the course is what makes the difference. This isn't rocket science after all. Let's be real, it should not be so hard to teach proper weighting, trim, finning, etc.., but it is a rarity unfortunately due to low standards of becoming an instructor in general.

 

[NothingClever]

...a lot (it should be "all") of non GUE instructors are teaching the same curriculum with the same degree of seriousness.

< cue Jeff Goldblum as Dr Ian Malcolm from Jurassic Park >

Uhmm...how's the real estate market in that alternate galaxy you live in?

 

[SpeedyJ]

"You don't have to drink the Kool Aid, just go for the skills."

GUE has a very specific system for a specific type of diving which doesn't apply to the vast majority of divers (including myself).

But the instruction is great. The improvement of skills is great.

What about the system cannot be applied to open water? BP/W and Primary Donate are increasingly common in open water.

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

What about the system cannot be applied to open water? BP/W and Primary Donate are increasingly common in open water.

solo diving. Diving on air. Sidemount in open water. There is no way I would ever conceive of shore diving Octopus Hole (Washington divers will know what I'm talking about) in a twinset. Sidemount, definitely.

 

[SpeedyJ]

solo diving. Diving on air. Sidemount in open water. There is no way I would ever conceive of shore diving Octopus Hole (Washington divers will know what I'm talking about) in a twinset. Sidemount, definitely.

Ah, got it, said another way your preferences don't align with GUE, not that GUE's approach doesn't apply to the vast majority of diving.

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

Ah, got it, said another way your preferences don't align with GUE, not that GUE's approach doesn't apply to the vast majority of diving.

Their philosophy doesn't apply. Or I should say most divers reject it.

It does t make it wrong just not applicable

 

[jale]

< cue Jeff Goldblum as Dr Ian Malcolm from Jurassic Park >

Uhmm...how's the real estate market in that alternate galaxy you live in?

For me, an instructor is not defined by holding a card or a cap saying "instructor"

 

[AJ]

Their philosophy doesn't apply. Or I should say most divers reject it.

It does t make it wrong just not applicable

I have the same feeling with PADI, CMAS, SSI, IANTD For me, I take the most important things I learned from training that work for me. Doesn't matter if I dive sidemount, OC backmount or CCR. Some skills can be used in any config, others are totally useless (for me: snorkel, jacket and octopus). That does not mean they are'nt usefull to others.

Bottom line is: think and decide for yourself what works, don't cling on to what your instructor told you.

 

[rob.mwpropane]

I was under the impression that it's not the amount of air you use that really matters, as long as you plan for the respective dives with what you need?

SAC will get better over time, and in my experience it has.